Birds of Kirkland Lake

181 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Kirkland Lake (Ontario) since 2010, across 17,404 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Common Grackle, American Robin and Ring-billed Gull.

Kirkland Lake is backyard-bird country: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Common Grackle, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird and American Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture and Merlin.

Records peak in May and are lowest in February — about 12.9 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.

Temiskaming Shores, 47 mi to the south, has more species on record (233 against 181). Birds logged far more often around Kirkland Lake than there include American Black Duck, Common Loon, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Daylight runs from 16 h 4 min at midsummer to 8 h 21 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:32 AM in mid-April and 5:19 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

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

• Common Grackle

  Cracked corn · Sunflower

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Cracked corn · Millet · Sunflower

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• Temiskaming Shores47 mi south · 233 species
• Haileybury51 mi south · 232 species
• Iroquois Falls52 mi north-west · 151 species
• Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues55 mi south-east · 203 species
• La Sarre59 mi north-east · 183 species
• Saint-Isidore60 mi south-east · 209 species