Warbler Guide

The BritHikesOntario Warbler Challenge!

Warbler Challenge

We’re going to try to find as many warblers as we can during the spring migration window, and bring you along with us. Here’s the rules!

• We’re going to try to find 30 of the 36 warbler species on our checklist (see below)
• Stu & Sara have to see the bird and we have to get the bird on camera for it to count
• Challenge runs from April 26th – June 30th
• Sighting has to take place in Ontario, Canada

The Warblers

For the challenge, we’re looking for the 36 Warblers that breed, consistently or occasionally, in Ontario. This includes some of the most common species that can be seen without trying, like the Yellow Warbler, to birds like the Connecticut Warbler that breed in the very far north of Ontario. It also includes incredibly rare species like the Kirtland’s Warbler – only single figure numbers of breeding pairs end up in our province.

We’re not saying we will find EVERY species – but we’ll give the challenge a shot. We’re aiming to find 30 out of the 36 species.

Take a look at our Ontario Warblers Checklist below. This is what we are using. Feel free to play along, too. You can click the image below for a larger version that can be viewed on screen or printed. Check off the list as you watch us, or use the list for your own challenge!

When & Where To Find Warblers

The first warblers to arrive in Southern Ontario are often the most understated. Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers, and Pine Warblers are hardy species that can handle cooler weather and appear as early as mid-to-late April. They’re the warm-up act! The teaser before the real avian explosion.

Peak warbler migration usually hits in early-to-mid May, depending on the weather. If you’re out birding between May 8th and May 20th, this is when you’re most likely to encounter the greatest diversity and numbers of warblers.

This is the golden window for spotting:

• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Magnolia Warbler
• Yellow Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Black-throated Green and Blue
• Cape May, Bay-breasted, and American Redstart

Some mornings during peak migration, it feels like every branch is moving. Warblers flit through the trees in mixed flocks, chasing insects, singing, and flashing their colours. It’s not uncommon to see a dozen species in a single patch of forest, especially if the weather has paused migration and birds have “fallen out” in large numbers.

While many warblers are already pushing north by late May, a few notable species show up later in the window. These include:

• Mourning Warbler
• Canada Warbler
• Wilson’s Warbler
• Blackpoll Warbler
• The elusive and much-sought Connecticut Warbler

These birds often breed farther north or require specific conditions before moving through. If you’ve missed the early action, don’t worry. Late May and even early June can still deliver fantastic sightings, especially in the boreal-leaning parts of the province.

Approximate Arrival Windows

The graphic below shows all 36 species and their typical “Arrival Window”. You can still see many of these species outside of the bars shown below – the bars represent when they arrive in Southern Ontario. Species that breed in the south, like the Yellow Warbler, can be seen throughout the summer. But for those that breed further north, like the Connecticut Warbler, spotting them in the south during the “Arrival Window” is your best shot of seeing them.

---

Where Can I Find Them?

Warblers breed in different areas based on their needs and adaptations, and they each arrive at slightly different times during the April-June period. After migrating north and crossing Lake Ontario or Lake Erie, these birds are tired and hungry. They flit around desperate to refuel and tolerate the amazed on-lookers that have travelled to come see them.

During migration, your best bets are:

• Wooded ravines and urban parks (Toronto’s High Park, Ottawa’s Mud Lake)
• Forest edges and shrubby fields
• Lakefront parks and peninsulas like Point Pelee, Long Point, Rondeau, Prince Edward Point, or Tommy Thompson Park.

If you’d like to travel further afield, some of the places outside of Ontario that also have incredible warbler activity include:

• Magee Marsh, OH
• Point Mouillee, MI
• Presque Isle, PA

These spots act like migration magnets. If you’re in the right place on the right morning, it can feel like warblers are dripping from the trees and you won’t know which way to look. But you have to act fast! Soon they will travel to their breeding grounds and the leaf cover will make them harder to see.

If you would like to learn more about the arrival, peaks and activity of wildlife in Ontario on a week-by-week basis, we have an awesome Ontario Nature Calendar

---

Where Do Warblers Breed?

Once the Warblers have crossed The Great Lakes into Ontario and they have fed and recovered their energy, many will head to the boreal forests of the north, but others stay to breed in the south. Warblers have evolved various specialisms in how they forage, what they eat and where they build their nests. This means that different species can be found in different habitats and different regions of the province.

Below, we have provided an extremely helpful chart for those of you that are part of our membership. It lists every breeding warbler species in Ontario (including very rare ones like Kirtland’s Warbler). It tells you what region of the province you can find them in (with colour coding) and it describes their preferred habitat within that region.

We hope you’ll join us for The Warbler Challenge!

Content will be coming soon. In the meantime…. Wanna see what it’s like to go birding at Point Pelee and the local area during peak migration in 2024?

Although 2024 wasn’t a bumper year, you can watch our video here:

Thanks for joining us!