Keeping with our October focus on finch species, this week we’ll be talking about the often-gregarious pine siskin. Usually traveling in packs and whistling and singing about, these wonderful finches are the perfect fit for any backyard during the winter months and this year should be no exception to that rule. As we have mentioned, […]

For those of us residing here in the Ottawa area, fall is certainly upon us, despite the last efforts of a couple of days of summer sun. With that in mind, many of us are quickly switching gears from summer birding to fall and winter birding, anticipating the arrival of some of our favourite winter […]

As we creep our way into October, any avid birder can tell you that nothing excites us quite as much as Ron Pittaway’s annual Winter Finch Forecast. Publishing his findings each and every year at this time, Ron and his team take a deep and concentrated look at the finch populations, past and current trends […]

The post The 2018-19 Winter Finch Forecast appeared first on The Gilligallou Bird Store | Eastern Ontario's Backyard Birding Specialty Store.

If you live here in the Ottawa area, you have undoubtedly been touched in one way or another by the rash of extreme weather we experienced over the past week. Last weekend, Environment Canada confirmed that six different tornados touched down here in our fair city and the devastation was catastrophic in some cases. While […]

The post How Extreme Weather Affects Our Birds and What We Can Do About It appeared first on The Gilligallou Bird Store | Eastern Ontario's Backyard Birding Specialty Store.

Once you know them, catching a glimpse of a northern flicker in flight is almost unmistakable. When flying away from you, these medium-sized woodpeckers produce a panache all their own with their easy-to-identify and completely customized markings. As we stated above, these birds belong in the woodpecker family but don’t always play the part like […]

There is nothing more unmistakable than the sighting or sounds of one of our native owls here in the Ottawa area. The sight or sound of one undoubtedly sends immediate feelings of excitement and with good reason, they are a treat to behold. One such species that is quite common here in the Ottawa area […]

As many of you know, we specialize in backyard birding and the entire experience through wellness it can provide each and every one of us. While we certainly love sitting around our yard and taking in all of the birds we have the pleasure of viewing, we also enjoy venturing out into the field for […]

One of the largest cohorts of birders we proudly service in our store is those that have recently decided to get into birding. As with any new hobby, there is somewhat of a learning curve to the birding world and for those already deeply involved, they can also attest to the “rabbit hole” effect this […]