Up here North of 60, the snow is melting and the days are getting longer. The swans are also coming back, which is a long-awaited sign that spring is here and summer is just around the corner. Millions of migratory birds will follow on the tail feathers of those intrepid swans, winging their way up North America’s Central Flyway. Birds practically pour into the Northwest Territories (NWT) each spring: large flocks of ducks, geese, shorebirds, songbirds and raptors come from as far away as South America and Antarctica to nest on the wild Northwest Territories tundra.

Birds are a big deal in Canada’s North. But bird-watching isn’t just big here, it’s big everywhere. In the United States, birding is the fastest growing outdoor recreational activity, according to a US survey. And turns out the NWT is a twitcher’s paradise.

From rarities like the whooping crane to oddities like the white pelican, who knew that so many of our feathered friends choose NWT for their summer sojourn? Snow geese, red-breasted mergansers, loons and Arctic terns take full advantage of the short, intense northern summer, vying for choice spots to nest and rear their young. My personal favourites are the hardy “locals”—gyrfalcon, ptarmigan, snowy owl and the ubiquitous raven—that stay north all year.

The birds aren’t here yet, so there’s still time to book a NWT birding tour for 2009. By the time Summer Solstice arrives, the sun will be at its apex and the ground will be covered with wild blooms. Meanwhile, scores of goslings, ducklings and other hatchlings will be underfoot—I hope I’ll be there watching with a new pair of Swarovski binoculars hanging around my neck.

www.spectacularnwt.com/whattodo/outdooradventure/birding

www.spectacularnwt.com/