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Bird Watching in Lanark County
With broad-brimmed hat on your head in summer, toque in winter,
and binoculars slung around your neck, let’s go bird watching in Lanark County!
Driving slowly or walking along our country roads, meandering along our many trails, checking out ample forests or peering over marshes, creeks or rivers, bird watching has become a very popular individual and family activity, bound to interest young and old alike.
An Eastern Ontario county, divided almost equally into Canadian Shield and St. Lawrence Limestone Plain, Lanark County is home, at some time each year, to some 200 species of birds.
About 130 migratory bird species nest in the county, 32 more are permanent residents and 35 migrate through the area to breed in the north. This guide will show many of the good places to find birds, although all of Lanark County’s rural roads produce some species most of the time.
Enjoy a wonderful day outdoors and still be home by sunset. Or, watch the sunset, stay the night with us and enjoy another day of bird watching in the County.
- - - - - - The Tours - - - - - -
Appleton and Mississippi River
Watch for open field birds and killdeer along golf course, River Road and Appleton Side Road. Keep your eyes peeled for migrating ducks, loons, grebe, herons and kingfisher along water. The occasional bald eagle can be seen over the river in bay. Warbling vireo nests in willows at bay. Martin house to east of bay. Swallows and shorebirds.
Ramsay 7th Concession
Watch for shore birds and plovers when fields are flooded; swallows around barns, resident red-tailed hawk near intersection with Drummond Road and field birds in open areas.
Old Perth Road in Mississippi Mills
Watch for: Wetland birds in marshes and creek; great for warblers, tanagers, indigo buntings, brown thrashers, flycatchers.
Gemmill/Metcalfe Park
Watch For: Forest birds, sharp-shinned hawk and merlin, cardinals, grebe and some ducks.
Almonte Waste Sanitation Ponds
Watch for shorebirds when water is low, ducks, geese, green heron and grebe.
Mill of Kintail
Watch for hawks and sandhill cranes in open fields; spotted sandpipers along river; bluebirds, swallows and sparrows around buildings and warblers and thrushes in wooded areas.
Bellamy Road
Watch For: Sandhill cranes in open fields; bluebirds and thrushes and other woodland species. In breeding season, listen for sandhills calling. Extensive wetlands along roadside produce ducks, grebes and herons. Winter seed eaters in woods.
Pakenham Conservation Area
Watch For: Bay ducks, especially in fall, herons, spotted sandpiper, kingfisher and misc. upland species.
Drummond's Pond to Taylor Lake
Watch For: Ducks and shorebirds on ponds.
Clayton to Command Bridge
Watch For: Ducks, herons and shorebirds by dam. Herons and sometimes perching hawks down river. At Command Bridge, ducks, herons, warblers, loons, swamp sparrows. Continue down this road for whip-poor-wills in late evening springtime.
Deachman's Bridge, Lanark
Watch For: Swallows under bridge, various water birds and black terns upriver. Continue on Rosetta Rd. for good open rural birding including northern shrikes in winter.
Bairds Trail
Watch For: Chestnut-sided warbler which nests at edge of parking lot. Northern waterthrushes and woodland warblers and thrushes. Sedge wrens near boardwalk. Northern harriers over marsh.
Purdon Wetland Complex
Watch for: Grebes and ducks on small lake, kingfisher, forest species on Mosquin Trail. Check out the roadway between the two parking lots.
Dalhousie Lake, east end
Watch For: Osprey nest at ball diamond; ducks, herons, grebe, kingfishers, shore birds along lake and river shore; swallow species under bridge.
Brooke Valley
Watch For: Many different species in various habitats.
Murphy's Point Provincial Park
Watch For: Forest warblers, woodland thrushes, flycatchers, shore and water species.
Tay River/Rideau Trail
Watch For: Herons, bitterns, listen for rails all along the river. Watch for cardinals, tree sparrows, waxwings in tangled shrubbery.
Perth Wildlife Preserve
Watch For: Warblers everywhere, fall migration species, water birds on ponds, osprey over marsh, rails and other marsh birds.
Rideau Ferry Conservation Area
Watch For: Swans, loons and many ducks, especially in spring. Finches and cardinals along roadway. Substantial duck migration area in spring and fall.
Beveridge Locks/Tay Marsh
Watch For: Osprey nests, herons, many berry eaters, ruffed grouse, swallows, marsh birds and many others.
Mississippi Lake National Wildlife Area
Watch For: Berry eating species like cardinals and finches. Ducks, grebes and herons. Wild turkeys in open fields and woodland warblers and thrushes in forest area.
Blueberry Marsh/McIntyre Creek
Watch For: Waterbirds, marsh and sedge wrens in marsh and creek. Northern harriers over marsh. Wild turkeys in fields. Hawks.
Smiths Falls Park and Canal
Watch For: In park, shore and water birds, open area regulars and warblers in season. Along 43, water birds, herons and grebes. Swallows and martins over river and canal.
Upper Reach Park, Smiths Falls
Watch For: Osprey nest on south side of canal, martins and swallows around boathouses, ducks and marsh birds.
Kilmarnock and Merrickville
Watch For: Osprey nests throughout area, ducks and other water birds in bay areas and other open wood species. On Rideau River Rd., check out the river and open fields.
Nolan's Corners Marsh
Watch For: Ducks, grebe and black terns plus other marsh birds.
Carroll Road
Watch For: Rails in marshes, warblers, woodpeckers and thrushes in forested areas and many field species.
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