Welcome to Eastern Ontario Birding!
Thanks for dropping by. My name is Jon Ruddy, and I am the owner and field guide at Eastern Ontario Birding. I am also a Kowa Sporting Optics pro staff member, and Research Associate (lichenology) at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
The year 2023 marks my eighth year as a professional bird guide, and I am still to this day a real bird nerd at heart. While in the field, I take every opportunity to share the information I have learned through experience and study. I derive great pleasure seeing clients light up as they observe interesting bird behaviour, observe a particular species for the first time, or admire beautiful plumage details. I also love to simply share in the love of birds, and the unique habitats in which they are found. Birding tours take place in beautiful habitats, and it’s wonderful to call those habitats “the office!”
Before the inception of Eastern Ontario Birding, I worked as a field ornithologist, conducting bird surveys in eastern Ontario, southern Ontario, James Bay, the Okanagan Valley and throughout Manitoba. Throughout that same timeframe, I volunteered as a hike leader for both the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (OFNC), Macnamara Field-Naturalists’ Club (MFNC), and Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).
To read what clients are saying about their experience with Eastern Ontario Birding, please view my Google Reviews.
Good birding and happy trails in 2023,
Jon Ruddy
Owner & Guide
Photo: Eastern Ontario Birding’s logo.
Photo: Scanning a lake for waterfowl. Fall 2020.
Photo: My wife and I vacationing at Sandbanks Provincial Park along Lake Ontario during the summer of 2022.
Hours of Operation
Tuesday to Saturday: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Sunday & Monday: Closed.
Employees: 1 (Owner and Field Guide, Jon Ruddy)
Contact Information/Social Media
Jon Ruddy
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
(613) 558-6821
Facebook Eastern Ontario Birding Photography Group
More About Me/Personality Profile
Interview with CTV News: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2221843&jwsource=cl&fbclid=IwAR2yr7ZoBLNuDepHF8XAGpTNPJkgi_KTzXAnvRcotXhBMdRPCT5A4VEV43Q
Myers-Briggs: INFP
Birthdate: May 9, 1985
Age: 38
Interests: Ornithology, lichenology, Ontario’s Natural History, reading about birds, studying birdsong, Formula 1 racing, hiking, fishing, Ontario-based travel and sightseeing.
Strengths: Careful listener, patient and understanding
Weaknesses: My wife’s cooking/baking…!
A good night out: Dinner, dessert and an evening walk.
A good night in: A nice meal and a really bad movie.
Favourite food groups: Seafood, Italian, Lebanese, Canadian Chinese
Favourite bird(s): Yellow-throated Vireo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Long-billed Dowitcher.