My Hometown: Niagara Falls
Updated: Oct. 04, 2018
It’s a winter wonderland for nature lovers and birdwatchers at one of Canada’s greatest wonders.
Falling for Niagara
When I moved to Niagara in the ’70s, I was in awe of the falls. Even in the winter, with the ice and snow, it was still breathtaking. It was many years later that I discovered that Niagara Falls is a great place to see beautiful birds. The fast-moving Niagara River does not freeze in the winter, making it a great place for ducks and gulls to come for food. I soon learned that the Niagara River has one of the world’s greatest winter gatherings of gulls and other migrating birds.
I frequently go for Sunday drives along the Niagara Parkway to see how many different species I can find each time. I have spotted Bonaparte’s gulls, herring gulls, greater black-backed gulls and ring-billed gulls. I joined the Niagara Falls Nature Club on their winter birding tour and spotted canvasback bufflehead, goldeneye, mergansers, Canada geese, mallards, scaup and even a few long-tail ducks. The highlight were the tundra and trumpeter swans.
My mother likes to visit Dufferin Islands, just above the falls. It’s a wonderful area to see smaller birds that stop at the feeders. She holds a handful of peanuts and waits for the chickadees and nuthatches to stop for a bite right out of her hand. I’m so glad we moved to beautiful Niagara Falls.
