Ten birds to spot in the Carolinian zone

In southern Ontario’s Carolinian zone, avid birders and casual avian admirers are dusting off binoculars, grabbing their field guides and flocking to parks and forests to identify and photograph some of the region’s 200 bird species.
When watching out for wildlife, don’t forget – and neglect – your garden. Not only is it a great place to spot birds, it can also be great habitat that provides food and shelter to our feathered friends, many of which are declining. That’s good for nature, birders and everyone. Find out how you can garden for wildlife with In the Zone, a native plant gardening program by WWF-Canada and Carolinian Canada.
Here are just 10 birds that can be found within the Carolinian region that will benefit from your gardening efforts, photographed by July Talk’s Danny Miles.

1. White-breasted nuthatch

2. Barn swallow

3. Blue jay

4. American goldfinch

5. Eastern screech owl

6. Downy woodpecker

7. Red-winged black bird

8. Great blue heron

9. Cardinal (female)

10. Black-capped chickadee


Before you grab your binoculars, pick up a trowel and get growing with In the Zone. Watch as different birds frequent your yard and fly overhead.

For more birding, join us for a Facebook Live on May 16 at 10 a.m. as WWF’s wildlife expert Emily Giles and July Talk drummer Danny Miles watch for migrating songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and shorebirds in Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park.