Birding in and around Ottawa can be a time consuming activity.  Driving, searching, watching, it never seems to end.  I, myself, have spent hundreds of hours over the years searching for these beautiful, and often, elusive creatures.  Sometimes I’m successful, and sometimes I’m not.  But like most things, if you want to have any success at all, you need to know a few things.

Ottawa

Ottawa can be a great place for birding.  With the green-space that has been set aside, and all of the types of habitat available, it’s hard to image not finding a suitable place to enjoy the activity.

Tips

There are a number of things to keep in mind when trying to see, or photograph birds.  They are as follows:

• Be quiet. Birds generally have good hearing.
• Birds also have good eyesight. Wear clothing that doesn’t make you stick out from the environment.  Camouflage is best.  But failing that, darker, earth tones work well.
• Keep movement to a minimum.  I have had birds walk right up to me, and by me, while standing in a stream … even with babies.  Don’t give them a reason to fear you.
• Be in-place before sunrise.  If you are part of the environment before the birds arrive, and keep motion to a minimum, they will likely ignore you and go about their business.
• Return to a place often.  Birds will get use to your presence which may give you more opportunities to see and photograph them.

The bottom line is that following these rules will increase your chances of getting up-close-and-personal with a large variety of birds (as an example, I have tens of thousands of bird images in my library).

Locations

There are a number of places to go to see birds in Ottawa.  I don’t have enough space to list them all.  But here a few places that I have found productive at almost any time of year:

1. Andrew Haydon Park
2. The creek in Vincent Massy Park
3. Mer Bleue Boardwalk
4. The Britannia Conservation Area (Mud Lake)
5. Jack Pine Trail

Generally, you are looking for places with trees or bushes (hiding, and nesting), a fresh water (drinking, washing), and a food source (nuts, seeds, small insects).  Obviously, these can vary depending on the bird.  But areas with these general characteristics are usually good places to start.

Activity

Birds are most active first thing in the morning (sunrise), and towards the end of the day (sunset).  The main reason for this is moderate temperatures.  Birds feel the heat just like we do, and tend to avoid the high temperature times of the middle of the day.  The same thing goes for cold (there are some exceptions), which is why they fly south for the winter.  Also, there is usually less wind, and less noise at sunrise and sunset.  All of which have an effect.

From a photography perspective, I prefer the morning because of the light quality.  It can sometimes be challenging from an exposure perspective, but I prefer the results.  This is very much a personal thing, so I leave it to you.

Photographers and Birders

I don’t consider myself a true birder, not in the strictest sense.  My main focus isn’t simply watching, studying, and keeping stats.  I photograph them.  I want to capture images of them in their natural environment, doing the things that birds do.  So, while many of my habits are the same as birders, they are not exact.

Conclusion

Birding in and around Ottawa is a wonderful activity.  And whether you’re simply watching, studying, or photographing them as I do, the activity can offer many enjoyable hours out in nature.