Who’s Coming Back? Meet the Birds Returning to Our Backyards This Fall

When we think about bird migration, spring usually gets all the attention. But fall migration isn't only about saying goodbye! Yes, many of our summer birds are heading south, birds that spent the warmer months farther north are beginning to appear in our yards, parks and forests. Others are simply passing through on journeys that may take them much farther south.

So as we welcome October, here are some of our fall favourites to keep your eyes peeled for. 

Dark-eyed Juncos: Our Little "Snowbirds"

For many backyard birders, the first Dark-eyed Junco of fall feels like an official changing of the seasons.

These sweet little slate-and-white birds spend the breeding season primarily farther north, with many returning to Southern Ontario as temperatures begin to cool.

You'll often spot them on the ground beneath your feeders, hopping around looking for fallen seeds rather than competing for a perch above.

Juncos love small seeds, including millet and sunflower, so offering a blend like WBU Deluxe Blend in a ground or platform feeder is a great way to welcome them back.

And once you spot that first flash of white from the sides of their tail... you know fall has REALLY arrived.

Dark-eyed junco. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

Kinglets: Tiny Birds, Big Energy

Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets move through Southern Ontario during fall migration, and these little birds rarely seem to sit still.

Watch for them bouncing through trees and shrubs. If you're trying to spot one, look for movement first. The best way to find a kinglet! 

Ruby-crowned kinglet. Photo by Heather Kerrison. 

Brown Creepers: Look Closely at Those Tree Trunks

Brown Creepers are beautifully camouflaged against tree bark. Rather than hopping along branches, they typically begin near the bottom of a tree and spiral upward. Once they reach the top, they'll often fly down to the base of another tree and start all over again.

Brown Creepers can be found in parts of Ontario year-round, but northern populations move south for the winter, making fall a great time to start watching for them.

Bark Butter was actually developed with Brown Creepers in mind!

Because Creepers naturally forage directly on tree trunks, Jim Carpenter, founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, developed the original Bark Butter as a spreadable food that could be smeared right onto tree bark, allowing these little birds to feed in a way that matched their natural behaviour.

It worked... perhaps a little too well! Bark Butter has since been documented attracting more than 150 species of birds, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and many others.

Try putting bark butter on your trees and feeders this fall! 

Brown Creeper eating Bark Butter. Photo by Leanne LeBlanc. 

Don’t Forget the Sparrows!

Fall is SUCH a fun time to pay closer attention to all those little brown birds hopping around your yard. October brings a changing mix of sparrows through Southern Ontario, and once you know what to look for, they’re much easier to tell apart.

White-throated Sparrows are one of our classic fall migrants. Look for their bright white throat, striped head and little yellow patches between the eye and bill. You may even recognize their familiar Oh-sweet-Canada whistle! They love scratching through leaf litter for seeds and insects and will happily pick up millet and sunflower beneath your feeders.

White-crowned Sparrows are another fall visitor to watch for. Adults have bold black-and-white stripes across the crown, while younger birds have brown-and-tan stripes instead. They’re often found hopping along the edges of yards, fields and brushy areas, and will also forage for sunflower and other seeds beneath feeders.

Song Sparrows may already be familiar backyard faces, but they’re worth a closer look as birds move around during fall migration. Watch for a streaky breast, often with the streaks converging into a darker spot in the centre.

And as we get farther into fall, keep an eye out for American Tree Sparrows arriving from their breeding grounds in the far north. Despite their name, they spend a LOT of time on the ground! Look for a rusty cap, two-toned bill and often a single dark spot in the centre of an otherwise plain breast. They love small seeds and are particularly happy to clean up millet scattered beneath a feeder.

You might also get lucky and spot a Fox Sparrow passing through. They’re larger and chunkier than many of our other sparrows, with rich rusty colouring and heavy streaking across the breast.

One of the easiest ways to welcome sparrows is simply to give them somewhere to forage. Leave some leaf litter and seed heads in the garden, and offer seed close to the ground on a platform feeder or beneath your feeding station.

Fox Sparrow at tray feeder. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

As always, happy watching! 🐦🍂

Warmly,

Heather