Birds of Elliot Lake

190 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Elliot Lake (Ontario) since 2010, across 23,151 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are American Crow, Mourning Dove and Common Raven.

Elliot Lake is backyard-bird country: 82% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. American Crow, Mourning Dove, Common Raven and Black-capped Chickadee make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Turkey Vulture and Broad-winged Hawk.

Records peak in May and are lowest in December — about 4.8 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Blind River, 21 mi to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (192 against 190). Birds logged far more often around Elliot Lake than there include Mourning Dove, Purple Finch, Common Redpoll and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Daylight runs from 15 h 49 min at midsummer to 8 h 35 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:45 AM in mid-April and 5:37 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Mourning Dove

  Millet · Cracked corn · Black-oil sunflower

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• European Starling

  Suet · Cracked corn

• Blue Jay

  Peanuts in the shell · Black-oil sunflower · Suet

• Blind River21 mi south-west · 192 species
• Gore Bay34 mi south · 212 species
• Espanola42 mi east · 180 species
• Little Current44 mi south-east · 222 species
• Rayside-Balfour70 mi east · 211 species
• Lively71 mi east · 236 species