Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
Prince Edward County Checklist of Birds
(November, 2024)
Because of its location in eastern Lake Ontario, Prince Edward County is a natural catch-all for migrating birds during both spring and fall. The points of land along the southern shore especially, provide excellent birding opportunities during the spring migration. Point Petre, Salmon Point, West Point (Sandbanks Provincial Park), and Huyck’s Point have all been identified as important focal points to view migrating birds.
Of all the points of land sprinkled along the south shore of the county, Prince Edward Point, located at the southeastern end of the Long Point Peninsula in South Marysburgh Township, has been identified as the most important. It is a major staging area in spring and autumn for migrating birds. In fact, there is no other location on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario where densities and abundance of migrants are known to compare with those at Prince Edward Point.
If you have been birding in Prince Edward County we would appreciate a tally of your sightings. Please send updates or corrections to Terry Sprague, R.R. # 1, Demorestvillle, Ontario K0K 1W0 or e-mail to: tsprague@xplornet.com . Only through your efforts can we learn even more about bird distribution and abundance in Prince Edward County.
The following checklist comprises all of the bird species (364) that have been recorded in Prince Edward County. The list was compiled from the records of the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, Sandbanks Provincial Park, The Birds of Prince Edward County by R. Terry Sprague and Ron D. Weir (1984), and from the files of Terry Sprague, the Kingston Field Naturalists, the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, and other observers in the county. All listed species have been confirmed.
For a printable copy in a PDF format (legal sized paper), click Prince Edward County Bird Checklist
PLEASE NOTE: The revised checklist reflects changes made between April 25, 2023 and April 30, 2024 by the American Ornithological Society’s (formerly American Ornithologists’ Union) Committee on Classification and Nomenclature—North and Middle America.