Join us for the TRCA Spring Bird Festival
Saturday, May 9, 2026 | Tommy Thompson Park
Celebrate the Spring Migration!
Take flight with TRCA and participate in the Spring Bird Festival, with a series of events celebrating the return of 50 million migratory birds to Toronto each spring.
Located on the Toronto Waterfront at the convergence of two major migratory flyways, Tommy Thompson Park is Toronto’s largest greenspace and provides critical stopover habitat for migrating birds.
There have been 334 species of birds recorded at the park, including at least 55 breeding species!
LEARN ABOUT BIRD RESEARCH AT TTP
Spring Bird Festival Event Calendar
A donation to help protect and enhance the urban wilderness at Tommy Thompson Park is one way you can support the conservation of natural habitat where birds and other wildlife flourish.
TRCA Spring Bird Festival
at Tommy Thompson Park
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Join us at Tommy Thompson Park on Saturday, May 9, 2026 for a free community event all about the spring bird migration!
View The May 9 Schedule of Activities
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- Registration for the Early Bird and the Warblers and Woodland Birds walks opens at 7:00 a.m.
- Registration for all other walks and presentations opens at 9:00 a.m.
- Please note that the registration booth will be closed between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. during the Traditional Opening and Smudge.
- All guided walks and presentations are first-come, first-served. Maximum capacity and target audience varies depending on the walk; please read the walk descriptions carefully. Presentations at the Nature Centre have a maximum capacity of 25 people.
- Please visit the registration booth located at the Main Entrance to receive your ticket for these activities.
- The Bird Habitat Shrub Plantings require pre-registration. REGISTER NOW.
ACTIVITIES
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Bird Habitat Shrub Planting*
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| Times: 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 1:00 p.m. | Location: Main Entrance *Pre-registration required |
| Join us for a special shrub planting event at TRCA’s Spring Bird Festival at Tommy Thompson Park! Shrubs for this planting have been carefully selected to provide food and shelter for a variety of bird species and other wildlife at TTP. |
| One shrub per registrant. Please take note of your time slot and ensure that you arrive on time for the planting demonstration. |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW All are welcome to participate in this important stewardship activity! However, it is worth noting that the soil at Tommy Thompson Park can be very rocky and difficult to dig; for this reason, adult caregivers/parents should be prepared to assist children with this activity. |
| Community Booths and Displays |
| Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | Location: Main Entrance |
| Visit with a variety of community organizations and local groups. |
| Kids’ Activities + The Nest: A Space for Sensory Breaks |
| Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | Location: Nature Centre |
| Join us at the Nature Centre for colouring, games, and more! |
| Bird Banding Demonstrations* |
| Time: 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Location: Bird Research Station, Peninsula D *Weather dependent |
| Meet our Bander In Charge and learn all about our feathered friends that visit the park during spring migration season! |
PRESENTATIONS
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Traditional Opening and Smudge
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| Time: 9:30 a.m. | Location: Main Entrance | Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, healer and philosopher Cat Criger will help us greet the flyers with teachings and a smudge as we welcome the return of spring birds to Tommy Thompson Park. |
| Bird Sounds: Understand Your Feathered Friends |
| Time: 1:00 p.m. | Location: Nature Centre | Listen to the sounds of spring! Join us for an interactive presentation about how birds communicate. Enjoy interesting bird songs, calls, and more, and learn some tips to remember them! |
DETAILS
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WALKS
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Early Bird Walk
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| Times: 7:30 a.m. | 7:45 a.m. | Meeting Location: Main Entrance |
| This walk is ideal for new or novice birders. Participants will learn about the basics of birding, including how to use binoculars, species identification, birding ethics, and the best places to look for birds at Tommy Thompson Park. This walk will include a visit to the Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station (weather permitting). |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW Participants would benefit from bringing their own binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to wear rubber boots (some of the best places to see birds are quite wet in the spring) and to dress for the weather (long sleeved shirt, and long pants tucked into socks). There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is recommended for adults and children ages 8+. |
|
Warbler and Woodland Birds Walk
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| Times: 9:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | Meeting Location: Main Entrance |
| Join us on a guided tour through the Wet Woods, to experience the magnificent colours and songs of these brightly coloured birds. |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW Participants would benefit from bringing their own binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to wear rubber boots (as its name suggests, the Wet Woods are very wet in the spring!) and to dress for the weather (long sleeved shirt, and long pants tucked into socks). There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is recommended for adults and children ages 8+. |
| Marsh Birds Walk |
| Time: 10:00 a.m. | Meeting Location: Main Entrance |
