Welcome to Eastern Ontario Birding. My name is Jon Ruddy and I am a freelance birding guide specializing in birding tours throughout eastern Ontario, and also southwestern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. I have birding outings suitable for all levels of birders, from beginner to expert. For a list of my upcoming tours, please visit my Field Tours page.
Winter Birding Tip - Early in the morning, especially after a particularly cold night, it’s a good idea to check southeast-facing tree lines, especially those consisting of conifers, for hawks and owls keeping clear of the wind and sunning themselves in the morning sun.
Philadelphia vs. Warbling Vireo - Philadelphia and Warbling Vireos can be quite similar in appearance. This identification challenge is not necessarily straightforward, most especially when dealing with these two species flitting about in green, leafy vegetation on a sunny day!
ID: Juvenile Lincoln’s vs. Swamp Sparrow - Identification of juvenile Lincoln’s Sparrow Head: On Lincoln’s, the crown detail is especially important. The crown is wholly brown to buffy-brown with distinct black streaking throughout. The median crown stripe is poorly-defined, and blends into the lateral crown stripes; the lateral crown stripes are greyish and finely marked with dark brown/blackish streaking. The edge to … Continue reading ID: Juvenile Lincoln’s vs. Swamp Sparrow
Chestnut-sided Warblers in song: more than meets the ear - This is a re-upload of an article I wrote in 2016: Birdsong is a fascinating study subject and living in this ‘day and age’ when one can step outside, record a bird in song with their smartphone, step back inside, upload the recording to their computer and analyze the recording via spectrograms (such as those … Continue reading Chestnut-sided Warblers in song: more than meets the ear
Differentiating the Trilling Songsters - Below, I will attempt to highlight the differences between the trilling songsters most commonly encountered here in eastern Ontario! I hope you enjoy this segment 🙂