Canada Ramsar wetland
Mer Bleue Conservation Area
249 bird species recorded; the most in May.
D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
72 species in January.66 species in February.114 species in March.168 species in April.202 species in May.166 species in June.151 species in July.151 species in August.162 species in September.140 species in October.109 species in November.81 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
VUVU
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
NT
VU
VUNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
249 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 249Speciesrecorded more than once
- 179Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 173,871Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 68 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 17Raptors
- 9Owls
- 19Waders
- 13Gulls & seabirds
- 31Ducks & geese
- 9Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 124Songbirds
- 26Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 249 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
Owls9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Northern Hawk-OwlSurnia ulula
- Tengmalm's OwlAegolius funereus
Waders19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
Gulls & seabirds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Ducks & geese31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- American WigeonMareca americana
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- RedheadAythya americana
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
Herons, ibises & grebes9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds124 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Henslow's SparrowCentronyx henslowii
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querulaNT
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
Other birds26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticus
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Picoides dorsalisPicoides dorsalis
- American CootFulica americana
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan-6°/-16°61 mm
- Feb-5°/-16°55 mm
- Mar2°/-9°64 mm
- Apr11°/-1°85 mm
- May19°/7°85 mm
- Jun23°/12°104 mm
- Jul26°/15°98 mm
- Aug25°/14°88 mm
- Sep21°/10°87 mm
- Oct13°/3°99 mm
- Nov5°/-3°73 mm
- Dec-3°/-11°80 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Mer Bleue Conservation Area.
Conservation area with a northern ecosystem in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Mer Bleue Conservation Area is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Canada.
249 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 173,871 open records.
The most recorded are the Black-capped Chickadee, the Blue Jay and the American Crow.
115 species come for the summer, 49 for the winter and 15 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Evening Grosbeak, Rusty Blackbird and Snowy Owl.
The most species are recorded in May.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Travelodgeplace to stay · 8.4 km · 6 within 10 km
- Orléansnearest town · 6.4 km in a straight line
- Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 13 km in a straight lineCar hire at YOW airport (Ottawa)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 12car parks within 3 km
- 6places to stay within 10 kmTravelodge, Tempo Living, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ottawa East - Orleans and 3 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Mer Bleue Conservation Area.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas6 mountains within 25 kmQuigley Hill · 13 kmParliament Hill · 16 kmKiwekì Point · 16 kmNanny Goat Hill · 16 kmCanaan Hill · 16 kmMont Bleu · 22 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmBaie Carpentier0.3 km² · 13 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmDominion ObservatoryBortle 9 · 17 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Mer Bleue Conservation Area
Canada
- 83Birdyas Score
- 249Species
- 179Migrants
- 8Threatened
Lac Saint-François National Wildlife Area
Canada · 89 km
- 87Birdyas Score
- 236Species
- 179Migrants
- 10Threatened
Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area
Canada · 195 km
- 90Birdyas Score
- 301Species
- 211Migrants
- 14Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2828285) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 173,871 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
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Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit