Backyard birds in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Which birds visit Thunder Bay yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Thunder Bay's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 48.382°, -89.250°
- Population
- 108,843
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 6 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 19 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 7:08 AM / 5:55 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 18 days later than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nesting timing in Thunder Bay
The state guides give nesting windows for Ontario as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 44.0°N). Thunder Bay is at 48.4°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 18 days later than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Thunder Bay goes from 8 h 19 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 6 min in June, a 7 h 47 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window May–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
Birds you can expect in Thunder Bay
Year-round residents (50)
Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Canada Jays, American Crows, Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, White-winged Crossbills, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (75)
Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, White-throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Red-shouldered Hawks, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Horned Larks, Dickcissels, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Winter visitors (7)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings
Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Thunder Bay
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Thunder Bay, sunrise is around 7:08 AM in mid-April, 5:55 AM at the June solstice and 8:45 AM in late December (local time, America/Toronto). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Thunder Bay yards
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Fruit and cover.
Winter-persistent fruit.
Dense roosting cover.
Insects, seeds and cavities.
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Nearby cities in Ontario
- Kenora — 256 mi away, nesting roughly 6 days later than Thunder Bay
- Sault Ste. Marie — 263 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days earlier than Thunder Bay
- Timmins — 363 mi away, nesting about the same time as Thunder Bay
- Valley East — 403 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days earlier than Thunder Bay
- Greater Sudbury — 407 mi away, nesting roughly 8 days earlier than Thunder Bay
- Owen Sound — 474 mi away, nesting roughly 15 days earlier than Thunder Bay
Frequently asked
What birds live in Thunder Bay all year?
Year-round residents across Ontario include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Thunder Bay.
When do birds start nesting in Thunder Bay?
Thunder Bay sits at a different latitude from Ontario's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 18 days later than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Thunder Bay?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Thunder Bay, sunrise is around 7:08 AM in mid-April and 5:55 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Ontario
- Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — Natural Resources Canada
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas — Birds Canada
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.