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Bird Watching Paradise at Harris Hill Resort in Northwestern Ontario Canada
Bird watching ( Bird Watching )is also renowned is this specific area because of the novelty of having many migratory routes that pass over, plus species from both the western and eastern regions. Birders come from far away to enjoy the diversity and magnitude of bird species in this area.
This is a bird watching paradise with 302+ known species of birds in this area alone.
The Piping Plover: one of the 302+ species of birds in just our area alone
This is a picture of the nearly extinct Piping Plover that nests near by on Windy Point, just across the Bay from Harris Hill Resort. Rent a boat or ask for a ride across the Bay for viewing. If you see the Plovers, give them lots of room and do not disturb them. Be very very careful not to step on their eggs that blend in with the sand.
This is also one of the few remaining areas for the Piping Plover to nest. Across the Bay from us may be one of the last areas in Ontario where they may nest. They are an endangered species that nest close by and are cared for by our Natural Resources Department. They often have to "cage" their nests to help protect the eggs, as the parents do not guard or sit on their nests after they lay their eggs.
Orchard Orioles have been seen here at Harris Hill Resort for a few years now.
Bullock's Orioles (probably) have been seen here in 2006 & 2008. (We were not able to take Pictures.)
Watch the Bald Eagles fly overhead from their nearby nest as they soar effortlessly through the air. See the nests nearby.
The Black-billed Magpie is at the most eastern extent of it's range/territory here. They're always in our yard.
There are many species of Ducks, including Ruddy Ducks, Blue Bills and Mallards.
Check out the Yellow Rail in the nearby marsh, or the Sandhill Cranes as they strut through the meadows and fields.
The Loons can be heard calling in the distance, or swimming and diving around your boat.
Pelicans, Gulls and Terns are waiting to show off their skills as they dip into the rippling water around you and catch the minnows jumping up out of the surface of the water.
Watch the many Hummingbirds flit to and fro in the flowers and to the nectar feeding stations.
There are at least 8 pair of Baltimore Orioles here in the spring and throughout the summer.
The Evening Grosbeaks have been around all year round now. There are also many Pine Grosbeaks and Rose Breasted Grosbeaks in this area.
We have a nesting pair of Pileated Woodpeckers right in the yard by the lake.
The lawn at the lodge is always alive with the presence of many species of birds that come to our many bird feeders.
Bookmark us for further development of this site and of our upcoming "birding packages".
Ask us if you may want a "Birding Tour" and we may be able to arrange something for you.
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AFFORDABLE VACATIONS |
CABIN RENTALS for 'BIRDERS' |
| "Per Cabin" prices |
1 child <12 free per adult |
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1 Person $ 60 day / $360 wk |
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2 People $ 80 day / $480 wk |
2 Family $ 75 day / $450 wk |
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3 People $ 90 day / $540 wk |
3 Family $ 85 day / $510 wk |
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4 People $100 day / $600 wk |
4 Family $ 95 day / $570 wk |
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5 People $110 day / $660 wk |
5 Family $105 day / $630 wk |
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6 People $120 day / $720 wk |
6 Family $115 day / $690 wk |
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Boats 10% off |
some restrictions apply |
The Birds of Harris Hill Resort
Harris Hill Resort is an ideal location from which to explore the birding opportunities of the Rainy River area in Northwestern Ontario. We are easily accessible and only 1 mile off paved Highway 600. Our Resort is located 26 km. or 17 miles north of the Town of Rainy River on the shores of Windy Bay in the southeast corner of the Lake of the Woods. We are surrounded by oak and aspen woodlands with extensive farmlands and wet meadows close by to the south. From the Resort dock a marvellous view of Windy Bay with its shoreline marshes, the long sandy spit of Windy Point and the open waters of the Lake of the Woods introduces the birder to the rich bird life of the area. This combination of habitats supports a very large variety and number of birds including many of the special species of the Rainy River area.
The Seasons
Spring birding at Harris Hill Resort begins in early April when the forests and fields are snow free. The ice on Windy Bay begins to break up by late April and often the bay is open before the main part of the lake. The open water attracts large numbers of migrating Loons, Grebes, Ducks, Gulls and Geese. By early May the first Sparrows, Thrushes, Warblers, Flycatchers and Blackbirds (Red Winged & Yellow-Headed) are moving north through the shoreline woods often in impressive numbers. Shorebirds are also arriving and the sandy beaches and small islets of Windy Point are a magnet to the migrants.
By early June, the spring migrant rush is over and the woodlands and meadows around the Resort ring with the songs of breeding birds that blend with the voices of the residents of the marshes around Windy Bay. Large feeding flocks of American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Gulls and Terns often visit the bay, a most impressive sight.
Fall migration starts in late July with the first south-bound shorebirds appearing on Windy Point. Warblers and Flycatchers move south through the woodlands in late August followed by Sparrows and Thrushes into mid-October.
Winter is a quieter time at Harris Hill Resort. The well stocked feeders at the Resort nonetheless attract a large number of winter visitors including Finches, Grosbeaks, Nuthatches, Chickadees and Woodpeckers. An occasional Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Black-billed Magpie and the ever-present Common Raven can be found in and around the open farmlands south of the Resort.
Key Birding Areas at Harris Hill Resort
Windy Bay and Windy Point - Just by standing on the Resort dock, the birder can see a large number of birds. American White Pelicans float on the bay or soar overhead. Yellow-Headed Blackbirds and Sandhill Cranes frequent the shoreline marshes. Franklin’s Gulls fly by or loaf on the islets and beaches of Windy Point. Bald Eagles nest on Snake Island and often perch in trees along the point. Common Terns nest on the point as has the rare and nearly extinct Piping Plover. Exploring the bay and the point by boat or canoe can be even more rewarding. Boat Rides can be arranged, or rent a boat or canoe.
The Resort Grounds – The oak and aspen woodlands of the Resort area are easily explored simply by walking the roads. The woodlands host a large number and variety of migrant and breeding Finches, Sparrows, Orioles, Warblers and Flycatchers. Check out the busy Resort feeders. Since 200, an Orchard Oriole was a regular visitor at the hummingbird feeders. In 2006 & 2008 a Bullock’s Oriole may have been seen, but we could not get a picture of it. The Red-Bellied Woodpecker has made his home here since fall of 2006.
Farmlands and Meadows – Driving the roads through the farmlands south of the Resort one will be rewarded by seeing and hearing Sandhill Cranes, Black-Billed Magpies, LeConte’s Sparrows, Western Meadowlarks, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Sharp-Tailed Grouse and other grassland species. In wet years, Yellow Rails can often be heard from the roadsides. Evening drives often turn up Short-Eared and Long-Eared Owls.
Cheryl and Gary Gauthier, your hosts at Harris Hill Resort, are very familiar with the birds of the Resort area and can assist you by providing birding checklists, maps and directions, weather details and other helpful information. We also have a supply of smaller binoculars, books on Birds, Native Plants, Butterflies etc.
Boat rides to such areas as Windy Point can be arranged or you can rent a boat and explore Windy Bay, Sable Islands and Lake of the Woods at your leisure.
You may also rent one of our cabins at a reduced rate; See special prices on this site. Meals can also be arranged.
We hope that your birding stay at Harris Hill Resort will be rewarding, enjoyable and most of all, memorable.
Special Birds of the Harris Hill Resort Area
Orchard Oriole – Resort grounds
American White Pelican – Windy Bay, overhead
Bald Eagle – Windy Bay, Lake of the Woods, overhead
Sharp-tailed Grouse – fields, meadows, roadsides, south of the Resort
Sandhill Crane – fields, meadows south of the Resort, Windy Bay marshes
Yellow Rail – wet meadows, the Big Marsh off Fred’s Road
Piping Plover – Windy Point, Sable Islands
Marbled Godwit – fields near Rainy River
Wilson’s Phalarope – Windy Point, Rainy River sewage ponds
Franklin’s Gull – Windy Bay and Point, overhead.
