Experience the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area during your stay at Pebbles!
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced birder, there’s a world of joy out there for everyone. Look here for good places to bird in Prince Edward County, advice on how to get started and other resources.
Birding Weekend Package
- Guaranteed lowest rate
- More than four guests? See our group rates.
- Features of our cottages
Check-in: Friday after 4pm
Firepit Social 7pm Onwards
- Meet other birding enthusiasts
- Plan your weekend birding sites
- Rain option: Social at Pebbles Club House
Saturday
- Presentation on birding sites, Q&A
- Winery tour option (12pm – 3pm)
- Beach BBQ social
Checkout Sunday before 10am
The site experiences heavy bird migration. Single-day totals of greater scaup, long-tailed duck, and white-winged scoters have exceeded 1% of their total North American populations. Single-day totals of common birds exceed 10,000 individuals for species like tree swallows, long-tailed ducks, and yellow-rumped warblers. The single-day count of dark-eyed juncos has exceeded 70,000 birds. Scroll down to see a comprehensive Bird species coverage overview for the area!
- Pebbles Beach Resort is surrounded by the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area (NWA) which occupies the eastern end of this peninsula, consisting of 546 hectare (ha) of forest, grassland, and wetland habitats.
- Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO) is a registered charity with a mandate to monitor, report on and promote analysis of bird migration and to act as official caretaker of the Prince Edward County South Shore Important Bird and Biodiversity area (IBA).
Book your stay!
Birders special 10% off at checkout. Coupon “10off”.
The Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory
The Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory is a bird observatory located in the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, located on Prince Edward Point in the south-east corner of Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. The National Wildlife Area was established in 1978 covering 560 hectares. The observatory was established in 1995 to monitor bird migrations across the point, continuing the work of the Kingston Field Naturalists who performed similar work in the 1970s and 1980s. The observatory was designated a Globally Important Birding Area in 1998 by the Canadian Nature Federation and Bird Studies Canada. It is also an International Monarch Butterfly Reserve. Every year, the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory bands migratory songbirds (passerine birds), raptors and owls under permits from the Canadian Wildlife Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF).
Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area (NWA)
The Prince Edward Point NWA occupies the eastern end of this peninsula, consisting of 546 hectare (ha) of forest, grassland, and wetland habitats. Due to the tremendous number of migratory birds that pass through the area, the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, a non-profit organization, was established as a Canadian Migration Monitoring Network station in 1995 within the NWA. Every year, the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory bands migratory songbirds (passerine birds), raptors and owls under permits from the Canadian Wildlife Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF).
Since the mid-1960s, this section of the Long Point Peninsula has been recognized as an important area for migratory birds. The geographic location and diversity of habitats causes a spectacular number of migratory passerine birds to concentrate at the tip of the peninsula. In addition, large numbers of diurnal and nocturnal raptors pass through the area during spring and fall migration. There is no other location on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, where birds are known to occur in such high densities during migration. Approximately 300 species of birds have been recorded on the point, including songbirds, waterfowl, owls and hawks. In 1998, Prince Edward Point was designated part of the Prince Edward County South Shore Important Bird Area (IBA) by Bird Life International. Prince Edward Point is also one of ten national sites in the Connecting Canadians to Nature initiative.
Ecology
Prince Edward Point extends about 10 kilometers into Lake Ontario. Off the edges of the point there are both shoals and deeper waters. The point itself is limestone bedrock with a thin covering of unconsolidated Farmington loam topsoil.
The point features an interior with primarily grassland and scrubland. Also present are small amounts of wooded swamps, shrub-lined ponds, mixed forests and alvars. Both sandy and rocky shores are found along the south beaches of the point, while the north beaches are prominent limestone cliffs. Some of the key species in the ecosystem of the point include fringed gentian, viper’s bugloss, butterfly weed, jewelweed, black-eyed susan and small yellow lady’s slipper. Rare vascular plants found on Prince Edward Point include Ontario aster, downy wood mint and clammyweed.
Prince Edward Point is a concentration point of bird migrations over the Great Lakes. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded at Prince Edward Point. Most of these birds are recorded in migration, however 74 species of bird have been recorded nesting on the point.
Bird species coverage
The site experiences heavy bird migration. Single-day totals of greater scaup, long-tailed duck, and white-winged scoters have exceeded 1% of their total North American populations. Single-day totals of common birds exceed 10,000 individuals for species like tree swallows, long-tailed ducks, and yellow-rumped warblers. The single-day count of dark-eyed juncos has exceeded 70,000 birds.
This table contains the spring bird counts, averaged over 1995–1999. The priority of various species depends on how well their breeding grounds are covered by surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, with birds whose breeding grounds are well surveyed being of lesser priority. The Mean DET is the daily estimated total number of birds migrating across Prince Edward Point, and the Mean Band is the number of birds banded in the season. This table includes only species with at least ten individuals counted per season, across not less than five days.
Table of species