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Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter
Photography: ★★★★☆
Biodiversity: ★★★★★
VEHICLE ACCESS
There are a number of locations in the Long Point area for birding and photography. During peak migrations seasons in spring and fall, this area can be very busy with limited parking.
Use the Long Point Birding Trail PDF map to assist with finding locations.
Parking areas can be found at:
Bird Studies Canada: no fee parking with short trails to the coast and an observation area
Long Point Bird Observatory: no fee parking with short trails to the coastal wetlands
Big Creek National Wildlife Area: limited no fee parking with trails long the tops of dikes plus an observation tower.
Long Point Provincial Park: day-use park fee (there is also camping) plus a variety of trails
TRAIL ACCESS is from each parking lot.
WATER ACCESS Long Point Bay, Long Point National Wildlife Area, and Big Creek National Wildlife Area are large wetland areas. If you are comfortable photographing from a canoe or kayak, and can do so safely, there is water access from the provincial park and marinas..
Canoe & Kayak Routes - Norfolk tourism
Kayak Ontario
There are also a number of outfitters in the Port Rowan - Turkey Point area that you can take guided trips with.
Provincial Park grounds and most birding sites are open daily from dawn to dusk
Birding observation towers are available for use at all times.
At 40km long, Long Point is the longest freshwater sand spit in the world. It is also the staging area for one of the most spectacular migrations of waterfowl in North America.
PHOTO FEATURES:
The big attractions here are the vast areas of coastal wetlands which attract some of the largest waterfowl migrations in North America. In terms of photography, this will require the use of long telephoto lenses, the longer the better, as well as a good dose of patience!
Noted species to photograph include trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, marsh hawk, almost every species of duck, wading birds including herons, rails and bitterns, plus spring and fall migrating warblers and other passerines.
NATURAL FEATURES: The vast areas of wetlands are the main attractions, but lower Big Creek, a variety of forests in the area and farm fields before planting and after harvest all attract a number of unique birds as spring migrants, summer breeding residents, and fall migrants.
TRAIL NOTES: Given the vulnerability of these habitats, you are required to stay on the trails. Most trails are very short - only a few hundred meters to a kilometre and are on flat ground. However, they are also next to water, or a few metres above the water on steep slopes, so care must be taken not to slip in.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
For up-to-date trail and parking details, visit:
Long Point Birding Trail PDF map
Norfolk Trails online GIS trail finder
Long Point National Wildlife Area: Gov't site | Norfolk Tourism site
Big Creek National Wildlife Area: Gov't site | Norfolk Tourism site
NEARBY
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