Bird Checklist of Bruce & Grey
Have you ever wondered how many species of birds have been recorded in Grey & Bruce Counties? How many species nest here? How many species are found here only in the winter, or only during spring or fall migration? Of the 36 species of warblers that have been found in the two Counties, how many stay here to nest? Do you know which Grey-Bruce species have been officially listed as a ‘Species at Risk’? Well, you don’t have to search the ‘net or field guides for the answers to these questions. All this information can be found in the recently updated Bird Checklist Bruce & Grey.
Grey Bruce Bird Records Committee History
1989 – 1998
The evolution of the Grey Bruce Bird Checklist has a long history. A Bird Records Committee composed of birders from Grey and Bruce Counties was active from 1989 to 1997. This Committee was formed to review bird records and produce an updated checklist of birds to replace a 1986 checklist of 314 species, which was originally produced by the Saugeen Field Naturalists. Committee members were Floyd Dieter, Gerry Lewis, Tom Murray, and Martin Parker.
A subsequent Committee formed and produced a new checklist in 1989 which contained 304 species. The drop in species numbers from the 1986 checklist was attributed to a review of records based on standardized Record Committees vetting guidelines which included a requirement for complete documentation of bird sightings.
The Committee then continued to collect and review bird reports and records. New work included determining breeding status of all species, entering records in a (now redundant) ‘AviSys’ database, and archiving the records in the Bruce County Museum Archives. In 1998 they produced a checklist of 319 new species, which was sponsored by the OSFN and the Saugeen Field Naturalists. Bird checklists at that time were printed on cardstock-paper and sold at the Clubs for a minimal cost-recovery amount. This Committee consisted, at various times, of Jerry Asling, Dave Fidler, Joe Johnson, Peter Middleton, Tom Murray, Dean Newton, Martin Parker, Lynne Richardson, David Schaus, and Mark Wiercinski. This Committee folded in 1998 after the checklist was printed and distributed.
2012 – 2022
In 2012, the OSFN appointed Dave Fidler to the task of updating the now 14-year-old 1998 Checklist. He revived the Grey-Bruce Bird Records Committee with reps from the OSFN (Peter Middleton, Lynne Richardson), the Huron Fringe Field Naturalists (James Turland) and the Saugeen Field Naturalists (Jerry Asling). This group produced a new paper Checklist updated to 2013, adding 21 new species to the total species recorded in the two counties, bringing the total to 340 species, a substantial increase of species documented thanks to the many birders of Grey, Bruce and beyond.
Dave Fidler resigned from the Committee in 2016, and Peter Middleton stepped in as Chair. Michael Butler, representing the bird-rich Saugeen Bruce Peninsula, and Gerrard McNaughton representing the southerly area of the counties, were welcome additions to the Committee. Between 2016 and 2020 the Committee reviewed and added another 10 new species to the checklist records. These 10 species brought the total species documented to 349 species as of 2020. These new species are mostly listed as ‘A’ – Accidental or vagrant occurrences, and include nine vagrants and one very hard to find migrant.
eBird
By this time, eBird was being widely used for bird sightings, and it kept up with taxonomic order changes, so the taxonomic order of our list was revised to match the eBird/AOU order. In addition, the status of various species was updated, (e.g, from single sightings (A) to more frequent sightings (C), non-breeding to breeding, etc), and new status categories including ‘Species at Risk’ and ‘Extirpated/Extinct’ were added. A note regarding the OFO Birding Code of Ethics was included given the ever-increasing popularity of birding and bird photography, and the sensitivity of our feathered friends to disturbance. Taxonomy work also resulted in one species being struck off the Checklist – Thayer’s Gull. Considered a separate species until 2017, it is now deemed a subspecies of Iceland Gull. One bird previously considered to be a warbler was moved to its own taxa – Yellow-breasted Chat is now a separate Chat species. These ‘splits’ and ‘lumps’ happen from time to time as knowledge of the genetic makeup of bird species grows. All this information was amalgamated into a digital checklist which replaced the printed cardstock document. The 2020 checklist was posted on the OSFN and other clubs’ websites.
In 2022 the Records Committee wrapped up its work by having the paper records entered into eBird which had become the main depository of bird sightings and records. Funded by the OSFN, SFN and HFFN, Kiah Jasper was contracted to review the ±600 historical records representing 90 years of field observations, and enter them into eBird platform. The paper records remain archived in the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, in Southampton where they are now a sealed archival record that will receive no further entries. However, they are available for viewing, by appointment with the County Archivist. New records are now received directly by eBird.
Ongoing Work
From 2020 to November, 2025 an additional 12 new species were added to the Checklist. Well outside their historical ranges, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Black-necked Stilt, Pomarine Jaeger, Glaucous-winged Gull, Laughing Gull, Western Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Tricoloured Heron, Fish Crow, Scott’s Oriole, Western Grebe have each recently been observed in Grey or Bruce. As with most previous new additions to the checklist, these species are almost all purely accidental occurrences which happen due to storm systems, migration mix-ups, or occasionally, range expansion.
In 2023, on a positive note, one species was removed from Ontario’s Species at Risk list. The Bald Eagle is now considered to be well recovered from its disastrous decline in previous decades due to the debilitating effects of DDT in its food chain. That delisting reduced the number of ‘’Species at Risk’ that occur in Grey-Bruce from 37 to 36 – still, unfortunately, a very high number of birds in trouble.
2024 Taxonomy Changes
2024 taxonomic changes resulted more updates including family order changes, species ‘splits’ and ‘lumps’ and resultant name changes. Our familiar backyard House Wren is now officially named Northern House Wren, to separate it from 6 other very similar wrens. Barn Owl is now Western Barn Owl, Cattle Egret is now Western Cattle Egret and our common Herring Gull is now American Herring Gull. These changes represent global taxonomic distinctions between similar species. The Grey Bruce list has also lost one species. The former Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll have now been ‘lumped’ into one species, simply named Redpoll.
2025 Checklist
New sightings and additions to the checklist continued in 2025. A Black-headed Gull and a Western Grebe were discovered at Hibou; a Eurasian Collared Dove landed in a yard; a Barnacle Goose spent some time with Canada Geese at the Kincardine sewage lagoons.
2025 also brought in a few additional new name changes due to ongoing taxonomy work. Whimbrel is now Hudsonian Whimbrel, Warbling Vireo is now Eastern Warbling Vireo, and Yellow Warbler is now Northern Yellow Warbler.
These numerous name, status and occurrence records have all been incorporated into a new checklist. It now stands at an amazing 363 species. The Clubs’ legacy of committed birders and citizen scientist observers have contributed greatly to the rich ornithological record this Checklist represents for Grey and Bruce counties.
There is a lot of information packed into this little one-page Checklist! The Checklist is posted on the OSFN website. Download a copy for your next birding excursion and check out the annotations beside each species. They will help you come to know nature, and the birds of Grey and Bruce counties, better!
Lynne Richardson, On behalf of the OSFN Publications Committee