Red-headed Woodpecker – Resort grounds, aspen stands to the south
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Resort grounds, aspen stands to the south
Western Kingbird – throughout area but irregular in occurrence
Black-billed Magpie – throughout area; always in resort grounds
Sedge Wren – wet and brushy meadows to the south
Yellow-Throated Vireo – aspen and oak woodlands
Connecticut Warbler – aspen groves south of the Resort
Brewer’s Blackbird – fields and roadsides to the south
Yellow-headed Blackbird – Windy Bay marshes, Resort feeders in spring
Western Meadowlark – fields to the south
Clay-coloured Sparrow – brushy fields to the south
LeConte’s Sparrow – wet meadows and hayfields south of the Resort.
Click DOWNLOAD (view & print) PDF version of the "BIRDER'S GUIDE to the RAINY RIVER DISTRICT"
Click DOWNLOAD (view & print) PDF version of the "MAPS for the BIRDER'S GUIDE to the RAINY RIVER DISTRICT"
Click DOWNLOAD (view & print) PDF version of this "BIRDING CHECKLIST"
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302+ Species of Birds |
Rainy River District |
Birder's Guide |
Harris Hill Resort |
| * or B = confirmed breeding species | (* = Ontario Nest Records Scheme) |
(red color denotes bird |
specialties in the Harris Hill Resort Area) |
| R = Rare, Uncommon or only Locally Common | W = Winter Resident only | V = Vagrant | Blank = common & seen annually in suitable habitat |
| Common Loon *B | Common Goldeneye *B | Solitary Sandpiper | Black-billed Cuckoo *B |
| Barrow's Goldeneye V | Spotted Sandpiper *B | Yellow-billed Cuckoo R | |
| Pied-Billed Grebe *B | Bufflehead | Willet V | |
| Horned Grebe B | Hooded Merganser *B | Upland Sandpiper B | Eastern Screech-Owl R |
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Red-necked Grebe *BR |
Common Merganser *B | Whimbrel | Great Horned Owl *B |
| Eared Grebe V | Red-breasted Merganser B | Hudsonian Godwit | Snowy Owl |
| Western Grebe V | Marbled Godwit * | Northern Hawk Owl B | |
| Ruddy Duck R | Ruddy Turnstone | Barred Owl B | |
| American White Pelican B | Red Knot | Great Grey Owl B | |
| Double-crested Cormorant B | Turkey Vulture B | Sanderling | Long-eared Owl B |
| Little Blue Heron V? NEW BIRD 2008 | Osprey *B | Semipalmated Sandpiper | Short-eared Owl |
| American Bittern *B | Bald Eagle *B | Western Sandpiper | Boreal Owl *B |
| Least Bittern BR | Northern Harrier B | Least Sandpiper | Northern Saw-whet Owl * B |
| Great Blue Heron *B | Sharp-shinned Hawk B | White-rumped Sandpiper | |
| Great Egret V | Cooper's Hawk B | Baird's Sandpiper | Common Nighthawk *B |
| Snowy Egret | Northern Goshawk *B | Pectoral Sandpiper | Whip-poor-will B |
| Cattle Egret V | Red-shouldered Hawk V | Dunlin | |
| Green Heron | Broad-winged Hawk *B | Stilt Sandpiper | Chimney Swift B |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Swainson's Hawk V | Buff-breasted Sandpiper R | |
| Trumpeter Swan | Red-tailed Hawk *B | Short-billed Sandpiper | Ruby-throated Hummingbird *B |
| Tundra Swan | Rough-legged Hawk | Long-billed Dowitcher | Rufous Hummingbird V |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | Golden Eagle R | Common Snipe *B | |
| Snow Goose | American Kestrel *B | American Woodcock *B | Belted Kingfisher *B |
| Canada Goose *B | Merlin*B | Wilson's Phalarope B | |
| Wood Duck B | Peregrine Falcon R | Red-necked Phalarope | Lewis Woodpecker V |
| Green-winged Teal *B | Gyrfalcon | Short-billed Dowitcher | Red-headed Woodpecker *B |
| American Black Duck *B | Spruce Grouse *B | Parasitic Jaeger V | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Mallard *B | Ruffed Grouse *B | Franklin's Gull | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker *B |
