Every spring, a remarkable thing happens above Toronto, and almost nobody notices. The city sits at the intersection of two major bird migratory flyways. In May the traffic peaks.
Warblers, shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl, and songbirds, by the tens of thousands, pass through on journeys that can stretch all the way from the Amazon basin to the boreal forests of northern Canada. They do not stop for us. But they do stop at Tommy Thompson Park, and that is where you come in.
In 2000, they declared the Leslie Street Spit, a man-made peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario at the foot of Leslie Street, a globally significant important bird area. It is not a designation handed out lightly.
A Migration Hotspot
More than 334 species have been recorded at the park, and the reason so many show up is geographic logic: birds crossing Lake Ontario in spring need a place to land and refuel the moment they reach the north shore. The Spit is the first land they see. Every warbler, thrush, and flycatcher that arrives there has just completed one of the most physically demanding legs of its entire journey.
In May, the Wet Woods section at the south-southwest end of the parking lot is the best starting point. More than 30 warbler species move through during peak migration, along with flycatchers, orioles, kinglets, thrushes, and wrens.
Further along the trails, the waterfront areas host remarkable egrets, black-crowned night-herons, common terns, and the park’s extraordinary double-crested cormorant colony, the largest in North America with over 13,000 nesting pairs. You do not need binoculars to appreciate the cormorant colony, though they help enormously with the songbirds.
Festival Weekend
On Saturday, May 9, the TRCA Spring Bird Festival takes over the park with free guided walks, banding demonstrations at the Bird Research Station, and habitat-building activities. It runs regardless of the weather and draws over 700 visitors each year.
Guided walks fill on a first-come basis, so arrive at the main entrance early and collect your ticket at the registration booth. The park also runs a free shuttle along the spit on weekends, which takes care of the 14-plus kilometres of trails that would otherwise require a serious walking commitment.
If the Spit is too far east, Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke at the other end of the waterfront is a quieter alternative with reliable warbler and shorebird sightings. Wild Birds Unlimited runs guided bird hikes here on weekends, and parking is free. Both parks are at their absolute best in the first three weeks of May. Thereafter, the peak wave has passed, and the experience changes considerably.
Bring comfortable shoes, leave the dog at home (pets are not allowed at Tommy Thompson Park) and check the eBird app before you go. It shows real-time sighting reports from other birders in the park so you know exactly what has been spotted in the last 24 hours. On a lovely May morning, the list reads like something from a nature documentary.
The Need to Know Details
- Spring Bird Festival: Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Tommy Thompson Park. Free, first-come, first-served. Register at the main entrance booth on arrival
- Tommy Thompson Park: Leslie Street Spit, foot of Leslie Street, Toronto. Open weekends and holidays only. Summer hours: 9am to 6pm
- Shuttle: A free shuttle runs along the spit on weekends from spring through fall. Recommended for reaching the deeper trail sections
- Cost: Free to enter. No registration required except for the May 9 guided walks (collect ticket on arrival)
- Key Tip: Download the eBird app and check reports for Tommy Thompson Park before you go. Real-time sightings from other birders in the area
- No pets: Dogs and other pets are not allowed in Tommy Thompson Park
- Peak window: First three weeks of May. After that, the primary migration wave has passed
- Website: tommythompsonpark.ca and trca.ca/spring-bird-festival
