Birds of Rayside-Balfour

211 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Rayside-Balfour (Ontario) since 2010, across 38,675 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow and Blue Jay.

Rayside-Balfour is backyard-bird country: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, Blue Jay and American Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

18 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Turkey Vulture, American Kestrel and Hen Harrier.

Records peak in May and are lowest in December — about 12.7 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.

Azilda, 7 mi to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (207 against 211). Birds logged far more often around Rayside-Balfour than there include Red-breasted Nuthatch and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Daylight runs from 15 h 51 min at midsummer to 8 h 34 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:39 AM in mid-April and 5:30 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

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

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Blue Jay

  Peanuts in the shell · Black-oil sunflower · Suet

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Song Sparrow

  Millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

• Azilda7 mi south-east · 207 species
• Lively12 mi south · 236 species
• Capreol15 mi north-east · 174 species
• Markstay-Warren36 mi east · 129 species
• Espanola36 mi south-west · 180 species
• Little Current55 mi south-west · 222 species