An Overlooked Place to Look for Migrating Birds: Stormwater Ponds

Hello Field Naturalists of Richmond Hill. While tropical songbirds are taking their time to arrive back in Ontario, the migration of ducks and geese (waterfowl) and other waterbirds is well underway. Today I want to talk about an overlooked but rewarding form of finding waterfowl without going too far from home. Checking your local stormwater ponds.

Stormwater ponds, despite not looking like much, can provide stopover habitat for many different species of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and warblers. It depends on how deep the water is, how much sand or mud is exposed, and how much plant cover is around the pond. While some birds will only stay in or around the pond for a couple of hours, this can be enough for you to take a good look at it and delight in its presence. Additionally, not knowing what will be the next migrant at your local pond can be an exciting thing to know as you head to check it. When you’re starting out, stormwater ponds often make an accessible spot to look for different types of birds that you would usually have to drive for.

Wood Duck by Raspberry Yow-Fairs 

From my own experience, some examples of stormwater ponds in Richmond Hill and some species that can sometimes be seen at them are:

- The pond at Mill Pond Park: I’ve been to this decent-sized stormwater pond during migration sometimes and so far I’ve seen a Gadwall, Solitary Sandpipers, Common Mergansers and an Osprey there.

Solitary Sandpiper by Marky Mutchler

- The pond at Richmond Green: I’ve gone there quite a few times in the past and I’ve seen Hooded Mergansers and had close up views of Green Herons, nesting Trumpeter Swans and Spotted Sandpipers.

Green Heron by Marky Mutchler

- The pond behind Elgin West Community Centre: I was lucky enough to be able to check the small stormwater ponds behind the community center for about a month and during that time I saw Ospreys flying around the pond and a Caspian Tern diving for fish. 

Caspian Tern by Leo Weiskittel

Perhaps you are an experienced birder and are already plenty familiar with the birds I mentioned. In that case, you might like to hear that stormwater ponds also sometimes harbor rare birds. although the chances of that happening are low, these cases are not unheard of, and recent examples of rare birds found in stormwater ponds include the following:

- A Greater White-fronted Goose that stayed in a stormwater pond besides the York Regional Police building in Aurora in October 2024 long enough for me to go see.

- A Neotropic Cormorant that has stayed in Davos pond next to Kortright Conservation Centre in the summers of 2023 and 2024

- York Region's first King Eider sighting, which showed up at the Fossil Hill pond in Vaughan for a single day in June 2022, vanishing the next morning without a trace.

Greater White-fronted Goose by Marky Mutchler

Finally, it is worth noting that the chance of seeing any of the birds I mentioned being seen is not very high, and you might not encounter anything apart from the usual suspects for your first few days or weeks checking stormwater ponds during migration. If you have the time and are able to, driving to a known spot for the birds you want to see and more might be worth your time. However, stormwater ponds have a key advantage that more species-diverse birding spots don’t. You most likely live near a stormwater pond, and are able to check it somewhat frequently, and more than likely a “better” birding spot will be farther away and harder to get to on a regular basis. So whether you’re beginning to take up birding or have been several years at it, consider taking a bit of time to check your local stormwater pond if you’re not able to go somewhere else. You might be surprised by what you find… Or you might see a single Canada Goose, That’s also a possibility. Have fun and enjoy nature, Nicolas Moreno of the Field Naturalists of Richmond Hill