There is no comparison in Ontario to Lake Ontario Duck watching. Not only can they have the insane sightings of King Eider and Harlequin Ducks yearly but they have some of the highest density of ducks in the whole province coming to that lake. In Hamilton, this spectacular view can be viewed from some of the lookouts in Stoney Creek (my personal favourite being Millen Rd). Though I am definitely partial to Lake Erie and its unpredictability there is something that just stands out about Lake Ontario.
Now some of you might be curious about what separates Lake Ontario from the other Great Lakes. This is the presence of Zebra Muscles in large quantities and the sheer depth of the lake as close to the shoreline as it is. This is heaven for diving ducks, which happen to be the most common ducks in the winter here in Southeastern Ontario. It's particularly loved by Long-tailed Ducks and Scoters for multiple species.
This brings me to this past weekend. Sunday, the day after my survey I got some info about 3 King Eider hanging around in Stoney Creek. It was a bird I needed for the year and from what I heard they were easy to find. This was a little something unexpected when I got there though, over 30,000 ducks were seen from that spot (and that's being conservative). I have never seen a concentration that high in my life!
If you're looking for ducks right now Millen Rd is the best place to visit!
Here is the exact list for the day: Millen Red (08-Nov-2020)
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| Female King Eider with a patch of Zebra Muscles in its mouth - Hamilton ON |
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| Another shot of the King Eider - Hamilton ON |
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| Still loving these King Eider shots! - Hamilton ON |
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| A second King Eider resting her head as she floats away - Hamilton ON |
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| Crazy cool looking male Long-tailed Duck - Hamilton ON |
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