Ontario · 44.56°N

Birds of The Blue Mountains

What has actually been seen around The Blue Mountains: 234 species, the most recorded backyard birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 234 within 6 mi
Observation records: 32,146 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Black-capped Chickadee
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 653 ft
Daylight, June / December: 15.6 h / 8.8 h

What the records say about The Blue Mountains

234 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of The Blue Mountains (Ontario) since 2010, across 32,146 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow and American Robin.

The Blue Mountains is backyard-bird country: 69% 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, American Robin and Blue Jay make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

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

Records peak in May and are lowest in February — about 5.7 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.

Meaford, 8 mi to the north-west, has fewer species on record (219 against 234). Birds logged far more often around The Blue Mountains than there include Mallard, Mute Swan, Hooded Merganser and American Black Duck.

Daylight runs from 15 h 34 min at midsummer to 8 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:39 AM in mid-April and 5:36 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near The Blue Mountains

#	Bird	Records
1	Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus	1,517
2	American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos	1,403
3	American RobinTurdus migratorius	1,188
4	Blue JayCyanocitta cristata	1,149
5	American GoldfinchSpinus tristis	1,136
6	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	1,104
7	Mourning DoveZenaida macroura	1,051
8	Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis	1,023
9	Song SparrowMelospiza melodia	871
10	Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula	798
11	Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis	774
12	Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens	746
13	American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus	741
14	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	665
15	Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus	624
16	White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis	548
17	Common MerganserMergus merganser	543
18	Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula	525
19	Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus	510
20	European StarlingSturnus vulgaris	480

Records by month

What to put out in The Blue Mountains

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
American Robin
Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets
Blue Jay
Peanuts in the shell · Black-oil sunflower · Suet
American Goldfinch
Nyjer (thistle) · Hulled sunflower chips · Black-oil sunflower
Mourning Dove
Millet · Cracked corn · Black-oil sunflower

Seasonal bird notes for Ontario

What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for Canadian backyards. One email a month at most.

Nearby places

Frequently asked

What birds visit backyards in The Blue Mountains?

The most recorded backyard birds within 6 mi of The Blue Mountains are Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, American Robin, Blue Jay and American Goldfinch, based on 32,146 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near The Blue Mountains?

234 species have at least one record within 6 mi of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in The Blue Mountains?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 5:36 AM.

Sources

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.