Our region is home to a diverse variety of birds all through the year, and is an important part of the spring and fall migratory routes. You can often see several migratory birds from the Bufflehead, Tundra Swans and Great Blue Herons swimming around Gillies Lake and Hersey Lake early in the spring.
Our Conservation Areas provide important resting areas as these birds make their long journeys, and also offer year round habitat for non-migratory birds. Both the Hersey Lake and Gillies Lake Conservation Areas are equipped with convenient parking areas, pleasant trails and good viewing areas.
Gillies Lake also offers an area to watch the many ducks that live here throughout the summer. While many residents like to feed the waterfowl and birds in this area, artificial feeding can actually be harmful to them, potentially leading to disease, behaviour disorders and environmental issues.
Bird Watching in Timmins
Timmins has a growing birdwatching community. Information can be found on the following sites:
The Wintergreen Fund for Conservation also participates in the Timmins Christmas Bird Count each December.
Birds of Timmins Checklist
Whether you are a new or experienced birder, it is helpful to have a list of the local birds that you may see. A bird checklist is a list of all the different bird species that occur within a specific area. The Timmins Checklist of Birds can be downloaded and printed, or a pocket version can be picked up along with a local bird poster at the MRCA office. This checklist includes the 252 species of birds that have been recorded within the city limits of Timmins, Ontario. Birds are listed in taxonomic order following the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist of North American Birds. Some of the listed species are very common, others are rarely sighted.
When out birdwatching, it is important to remember that the well-being of birds is the highest priority. Do not share the location of sensitive species, nesting birds or resting owls.
If you have any questions, or would like to report a rare bird or a species that does not appear on this checklist, please contact [email protected] and include the date, location, and time of the observation, as well as a description and photos if available.
Birding Resources
eBird is an excellent source of information for birding enthusiasts. They even have a mobile app for you to easily enter data from the field. You can contribute to knowledge on local birds by submitting your observations to ebird.
Birds of Timmins Posters are available at the MRCA office.