| Marshes are critical features of our landscapes. They filter our water, recharge our water tables, and provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including many species of birds. Learn about the Cell 1 wetland, how it was built, and the birds that live around it. |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW This walk has two components: participants will meet their first walk leader at the Main Entrance for a guided walk to the Outdoor Classroom (2km, approximately 45 minutes). Then, participants will meet their second walk leader for the marsh birds walk. Participants should be prepared to walk a total of 3-4km. Participants are invited to bring binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to dress for the weather (long sleeved shirt, and long pants tucked into socks). There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is recommended for adults and children ages 8+. |
| Common Birds in the City: A Family Nature Walk |
| Times: 10:00 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. | Meeting Location: Nature Centre |
| This family-friendly walk is designed for all ages, from little ones to grandparents! Explore Toronto’s urban wilderness with our knowledgeable nature educator and learn about the common birds you’ll see at Tommy Thompson Park. |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW Participants should arrive early to allow time to walk or take the shuttle to the Nature Centre, approximately 700m from the Main Entrance. Participants may want to bring binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to dress for the weather. There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is suitable for children and little ones in strollers. |
| Aerial Insectivores Walk |
| Time: 10:30 a.m. | Meeting Location: Nature Centre |
| Familiarize yourself with some of Toronto’s most acrobatic fliers on this aerial insectivore walk! This 90-minute walk is designed for adults and families with children ages 12+, with beginner-friendly information on swallows, swifts, and other local insect-eating birds. |
DETAILS
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| GOOD TO KNOW Participants should arrive early to allow time to walk or take the shuttle to the Nature Centre, approximately 700m from the Main Entrance. Participants are recommended to bring binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to wear comfortable walking shoes and to dress for the weather. There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. The walk will end at the Bird Research Station in Tommy Thompson Park, with the opportunity to take the shuttle back to the front of the park. |
| Colonial Waterbirds Walk |
| Time: 10:45 a.m. | Meeting Location: Main Entrance |
| Tommy Thompson Park is home to three species of colonial waterbirds that nest in high numbers. Take a guided walk to Embayment D where you will learn about the various colonies including Common Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, and Ring-billed Gulls, and the management programs operated by TRCA. |
DETAILS
|
| GOOD TO KNOW This walk has two components: participants will meet their first walk leader at the Main Entrance for a guided walk to the Outdoor Classroom (2km, approx. 45 minutes). Then, participants will meet their second walk leader for the colonial waterbird walk. Participants should be prepared to walk a total of 3-4km. Participants are invited to bring binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to dress for the weather (long sleeved shirt, and long pants tucked into socks). There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is recommended for adults and children ages 8+. |
| Braiding Cultural Perspectives and Philosophies in Nature Walk |
| Time: 12:00 p.m. | Meeting Location: Nature Centre |
| This family-friendly walk is designed for all ages, from little ones to grandparents! Explore Toronto’s urban wilderness from an intercultural perspective with Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Cat Criger and professional ecological educator Colin Love. Please join to learn more about our connections to the birds, plants, other animals, and habitats that make the Leslie Street Spit so magical. |
DETAILS
|
| GOOD TO KNOW Participants should arrive early to allow time to walk or take the shuttle to the Nature Centre, approximately 700m from the Main Entrance. Participants may want to bring binoculars and a field guide. It is strongly recommended to dress for the weather. There are opportunities to leave the walk early, if necessary. |
| This walk is suitable for children and little ones in strollers. |
Cancellation Policy
The event will run rain or shine, but will be cancelled if there is a greater than 70% chance of thunderstorm or other hazardous weather. For cancellation updates, please check this page and TRCA’s social media channels.
TRCA Spring Bird Festival Photo Gallery
Plan Your Visit to TTP
Approximate distances and directions for key locations in Tommy Thompson Park (TTP):
- Nature Centre: approximately 700m from Main Entrance (10 minute walk)
- Cell 1: 2km from Main Entrance (25 minute walk)
- Pedestrian Bridge: 3km from Main Entrance (40 minute walk)
- Bird Research Station: 2.7km from Main Entrance (35 minute walk)
An event shuttle will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (with a break in service from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.). The shuttle will run between the Main Entrance and Pedestrian Bridge. It can be hailed at any point, and drop-off locations are flexible. Due to pedestrian and cycling traffic in the park, there is no schedule for the shuttle. Please give yourself lots of time to arrive at your destination.
Select the image below to download a copy of the TTP trail map.
We love your pets, but please leave them at home! To protect wildlife in the park, TTP has a No Pets Policy.
A NOTE ABOUT SAFETY
Please visit our information page to learn about avian influenza and how to stop the spread of the virus.
Currently, there have been no positive cases of avian influenza confirmed on TRCA’s properties. However, TRCA encourages all of our visitors to be informed about the virus and to take the proper precautions to protect your health and the health of others, including keeping a distance from birds and other wildlife.
Looking for More Ways to Celebrate?
Explore more opportunities for birding in the city!
