Do you live in and around the Ottawa area, and love getting out into nature OR love birdies OR just want some cute selfies for your feed? Then you gotsta check out the NCC Greenbelt pathway, which hosts the Stony Swamp trails (specifically Jack Pine, Lime Kiln, Sarsaparilla, Beaver trails, and probably more)! These “hikes” are extremely family-friendly and really aren’t hikes at all, but rather a casual walk through the woods, with lots of pretty historical features to see along the way. Keep in mind, in the winter these trails are open for walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, so they are fairly heavily trafficked on weekends and holidays. I don’t think they are dog-friendly trails in the winter, unfortunately.

TIPS FOR GETTING THE CHICKADEE-LOVE:

Go during the winter, especially after a fresh snow – this is when the birds rely on our feed, rather than just scavenging for themselves
Bring a variety of feed – bird seed, sunflower seeds, and crushed peanuts are the best to attract a variety of birdies
Try to stay away from noisy groups of people; there could be a bunch of chickadees interested in you, but the more movement and noise there is, the more likely they’ll be to peace out and find snacks elsewhere
Give it time!! They won’t come for the first couple minutes of you standing with your hand out, you may have to hold it for a solid 5-10min before these gentle cuties will trust you
Don’t be afraid! It feels super weird when their tiny claws (no, they do not hurt, I promise) grasp onto your fingers for the first few times, and can be jarring/alarming. I have found that when people are nervous about this, wearing some gloves definitely help that strange sensation!

MY EXPERIENCES:

I’ve lived in Ottawa for 10 years now, but I was only introduced to this awesome activity in 2017 – and have been hooked every since! It’s a good way to spend a rest day, where you want some physical activity but not anything excessive. I just love hanging out with the birdies too and that awesome instant when they finally trust you enough to hangout in your hand for a while! Okay, well instead of me blabbing about it, here’s my collection of photos from the 7 different times (in reverse chronological order) I’ve been to the forest and enjoyed feeding the chickadees. The pictures are in slideshow form, so click through for some hilarity/adorableness!