| Northern Pintail B | Sharp-tailed Grouse *B | Bonaparte's Gull | Downy Woodpecker *B |
| Blue-winged Teal *B | Wild Turkey | Ring-billed Gull B | Hairy Woodpecker *B |
| Cinnamon Teal V | Yellow Rail B | Herring Gull *B | American Three-toed Woodpecker |
| Northern Shoveler B | Virginia Rail *B | Iceland Gull | Black-billed Woodpecker *B |
| Gadwall R | Sora*B | Glaucous Gull V | Northern Flicker *B |
| American Wigeon B | American Coot *B | Sabine's Gull | Pileated Woodpecker *B |
| Canvasback | Sandhill Crane B | California Gull | |
| Redhead | Black-bellied Plover | Thayer's Gull | Olive-sided Flycatcher B |
| Ring-necked Duck *B | American Golden-Plover | Caspian Tern | Eastern Wooded-Pewee *B |
| Greater Scaup | Semipalmated Plover | Common Tern *B | Yellow-bellied Flycatcher *B |
| Lesser Scaup | Piping Plover *BR | Forster's Tern | Alder Flycatcher B |
| Harlequin Duck V | Killdeer *B | Black Tern B | Willow Flycatcher R |
| Oldsquaw | Black-necked Stilt V | Least Flycatcher *B | |
| Black Scoter R | American Yellowlegs | Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove) b | Eastern Phoebe *B |
| White-winged Scoter R | Lesser Yellowlegs | Mourning Dove B | Say's Phoebe V |
| Long-tailed Duck | American Avocet -BR | Passenger Pigeon - Extinct | Great Crested Flycatcher *B |
| Surf Scoter R Atikokan | Greater Yellowlegs | Inca Dove | Acadian Flycatcher V Kenora |
| Summer Tanager V | |||
| Western Kingbird *BR | Sage Thrasher V | Scarlet Tanager *B | Brambling V |
| Eastern Kingbird *B | Brown Thrasher B | Common Chaffinch | |
| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Western Tanager V | Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch V | |
| American Pipit | Northern Cardinal V | Pine Grosbeak W | |
| Horned Lark B | Sprague's Pipit BR | Indigo Bunting *B | Purple Finch *B |
| Purple Martin *B | Bohemian Waxwing W | Dickcissel | House Finch |
| Tree Swallow *B | Cedar Waxwing *B | Field Sparrow R Kenora | Red Crossbill |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow B | Northern Shrike W | Eastern Towhee | White-winged Crossbill |
| Bank Swallow *B | Loggerhead Shrike *R | Spotted Towhee | Common Redpoll W |
| Cliff Swallow *B | European Starling *B | American Tree Sparrow | Hoary Redpoll W |
| Barn Swallow *B | Chipping Sparrow *B | Pine Siskin B | |
| Solitary Vireo *B | Clay-colored Sparrow *B | American Goldfinch B | |
| Gray Jay B | Yellow-throated Vireo *B | Vesper Sparrow *B | European Goldfinch |
| Blue Jay B | Warbling Vireo B | Lark Sparrow v | Evening Grosbeak B |
| Black-billed Magpie *B | Philadelphia Vireo *B | Lark Bunting | Rose-breasted Grosbeak B |
| American Crow *B | Red-eyed Vireo *B | Savannah Sparrow *B | House Sparrow *B |
| Common Raven *B | Prairie Warbler | Grasshopper Sparrow | |
| Clark's Nutcracker V Dryden | Golden-winged Warbler B | Le Conte's Sparrow B | |
| Black-capped Chickadee *B | Tennessee Warbler B | Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow | |
| Boreal Chickadee *B | Orange-crowned Warbler | Fox Sparrow | |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch *B | Nashville Warbler *B | Song Sparrow *B | |
| White-breasted Nuthatch B | Northern Parula B | Lincoln's Sparrow B | |
| Brown Creeper *B | Yellow Warbler *B | Swamp Sparrow *B | |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler *B | White-throated Sparrow *B | ||
| Carolina Wren | Magnolia Warbler *B | White-crowned Sparrow | |
| House Wren *B | Cape May Warbler *B | Harris's Sparrow | |
| Winter Wren B | Black-throated Blue Warbler B | Baird's Sparrow | |
| Sedge Wren *B | Yellow-rumped Warbler *B | Dark-eyed Junco B | |
| Marsh Wren *B | Black-throated Green Warbler B | Lapland Longspur | |
