Fall Migration Walks & Community Events 🍂🐦
September is one of the most exciting times of year for birding in Ottawa! As fall migration gets underway, we're heading to one of the city's best-known migration hotspots for two beginner-friendly bird walks, along with a few more ways to connect with birds and nature throughout the month.
Fall Migration Bird Walks at Mud Lake
Join us for one of two beginner-friendly bird walks at Mud Lake, one of Ottawa's busiest fall migration hotspots. Designated as an Important Bird Area, Mud Lake's forests, wetlands, shoreline and location along the Ottawa River make it an important stopover for birds travelling through our region.
Guides Daniel Shaw and David O'Neill will help us tackle the famous "confusing fall warblers", while also keeping watch for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and other seasonal visitors. We'll share identification tips along the way and help make fall birding fun and approachable.
Wednesday, September 16
Mud Lake Beginner Bird Walk
Many songbirds migrate at night and spend the daytime hours resting and refuelling. During migration, warblers and other songbirds can often be spotted feeding in trees and shrubs, giving us opportunities to observe birds moving through this important Ottawa River corridor.
Without their bright breeding colours or familiar spring songs, fall warblers can be challenging to identify. We'll provide a simple beginner's guide and share practical tips to help you sort through these colourful — and sometimes confusing — fall visitors.
⏰ Time: 8:00 am to 10:00 am
📍 Location: Mud Lake, Ottawa
Sunday, September 27
Mud Lake Beginner Bird Walk
Late September can bring a changing mix of birds through Mud Lake as fall migration continues. We'll explore the forest, shoreline, wetlands and Ottawa River while watching for warblers, waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and other seasonal visitors.
We'll continue our focus on the famous "confusing fall warblers", sharing beginner-friendly identification tips and taking the time to observe the birds and habitats we encounter along the way.
⏰ Time: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
📍 Location: Mud Lake, Ottawa
New to birding? Then these walks are FOR YOU! Bring binoculars if you have them, but don't worry if you don't — we're pleased to offer complimentary Vortex binoculars for participants to use during our walks. Just dress for the weather, wear comfortable footwear suitable for natural trails, and come ready to discover the birds around us!
September In-Store & Community Events 🍂
There’s lots happening in our birding and nature community this September! Here are a few opportunities to get outside, learn something new and connect with nature.
Kid Nature Zone Day
Saturday, September 19 • 11:00 am–3:00 pm
Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary, near Morrisburg
Looking for a fun family day trip? Kid Nature Zone Day brings together local nature organizations for an afternoon of FREE, hands-on activities for kids at the beautiful Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
Learn about Monarch butterflies and turtles, investigate animal tracks, dissect an owl pellet and even make your own birdseed mix to take home, with birdseed donated by Wild Birds Unlimited Kanata & Ottawa.
The event is free, with a cash BBQ supporting the Friends of the Sanctuary. Come for the activities and make a day of it exploring the sanctuary’s trails and habitats.
📍 5591 Morrison Rd, Ingleside, ON
Migration Mysteries with Patty McLaughlin
Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30 PM
Wild Birds Unlimited Kanata • In-store & Online
Why do they leave? Where do they go? And how do they possibly know where they're going?
Join Patty McLaughlin for Migration Mysteries, a fun and fascinating look at the incredible journeys birds make each year. Through surprising facts and stories, we'll follow a few familiar local species on their seasonal adventures and unravel some of the mysteries behind how birds migrate.
We'll also explore simple ways we can help birds during migration season right in our own backyards. Bring your curiosity and your questions and join us for an evening exploring one of the most remarkable events in the bird world.
Join us in-store or tune in online. Registration is required for both options.
Help Shape What's Next
We're planning more great things and want to hear from you.
What have you loved? What would you like to see more of?
From in-store events and take-home kits to online fun and bird walks, your feedback helps shape what's next for our community events.
Follow us on Facebook @wbukanata for news & updates on upcoming events.
🐦 Interested in Partnering With Us?
We love collaborating with people who share our passion for birds, nature and lifelong learning.
If you have an idea for a presentation, workshop, walk or creative project that would resonate with our birding community, we'd love to hear from you.
Email us at [email protected] with a brief description of your idea and how it might fit our community.