Birding Hotspots for Incredible Winter Birds

Rob RipmaUpdated: Mar. 15, 2023

These birding hotspots might be cold but you'll forget all about it when you see these incredible birds.

For many people, it might sound crazy to head north in the winter instead of south but serious birders know there are plenty of incredible birding hotspots to visit even when it’s freezing. Owls tend to be the main species that draws birders north in the winter but there are many more birds to see! Here are some of the best places to visit for winter birding.

Klamath Basin National Wildlife, winter birding hotspots — Snow geese migration in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Klamath Basin: Northern California and Southern Oregon

Special sightings: Barrow’s goldeneye, bald eagle, white-headed woodpecker

The Klamath Basin is a major layover on the famed Pacific Flyway. Multiple freshwater habitats—including lakes,rivers and marshes—attract wading birds and waterfowl in absolutely unbelievable numbers.

Snow geese, cackling geese and Ross’s geese are winter regulars, along with Clark’s grebes and common and Barrow’s goldeneyes. More than 500 bald eagles, the largest concentration in the continental U.S., spend winter around the Klamath Basin. Combine a drive along the 10-mile Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Auto Tour Route marshes with a trip to Lava Beds National Monument’s upland habitat to maximize the diversity of your sightings. Check out coast to coast birding hotspots for every season.

winter birding hotspots Delaware — A photographer at Cape Henlopen State Park

Cape Henlopen State Park and Delaware Seashore State Park: Sussex County, Delaware

Special sightings: snow bunting, long-tailed duck, razorbill

Delaware’s Cape Henlopen State Park offers views of both Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is a haven for wintering geese, ducks and other waterbirds. You’ll find all three types of scoter here, alongside diving seabirds like northern gannets. Look closely at flocks of double-crested cormorants, as great cormorantsoften mingle with them. Scan the dunes for snow buntings or even the rare Lapland longspur.

Nearby Delaware Seashore State Park’s Indian River Inlet is another excellent location where you might spot pelagic species like razorbills, dovekies or murres. Discover the top 5 birding hotspots for fall migration.

niagara falls in winter, winter birding hotspot andreiorlov/Getty Images

The Niagara Birding Trail: Niagara and Erie County, New York

Special sightings: Iceland gull, peregrine falcon, harlequin duck

The Niagara River Corridor, which includes Niagara Falls and the Niagara Birding Trail, is a popular tourist destination and a special place for winter birders. If you love gulls, Niagara Falls is the place to be! Thousands of gulls can be seen here in winter. Waterfowl gather in multitudes, including many that breed in the far northern Arctic, like Iceland gulls and tundra swans.

Areas directly surrounding the falls, including Goat Island, are ideal places to look for up to a dozen gull species, with the possibility of rare visitors such as black-headed gull. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and titmice abound at feeders and along wooded trails on the Dufferin Islands, offering a tranquil break from the falls. Don’t miss the 51 best winter bird photos.

Birding Hotspots for Incredible Winter Birds — It’s exciting to drive down the road and see snowy owls sitting on telephone poles.

Upper Peninsula: Michigan

Special sightings: Snowy owl, boreal chickadee

There are so many great places to go birding in the UP. From Sault Ste. Marie in the eastern UP all the way to the Kewenaw Peninsula in the west, you can spend at least a week visiting all the awesome spots. Highlight species include snowy owl, Canada jay, spruce grouse, evening grosbeak, and boreal chickadee.

Duluth/Sax-Zim Bog: Minnesota

Special sightings: Great gray owl and Canada jay

This part of Minnesota is likely the most well-known winter birding destination. It tends to get more owls each winter than the UP and is really well developed with services for birders. In addition to being great for owls, you can find Canada jay, black-billed magpie, pine grosbeak, common redpoll, both red and white-winged crossbills, and plenty of gulls. It’s also a good spot to look for Gyrfalcon, as well as home to the National Eagle Center—a winter birding paradise! Meet the boreal birds of the Northwoods.

Algonquin Provincial Park: Ontario, Canada

Special sightings: Winter finches

For a bit more of an adventure, head north of the border to this park that is northeast of Toronto, Canada. The bird feeders at this park are a great place to see tons of winter finches. Look for purple finches, pine siskins, common redpolls, red and white-winged crossbills, and evening and pine grosbeaks.

Originally Published: December 17, 2020

Jill Staake

Jill Staake's lifelong love of nature turned into a career during the years she spent working with native Florida butterflies, caterpillars, and other wildlife at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa, Florida. During this time, she helped to maintain 30+ acres of gardens and backwoods, all carefully cultivated to support the more than 20 species of butterflies displayed indoors and out. She now writes for a variety of publications and sites on topics like gardening and birding, among others.

Rob Ripma

Rob is a lifelong Indiana resident and co-owner of Sabrewing Nature Tours. He has birded extensively throughout the Americas and also spent time birding in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Rob is currently on the executive boards of two organizations: Past President of the Board of the Amos Butler Audubon Society in Indianapolis (after leading the board as President for 6 years) and Secretary for Ohio’s Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). He also serves as the field trip coordinator for BSBO’s Biggest Week in American Birding annual event. Rob sat on the executive board of the Indiana Audubon Society for three years as Treasurer and Vice President.

He is a co-founder of the Indiana Young Birders Club and speaks at a variety of organizations and schools about birds and birding to share his knowledge and experiences in the field. His leadership and expertise led to Rob working as the primary bird blogger for Birds & Blooms Magazine from 2013-17.

Rob enjoys working with both new and experienced birders of all ages and believes that teaching people about birds will not only increase interest in birding but also help them better understand why we must work to protect them and their habitats.

Additionally, he loves educating others about the positive impact nature tourism can have on local economies, especially in developing countries. This passion led to his involvement in the production of a PBS television program called, “Flight Path: The World of Migratory Birds”, where a crew accompanied him on a tour to Panama to highlight and bring to life the effect that birds and birding have on both the people that see them and those who work and live in areas visited by birders and nature lovers.

Rob graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2008 and lives in Carmel, Indiana with his wife and daughter.