Bird Friendly Cornwall

Concerned about how high temperatures may be impacting nesting birds? Check out these tips from NestWatch - Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help nesting birds endure the heat, particularly those in nest boxes.

🛁Maintain a birdbath nearby if there isn’t a close natural water source
🐥In beach or rooftop nesting colonies, chick shelters can offer shade to shorebird young
⛅️Place nest boxes to receive afternoon shade
paint nest boxes a light color (outside only)
🪵Use 1″ thick lumber for nest boxes (avoid thin pieces of wood)
consider adding a heat shield to your nest box if you expect multiple days over 100°F

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🐦Keep in mind that it is normal for birds to breathe with an open beak (called “gular fluttering”) when temperatures climb.

✋Resist the urge to provide hands-on help (e.g., don’t attempt to administer fluids to birds, don’t take nestlings inside to “cool off,” etc.)

🪺And wait until a box is unoccupied to make adjustments (to avoid stressing young and parents).

The City of Cornwall, Raisin Region Conservation Authority, St. Lawrence River Institute, Citizens for Marshland Conservation, Upper St Lawrence Birding Hub SDG Region, Nature Canada

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Purple Martin photo by Bird Friendly Cornwall Team member Lissa, from iNaturalist -

Purple Martin (Progne subis) Purple Martin from Grace Ln, South Glengarry, ON, CA on May 15, 2026 at 10:34 AM by Lissa Deslandes

🎨 Purple martin nests are true masterpieces! As you can see in the photo, these amazing aerial acrobats create intricate works of art from late May to late July right here in our community.

Here is a quick look at how they build these structures and raise their young:

🛠️ The Architecture: Nests are built from twigs, straw, bark, and mud.

🌿 The Finishing Touch: They line the inner cup with fresh, green leaves.

🚧 The Safety Feature: They often construct a mud "lip" or dam at the front.

🥚 The Eggs: They lay pure white eggs during the June and July incubation period.

🐣 The Growth: Chicks hatch and stay in the nest for 26–32 days.

👋 The Departure: By mid-August, Cornwall's fledglings officially fly the coop and depart.

🏠 Our Crucial Role as Landlords: In Eastern Ontario, Purple Martins are 100% reliant on humans for their nesting sites. East of the Rocky Mountains, they have evolved to rely almost exclusively on human-provided housing (like multi-compartment houses and gourds) because they no longer use natural cavities.

Because they are colonial nesters, they rely on humans to put up, clean, and maintain their housing. They also depend on human intervention to manage invasive, aggressive species like House Sparrows and European Starlings that try to take over their nesting sites. Nature's perfect summer schedule relies entirely on us!

👇 Are you hosting any Purple Martins in your yard this summer, or have you spotted any nesting colonies around Cornwall? Let us know in the comments!



Nature Canada
Raisin Region Conservation Authority
Citizens for Marshland Conservation
St. Lawrence River Institute
Upper St Lawrence Birding Hub SDG Region
The City of Cornwall

The City of Cornwall is creating a monarch meadow, but before they mow the area this spring for preparation, we scouted the site looking for signs of ground nesting birds.

What we saw/heard:
Northern yellow warbler
Willow flycatcher
American goldfinch
Common yellowthroat
Song sparrow
Canada goose
Swamp swallow
Eastern warbling vero
Tree swallow
Purple finch
Brown-headed cowbird
Downy woodpecker
Northern waterthrush
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
American Robin

What do think 🤔Would you mow?

Canadian Wildlife Federation / Fédération canadienne de la faune
Nature Canada
Citizens for Marshland Conservation
St. Lawrence River Institute
Upper St Lawrence Birding Hub SDG Region
Raisin Region Conservation Authority

Check out some of the birds we heard last week at Birding Beyond Sight 🐦‍⬛🪿🦆🐦

Photos by Lissa Deslandes, Bird Friendly team member who also lead a group of birders at our event

To celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity we are looking back at bird pics from the Upper St. Lawrence Community BioBlitz. Check out these birds that one bioblitzer found while participating in the challenge.

We were inspired by Birdability to host a birding event for the blind and partially sighted birders.

This morning we held our first birding event that focused on removing barriers to access for people with both mobility challenges and blindness or low vision. Members of the Canadian Council of the Blind - Cornwall Chapter (CCB) were our guests. We were joined by St. Lawrence River Institute and Raisin Region Conservation Authority staff who assisted with bird song identification.

Not only did the CCB learn how to identify birds by sound, they also got to feel the lightness of the friendly black-capped chickadees that landed on their hands for seeds.

It was a beautiful morning with lots of bird chatter. More than 20 bird species were heard during Birding Beyond Sight, including the migratory Great Crested Flycatcher who winters from Mexico to northern South America.

