Bay of Quinte

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Canada, Ontario

Great Blue Heron
Photo © by mrmike
Bay of Quinte Ontario June 2, 2020

Overview

The Bay of Quinte is approximately 75 miles/121 km long from it's inception near Amherst Island to the other end. It's a narrow bay that varies from 1 to 6 miles in its width.

Along the length you have an opportunity to make access to an assortment of rivers and inlets. There is access from its western end to other bays and Lake Ontario through available canals.

Some of the larger, settled locations along it include Trenton, Picton, Deseronto, and Belleville^[2].

Birds

Notable Species

First among the notable birds of Ontario is the Common Loon, which it adopted as it's the official bird on June 23, 1994. They have since replaced their one dollar bill with a coin, nicknamed the loonie, which features a swimming loon^[3].

Overall, the area has a reported 492 species of birds with 16 of them globally threatened and 1 species considered extinct.

Rarities

Some of the species considered rare in this area include the Pink-footed Goose, Willow Ptarmigan, Western Grebe, Band-tailed Pigeon, Groove-billed Ani, Lesser Nighthawk, White-collared Swift, Calliope Hummingbird, Purple Gallinule, American Avocet, American Oystercatcher, Eurasian Dotterel, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Long-tailed Jaeger, Thick-billed Murre, Ross's Gull, Pacific Loon, Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Northern Fulmar, Wood Stork, Magnificent Frigatebird, Northern Gannet, Anhinga, Neotropic Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Lewis's Woodpecker, Prairie Falcon, Great Kiskadee, Plumbeous Vireo, Eurasian Jackdaw, Carolina Chickadee, Cave Swallow, Bewick's Wren, European Starling, Sage Thrasher, Fieldfare, Northern Wheatear, Phainopepla, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and the White Wagtail

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Snow Goose, Ruffed Grouse, Pied-billed Grebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Virginia Rail, American Golden-Plover, Sanderling, Solitary Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Barred Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Purple Martin, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Snow Bunting, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Canada Warbler, Dickcissel

Other Wildlife

To do

Site Information

History and Use

Prior to French explorers entering the bay in 1615, it had been inhabited by indigenous peoples with it deriving it's name from a village name Kente along it's western shore. Then in 1668-1680 French missionaries were based in the area near Trenton. It's northern shorelines is Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory^[2].

Areas of Interest

To do

Access and Facilities

Air travel to the area will be best accomplished by contacting a qualified travel professional.

Consult a trusted auto club for up-to-date information regarding driving to this destination.

Contact Details

To do

References

1. Bay of Quinte Tourism - https://bayofquinte.ca/tourism/
2. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bay of Quinte, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., published January, 03, 2011, https://www.britannica.com/place/Bay-of-Quinte , Accessed August 24, 2020
3. Provincial Symbols of Canada - Ontario / https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada/ontario.html#a71
4. Lepage D. (2020) Southern Ontario Bird Checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World. Retrieved 25 August 2020

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Bay of Quinte. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bay_of_Quinte

External Links

1. Bay of Quinte Official & Tourism

Maps

1. Bay of Quinte on Google Maps

Search for photos of Bay of Quinte in the gallery

Content and images originally posted by Capt. Bax. Retd.