Birding tourism could soar to great heights in Rainy River

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Tourism could literally be for the birds in Rainy River if the 20/20 Visioning committee gets its way!
On Saturday about 30 people gathered at the Rainy River Activity Depot to talk about the viability of making Rainy River a bird watching tourist destination.
The two keynote speakers were John Van den Broeck and Dave Elder. Van den Broeck is a Biodiversity Species at risk biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Elder is one of, if not the most prominent, Birders in the region having followed his favourite feathered friends for 60 years now!
Van den Broeck spoke to the audience about the great biodiversity the Rainy River area has. It is literally at a crossroads amongst ecosystems. Being on the edge of the prairies, boreal forest and deciduous forest, Rainy River has many rare species of birds and plants. His map of the area showed that from the town of Rainy River along the river itself and up to Lake of the Woods there are many species of life found only here in Ontario.
Elder echoed that noting that there are many types of birds that are only found in the Rainy River area of Ontario. “Some do not even go as far as Emo or Fort Frances,” said Elder.
Van den Broeck said Rainy River is in a unique location. “You get biodiversity from east-west and north and south.” But that is very true to a very compact area. “You get wildlife spilling over from the west but some of it doesn’t make it as far as Fort Frances. It is a tight little geographical spot with a lot happening!”
This area has also been designated at the international level as being an Important Bird Area (IBA). “There are only two of them in all of Northwestern Ontario,” said Van den Broeck.
Both speakers said that the community has many different kinds of birds that would attract different kinds of Birders to the area. Marketing can be species specific to region of birders. For example Floridians are interested in Boreal and Prairie birds. Southern Ontario birders are interested in western influences (they want to see birds usually found west of Ontario but are only found in the Rainy River area of Ontario).
“Birders have many lists,” said Elder who handed out a species check-list to everyone present. “They love ticking off a species and some are fanatical about it.”
Elder said in addition to good marketing the community has to put together a good product. “You need places for them to stay, eat and get fuel and other goods. You also need to put out good information that is accurate about the birding here.” He said birders are an unforgiving sort. “It is the kiss of death to give out bad information,” said Elder who showed everyone a slick brochure produced out in Alberta that had European species of birds on the cover. Birds not found in that region. “I will never go back there,” said Elder.
Elder has travelled all over the world birding and he said Saturday, “It (Rainy River) has become our absolute favourite birding area in all of the world! It is absolutely fantastic!”
In addition to sighting species of birds only found here in Ontario, Elder has also discovered the first recording of some species nesting in Ontario. Elder said that the topography here is very unique and some of that is due to man’s activities. “Some of the land was cleared but it was done in patches. Some birds like the open areas in and amongst the stands of different trees.” Some of the birds unique to here are the White Pelican, Sandhill Cranes, Piping Plover, Franklin’s Gull, Blackbilled Magpie (Elder’s personal favourite), and the list goes on. “You have a serious list of birds here!” emphasized Elder.
Elder said that there are more than 80 million birders in the United States and that they spend billions of dollars each year birding. “It is and could be a mega business here.”
He said Rainy River needs to figure out how to get the birders here. He displayed many ads in birding publications and said, “You need to tell them what’s here and how they can see it.”
Elder had copies of a birding guide to the Rainy River area that features maps that can guide birders around the area. Cheryl Gauthier of Harris Hill Resort said she has them downloadable on her website www.HarrisHillResort.com. Elder also left a copy with Chamber President Don Ricci and Rainy River Town councillor Gord Armstrong to make more copies. “Mass produce those and the checklists. Get them into businesses and then into the hands of birders.”
Elder said that the local sewer lagoons are also a great place to see rare birds. He said that the town needs to make sure birders have access to it. He said one town has built a viewing area for them at its lagoon and perhaps Rainy River could do the same.
“You have a very unique package to sell here and Rainy River is a very easy area to bird in. There are few hills and most of the places birders are interested in they can drive to.” Elder said local people are also very friendly and helpful. “Often birders stop in the middle of a country road to look at birds. Locals come along and often tell us that they saw that kind of bird that morning in their back yard. It is good to get people and businesses talking the language.
He also said the ease of the terrain is complimented by the confines of the unique area. “I seldom bird east of Worthington Rd. 3 and beyond the mouth of the river up by Cheryl’s place.”
He urged the 20/20 committee to pick unique birds to use on a logo. Perhaps a Connecticut Warbler or the Magpie. Birders will travel a long ways to see a bird and check it off their list!
It was suggested that perhaps a birding festival could be held. Or perhaps workshops with field trips afterwards. It was even suggested that perhaps some sort of an interpretive/research centre could be opened in Rainy River.
Van den Broeck was really excited about the scientific side of things. He said there have been several studies done here in recent years and many groups like the Royal Ontario Museum have come to the area to study and chart birds. One recent study noted that this area has the highest density of Golden Winged Warblers in North America.
Both speakers also encouraged the community to think beyond birds. “Many birders turn to butterflies or wildflowers when the birding is bad,” said Elder.
Another idea was to have a bird competition. Four team members go out with a checklist for 24 hours and see who can see the most species. “Many do this and often they win something like a nice pair of binoculars,” said Elder.
He also said that t-shirts or other things like pins extolling the unique species of the area are important. “Birders like to tell people where they have been and what they have seen.”
Other birds rarely seen outside this region in Ontario include, Bald Eagles, Wilson’s Phalarope, Marbled Godwet, Red Headed Woodpeckers, Sedge Wren, Clay Coloured Sparrow, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow Headed Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird and Yellow Throated Vireo.
Both speakers feel the potential for a birding tourism industry can soar as high as an eagle flies. All Rainy River has to do is get its ducks in a row, package the product and market it properly.