The other birds that auditorily made their presence known:

American goldfinch
American redstart
American Robin
Baltimore oriole
Black-capped chickadee
Blackpoll warbler
Chestnut-sided warbler
Chipping sparrow
Common grackle
Common yellowthroat
Downy woodpecker
Eastern phoebe
Eastern warbling vireo
Gray Catbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Least flycatcher
Northern cardinal
Northern house wren
Northern yellow warbler
Osprey
Red-eyed vireo
Red-winged blackbird
Song sparrow
Swamp sparrow
Tree swallow
Yellow-rumped warbler

Nature Canada
The City of Cornwall
Citizens for Marshland Conservation
Upper St Lawrence Birding Hub SDG Region

⚠️WAIT!! 🚧 Check before you trim

Important information from Centre de conservation des oiseaux sauvages Le Nichoir

🪺⚠️Vous prévoyez couper vos haies de cèdres? Prenez quelques minutes pour vérifier s’il y a des nids avant de commencer. ⚠️🪺
Chaque année, Le Nichoir reçoit de nombreux oisillons à la suite de la coupe de haies où ils nichaient. Il s’agit d’oisillons en parfaite santé, dont les parents s’occupaient activement.
Cette semaine, nous avons admis 13 oisillons de 3 espèces différentes, tous provenant d’une même haie de cèdres coupée. 😓
Ces jeunes oiseaux auraient dû grandir dans la nature sous les soins de leurs parents et non en centre de réhabilitation. Même avec les meilleurs soins possibles, rien ne remplace l’apprentissage naturel offert par les parents.
💡 Avant de tailler une haie :
Vérifiez attentivement la présence de nids, d’œufs ou d’oisillons.
Gardez en tête que les nids peuvent être très bien cachés.
Si possible, planifiez la taille en dehors de la période de nidification principale (généralement de mai à juillet, bien que certaines espèces nichent jusqu’en septembre).
⚖️ Rappel : les nids de la majorité des espèces d’oiseaux au Québec sont protégés par la loi. Il est donc interdit de les déplacer ou de les détruire.
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🪺⚠️ Planning to trim or remove your cedar hedges? Take a few minutes to check for nests before you begin. ⚠️🪺
Every year, Le Nichoir receives many baby birds after the hedges they were nesting in are cut down. These are healthy nestlings that were actively being cared for by their parents.
Just yesterday, we admitted 13 baby birds from 3 different species, all coming from a single trimmed cedar hedge. 😓
These young birds should have grown up in the wild under the care of their parents, not in a rehabilitation centre. Even with the best possible care, nothing can replace the natural learning and upbringing provided by their parents. 🐣
💡 Before trimming a hedge:
• Carefully check for nests, eggs, or baby birds.
• Keep in mind that nests can be very well hidden.
• If possible, schedule trimming outside the main nesting season (generally May through July, although some birds may continue nesting into September).
⚖️ Reminder: The nests of most bird species in Quebec are protected by law. It is therefore illegal to move or destroy them.

🪺⚠️Vous prévoyez couper vos haies de cèdres? Prenez quelques minutes pour vérifier s’il y a des nids avant de commencer. ⚠️🪺

Chaque année, Le Nichoir reçoit de nombreux oisillons à la suite de la coupe de haies où ils nichaient. Il s’agit d’oisillons en parfaite santé, dont les parents s’occupaient activement.

Cette semaine, nous avons admis 13 oisillons de 3 espèces différentes, tous provenant d’une même haie de cèdres coupée. 😓

Ces jeunes oiseaux auraient dû grandir dans la nature sous les soins de leurs parents et non en centre de réhabilitation. Même avec les meilleurs soins possibles, rien ne remplace l’apprentissage naturel offert par les parents.

💡 Avant de tailler une haie :

Vérifiez attentivement la présence de nids, d’œufs ou d’oisillons.
Gardez en tête que les nids peuvent être très bien cachés.
Si possible, planifiez la taille en dehors de la période de nidification principale (généralement de mai à juillet, bien que certaines espèces nichent jusqu’en septembre).

⚖️ Rappel : les nids de la majorité des espèces d’oiseaux au Québec sont protégés par la loi. Il est donc interdit de les déplacer ou de les détruire.

----

🪺⚠️ Planning to trim or remove your cedar hedges? Take a few minutes to check for nests before you begin. ⚠️🪺

Every year, Le Nichoir receives many baby birds after the hedges they were nesting in are cut down. These are healthy nestlings that were actively being cared for by their parents.

Just yesterday, we admitted 13 baby birds from 3 different species, all coming from a single trimmed cedar hedge. 😓

These young birds should have grown up in the wild under the care of their parents, not in a rehabilitation centre. Even with the best possible care, nothing can replace the natural learning and upbringing provided by their parents. 🐣

💡 Before trimming a hedge:
• Carefully check for nests, eggs, or baby birds.
• Keep in mind that nests can be very well hidden.
• If possible, schedule trimming outside the main nesting season (generally May through July, although some birds may continue nesting into September).

⚖️ Reminder: The nests of most bird species in Quebec are protected by law. It is therefore illegal to move or destroy them.