Birding with Buffalo's Black Birders

Join Buffalo’s Black Birders for a special winter bird walk at Niagara Falls State Park with Corina Newsome!
Experience Niagara Falls in the heart of winter—when few people venture out, but birds and ice transform the landscape into something truly extraordinary. Join Buffalo’s Black Birders for a guided walk at Niagara Falls State Park, where towering ice formations cling to the cliffs and frozen spray sculpts the river corridor into a dramatic winter world that most visitors never see.
We’ll begin at Cave of the Winds, descending to the base of the American Falls to watch gulls and ducks fishing in the mist below, amid towering ice, drifting floes, and rushing water. Winter conditions concentrate birds here, offering close-up and unique viewing opportunities you simply can’t get in warmer months.
If time allows, we’ll head upriver to Three Sisters Islands to scan the Niagara River above the brink of the Falls, where less common and occasionally rare gulls often show up in winter.
No prior birding experience is needed—beginners are welcome and encouraged. Dress warmly, expect icy conditions, and come ready to experience Niagara Falls in its wildest season.
Parking and Cave of the Winds access is free thanks to our friends at Niagara Falls State Park!

Birds We Might See: Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Mallard

Route Distance: Less than one mile

Level: Beginner

Where to Meet: Parking Lot #2, Tell the attendant you are with the festival for free parking. We will meet underneath the Power Portal stone archway across the road from the parking lot.

photo of Bonaparte's Gull by RB Goldman

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