Fall Bird Walks & Community Events 🍂🐦
Fall is an exciting time to connect with birds and nature in Ottawa! Join us for beginner-friendly bird walks, in-store and online presentations, and other opportunities to learn, explore and connect with our local birding community.
Fall Migration Bird Walk at Mud Lake
Join us for a beginner-friendly bird walk at Mud Lake, one of Ottawa's best-known fall migration hotspots. Designated as an Important Bird Area, Mud Lake's forests, wetlands, shoreline and location along the Ottawa River make it an important stopover for birds travelling through our region.
Guides Daniel Shaw and David O'Neill will help us tackle the famous "confusing fall warblers", while also keeping watch for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and other seasonal visitors. We'll share identification tips along the way and help make fall birding fun and approachable.
Sunday, September 27
Mud Lake Beginner Bird Walk
🐦 This walk is currently FULL — waitlist available.
Late September can bring a changing mix of birds through Mud Lake as fall migration continues. We'll explore the forest, shoreline, wetlands and Ottawa River while watching for warblers, waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and other seasonal visitors.
We'll continue our focus on the famous "confusing fall warblers", sharing beginner-friendly identification tips and taking the time to observe the birds and habitats we encounter along the way.
⏰ Time: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
📍 Location: Mud Lake, Ottawa
Our September 27 walk has reached capacity, but you're welcome to join the waitlist. If a space becomes available, we'll contact waitlisted participants.
New to birding? Then these walks are FOR YOU! Bring binoculars if you have them, but don't worry if you don't — we're pleased to offer complimentary Vortex binoculars for participants to use during our walks. Just dress for the weather, wear comfortable footwear suitable for natural trails, and come ready to discover the birds around us!
October Bird Walks Coming Soon 🐦
Our October bird walk dates will be posted soon! We're especially looking forward to participating in Birdability Week, October 19–25, with walks planned to help make birding welcoming and accessible to more members of our community.
Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to be a 2026 Organizational Sponsor of Birdability. Learn more about Birdability Week →
Upcoming Presentations & Community Events 🍂
There’s more happening at WBU this fall! Join us to learn something new, connect with our local nature community and discover more ways to support birds and wildlife at home.
Save It! Sow It! Grow It! 🌱
Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30 PM
Wild Birds Unlimited Kanata • In-Store & Online
Save the seeds. Sow for spring. Grow more native plants for birds and wildlife!
Join Mélanie Ouellette, Chair and Founder of the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, for an evening all about native flowers, seed saving and getting ready for next year’s garden.
Mélanie will introduce us to the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, how it works and how its community-based approach to collecting and sharing native flower seeds for free is helping more people grow native plants across Ottawa.
Then it’s time to talk seeds! Learn how to harvest, clean, store and save native plant seeds, with practical tips you can use at home. We’ll also explore winter sowing — a simple way to start native plants outdoors using the natural conditions of an Ottawa winter — and take a closer look at some of the native seeds you can try yourself.
Whether you already have a native plant garden or are just getting started, come discover how saving and sharing seeds can help you grow more native plants while supporting wild birds, pollinators and other local wildlife.
Join us in-store or tune in online. Registration is required for both options.
Missed Migration Mysteries? Watch It Now! 🐦
We had a fantastic evening with Patty McLaughlin exploring one of the most remarkable events in the bird world — migration!
If you missed Migration Mysteries, or would simply like to watch it again, the full presentation is now available online. Follow along as Patty explores why birds migrate, where they go, how they find their way and some of the incredible journeys made by familiar local species.
You’ll also discover simple ways we can help migrating birds right in our own backyards.
Help Shape What's Next
We're planning more great things and want to hear from you.
What have you loved? What would you like to see more of?
From in-store events and take-home kits to online fun and bird walks, your feedback helps shape what's next for our community events.
Follow us on Facebook @wbuottawa for news & updates on upcoming events.
🐦 Interested in Partnering With Us?
We love collaborating with people who share our passion for birds, nature and lifelong learning.
If you have an idea for a presentation, workshop, walk or creative project that would resonate with our birding community, we'd love to hear from you.
Email us at [email protected] with a brief description of your idea and how it might fit our community.