FOR THE BIRDS

Top places to see our feathered friends migrating

Get your binoculars out — spring is a wonderful time for birdwatching.

Every spring, thousands of tiny songbirds make the return journey from South America to the boreal forest near Lesser Slave Lake, Alta.

For birdwatchers and bird researchers, few things are more exciting than migration season. Several years ago, at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, I watched researchers doing visible migration counts, capturing, banding and releasing birds. It was fascinating. Later, my husband and I took a walk through the boreal forest on the Songbird Trail. We were surrounded by such a phenomenal chorus of birdsong that we stopped partway, closed our eyes and just listened.

With all the travel restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the old saying “free as a bird” has new meaning this year. Birds travel thousands of kilometres crossing borders without passports, visas or vaccinations. This seasonal migration is a remarkable natural phenomenon and whether you're a backyard birder or seasoned twitcher, it's something you'll want to witness firsthand.

Here are some Canadian birding hot spots and festivals to put on your travel hit list. (Note: Most parks are open, but it's a good idea to check the website or contact the park before you visit to check for pandemic-related closures.)

If travel restrictions make it impossible to visit for this year's spring migration, remember that fall migration is just around the corner. Nature therapy is good for the soul any time of year.

BIRD FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

There are many festivals and events worldwide that celebrate birds and their annual migrations. Here are four of the best in Canada.

Festival of Birds (virtual): Held at Ontario's Point Pelee National Park, this festival is one of the top birding events in May. This year, the festival is going virtual on the Point Pelee National Park Facebook page and will feature a variety of educational sessions from experienced presenters.

A Celebration of Swans: Held in April and May, Yukon's premier birding festival celebrates the mass migration of tens of thousands of swans, ducks and geese with guided walks and educational workshops.

Wings Over the Rockies (virtual): This annual nature and birding festival in the Kootenay region of

B.C. is going virtual in 2021 with a variety of online birding workshops, presentations and events, as well as a photo contest. Songbird Festival: This annual festival put on by the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory in Alberta has been going strong since 1994. It takes place in May and typically includes guided birding hikes, nature workshops, tours of the migration monitoring station and family activities.

GRAND MANAN ARCHIPELAGO, N.B.

More than 360 bird species have been seen on the 20 islands of the Grand Manan archipelago in the Bay of Fundy. These isolated islands are a good place to see

Atlantic puffins, Arctic terns, razorbills, dovekeys, kittiwakes and many other species. The islands are also renowned for whale watching. Finback, humpback, minke and endangered North American right whales can be seen on whale watching tours or from shore.

PARC NATIONAL DE L'ÎLE-BONAVENTURE-ET-DUROCHER-PERCÉ, QUE.

At the tip of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock are home to the largest migratory bird refuge in North America. The island's colony of 110,000 northern gannets is the most accessible gannet colony on the globe. In all, more than 200,000 birds nest on the 4.16-square-kilometre

island. Visitors reach the island on guided boat tours. Four hiking trails provide views of birds and other wildlife. If you aren't a bird lover before you visit, you will be when you leave.

LONG POINT PROVINCIAL PARK, ONT.

This roughly 40-kilometre-long sand spit jutting out from Lake Erie's northern shore is one of the best places in Canada to watch birds. More than 300 different species of songbirds and waterfowl migrate through Long Point Provincial Park and more than 80 species of birds nest on the point annually. Just outside the park, the Long Point Bird Observatory is the oldest bird observatory in the Western Hemisphere and is an important education, research and training facility. Birds Canada, a non-profit conservation organization, is in the nearby village of Port Rowan.

POINT PELEE NATIONAL PARK, ONT.

At the southernmost tip of mainland Canada, Point Pelee National Park has been called the warbler capital of North America. It's possible to see 34 different species of warblers in a single day. You can also see orioles, flycatchers, vireos, sparrows and many other bird species. Though Point Pelee is Canada's second smallest national park, it is one of the most ecologically diverse spots. Spring is peak birding season, and the marsh boardwalk should not be missed.

LESSER SLAVE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK, ALTA.

The boreal forest surrounding Alberta's third largest lake is vital birding habitat. Nearly half of all North American birds rely on the boreal region, and over 300 species regularly breed there. Spring and fall migrations are peak birding time in Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. Flocks of up to 3,500 migrating tundra swans have been seen on the lake. Visitors can visit the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, attend the songbird festival and watch naturalists with the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory counting and banding birds during the migrations.

GEORGE C. REIFEL MIGRATORY BIRD SANCTUARY, B.C.

South of the city of Vancouver, this federal migratory bird sanctuary contains nearly 300 hectares of managed wetlands, natural marshes and low dikes in the heart of the Fraser River Estuary. Nearly 300 bird species have been spotted at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. In October and November, up to 80,000 lesser snow geese turn the sky and land white when they arrive at the sanctuary after a 5,000-kilometre migration from Russia.

Debbie Olsen is an award-winning Métis writer and photographer and a national bestselling author. Follow her adventures on wanderwoman.ca. For Postmedia News

Editor's note: While we have missed the opportunity to travel, being vaccinated may not be your ticket to ride. There are still risks associated with it. Consult federal and provincial websites for safety info before planning your trip.

GREG OLSEN During spring and fall migration, researchers at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory capture birds using mist netting. The bird is examined and measured and banded if it has not been previously.

DEBBIE OLSEN Gannets engage in a mating ritual called “mutual fencing,” facing each other. shaking their heads from side to side and clacking their bills together.

DEBBIE OLSEN If you are lucky during your springtime birding adventure, you might spot a bird such as this female red-winged blackbird enjoying a tasty lunch.

GREG OLSEN With its large, multicoloured bill, the Atlantic Puffin flaps its wings frantically in flight, but underwater the wings become powerful flippers.