| Blackburnian Warbler B | Smith's Longspur | ||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet B | Pine Warbler *B | Snow Bunting | |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet *B | Palm Warbler B | Bobolink *B | |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher V | Bay-breasted Warbler B | Red-winged Blackbird *B | |
| Eastern Bluebird *B | Blackpoll Warbler | Eastern Meadowlark B | |
| Mountain Bluebird V | Black-and-white Warbler B | Western Meadowlark *B | |
| Veery *B | American Redstart *B | Yellow-headed Blackbird *B | |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | Prothonotary Warbler B | Rusty Blackbird B | |
| Swainson's Thrush *B | Ovenbird *B | Brewer's Blackbird *B | |
| Hermit Thrush *B | Northern Waterthrush *B | Great-tailed Grackle | |
| Wood Thrush B | Connecticut Warbler B | Common Grackle *B | |
| American Robin *B | Mourning Warbler *B | Brown-headed Cowbird *B | |
| Varied Thrush V | Common Yellowthroat *B | Orchard Oriole | |
| Gray Catbird *B | Wilson's Warbler B | Northern Oriole *B | |
| Northern Mockingbird V | Canada Warbler B | ||
| Prairie Warbler |
Coming from somewhere with a distance from Toronto for example ... for Bird Watching, Fishing or Hunting Vacation, or Family Vacation ? ... Great if you have time to drive and have a leisureely vacation. If not, consider flying to either Thunder Bay (5 hour drive) or Winnipeg ( 3 or 5 hour drive depending on route). There you can rent a car and take a shorter scenic drive here.
It's worth the Trip!
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To request more information or to book your holiday or vacation adventure: |
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please phone us at 1 - 807- 488-1116 |
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or click on "contact us" to e-mail us from our web site
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At Harris Hill Resort we offer quality service, great hospitality, affordable rates, comfortable accomodations and a relaxing atmosphere
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Harris Hill Resort - Lake of the Woods |
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Sunset Country, Northwestern Ontario, Canada |
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ONLY 18 miles from Rainy River Ontario Canada & Baudette Minnesota USA |
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Only 85 miles from International Falls Minnesota - Fort Frances Ontario |
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Only 2.5 hours from Steinbach, 3 hours from Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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Ontario Fishing - Ontario Hunting - Family Vacations - Ecotourism Holidays |
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CANADA HUNTING FISHING LODGE |
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We have Wireless Internet Capabilities here. Canoe Use is FREE with cabin rentals, based on availability. |
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Golf & Fish or Hunt, Golf & Fish - Golf Discounts available for nearby Golf Course |
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Bring the whole Family on Vacation - View our Activities Sections - for "Things to See & Do"
Enjoy our Children's Playground, Water Skiing, Tubing, Golfing, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Beaches, Hiking, Sight-seeing, Tours, Movie Theatre, Bowling, Shopping, Massage Therapy, Bird Watching ... |
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We are open year round and we will customize your vacation packages to suit your needs as best we can. |
We will include what you want and make up a package to suit you
Remember, Birders get a discount off their cabins at Harris Hill Resort.