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Thunder Cape Bird Observatory is located in a clearing at the extreme southern tip of the Sibley Peninsula, a long broad tongue of forested land that extends into Lake Superior from the north shore. A pilot migration monitoring project was carried out in 1991, and TCBO has been operating in spring and fall ever since. Although the Observatory is only 25 km from the city of Thunder Bay (as the raven flies), it is a remote and relatively inaccessible site.
Immediately to the north of the Observatory is a long thin butte called the Sleeping Giant. The Giant is a magnificent diabase sill with steep cliffs on each side of its length, the highest cliffs in Ontario. The combination of the shape of the peninsula and the height of the Sleeping Giant produce concentrations of several groups of birds at the Cape during migration, including passerines and waterfowl and raptors in the fall.
There are several buildings on the site, including a cabin/banding lab, a sauna/bunkhouse, and a 20-metre (63-foot) observation tower in the woods that brings you above the treetops and provides a spectacular view of the Sleeping Giant.
When weather conditions are right, the area is teeming with thousands of birds. Passerines flit through the balsam fir and spruce trees and descend on the trimmed shrubs in front of the cabin, affording great close-up looks. Loons, ducks and other waterfowl fly by continuously, west in the spring and east in the fall. Raptors are also a treat to watch, especially in the fall. Sharp-shinned Hawks are always zooming through the trees and out into the clearing, chasing the many small birds that are milling about, and other species, including Northern Goshawk, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon, are seen hunting in the clearing. In the fall, boreal species such as Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed and Three-toed woodpeckers, and winter finches are commonly seen. In September and October, large numbers of Northern Saw-whet Owls are banded, and there is always a chance of seeing a Long-eared or Barred owl.
In addition to large numbers of regular species, TCBO has had a remarkable number of rarities, including Ontario's first Violet-Green Swallow and Black-throated Sparrow, northern Ontario's first Bewick's Wren, and Thunder Bay District's first Painted Bunting and Sprague's Pipit. There have also been several Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Summer Tanagers, Western Tanagers, Pacific Loons, Harlequin Ducks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Lark Buntings, and Townsend's Solitaires (four at once!) recorded at the station. Unusual warblers have included Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Prairie, and Hooded.
With support from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Thunder Bay Bird Observatory is a joint project of the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Bird Studies Canada. Four or more staff and volunteers work at the station during both spring and fall migration, starting at the beginning of May and winding up at the end of October. The Observatory owns a boat, which is used to bring supplies and volunteers out to the Cape from the closest road access at Silver Islet.
For more information about TCBO, membership and volunteer opportunities, please contact:
Nick Escott
650 Alice Ave.,
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
P7G 1W9
tel: 807-345-7122 (H)
e-mail: ngescott@shaw.ca
Web Site: www.tbfn.net/tcbotbfn.htm
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