TEMISKAMING SHORES — They say birding can change people’s lives. That’s what it’s done for a woman in New Liskeard who spotted a rare find: a male lazuli bunting at her backyard feeders.
This bird has no business being in Northern Ontario as its range is basically from the 100th Meridian westward and south into the United States and it winters in Mexico.
Audrey Robinson Slocombe first spotted the songbird on May 5 around 3:30 p.m.
“My first photo of him was at 3:32 p.m. I had just picked up my daughter from school and was in the kitchen preparing a snack when I grabbed my spyglasses (binoculars) to look out at the birds and he was sitting on my back bird feeder.”
She works from home and at various times during the day she takes a break to watch her backyard birds.
“I saw him right away on that day,” she said.
She is new to birding but realized this was no ordinary bird.
“When I first saw it I thought it was an Eastern bluebird but I looked in my guide book and it was not what I was seeing. I Googled what I saw – blue bird with an orange chest with white and black wings – and searched images. I spotted him right away in the images, clicked on it and the bird’s name came up, lazuli bunting.”
She then contacted the Hilliardton Marsh Research and Education Centre and spoke with expert birder Bruce Murphy.
He told her it was an extremely rare bird and likely a lifer, meaning it would be a first time seeing this bird for many in this region.
“He said it is not supposed to be here and be in the area and there was one seen in Matachewan but it only stuck around for an hour.”
According to local birder and Ontario Field Ornithologist member Mike Werner, there have only been three lazuli buntings ever spotted in Northern Ontario over the years.
The one spotted in Matachewan was back in May of 2024.
Birds sometimes stray from their typical ranges due to weather patterns, disorientation during migration or changes in habitat.
The Cornel Lab of Ornithology says the Lazuli buntings are named for the lapis lazuli gemstone. The bird’s scientific name is Passerina amoena meaning beautiful sparrow.
The bird has stunning blue coloured plumage, a pumpkin coloured chest and a white belly. The male is identified by the white bars on its upper wings and a cone-shaped tail.
The species weights between 13 and 16 grams, or about half an ounce and are a sister species to the indigo buntings.
EARLY BIRD
The bird only shows up for a few minutes at Robinson Slocombe’s backyard feeders, which means visiting birders have to have patience – and so does the homeowner.
“The bird is one of the first birds at the feeders when my husband Dave puts out the food around 5:40 a.m. and (the bird) is on the feeder by 5:50 a.m. Then it seems to come about each hour or hour and a half,” she explained.
So far, her sign-in book shows she’s had visitors landing in from Hamilton, Ottawa, the Durham region, Point Pelee, Smooth Rock Falls, Rouyn-Noranda, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Guelph, Cambridge, Timmins, Peterborough, Ancaster, London, St. Catharines, Burlington and Blenheim to see the lazuli bunting.
A class from Timiskaming District Secondary School also stopped by to see the bird last Thursday.
LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE
Where and when the bird will leave the area is anyone’s guess, but Robinson Slocombe has already decided she is a birder and her interest in birding has taken flight where she will delve more deeply into the world of birding because of what she has experienced with this visitor’s presence.
As a child she was fascinated by birds and her mother always had feeders in the yard and loved birds.
Seeing the lazuli bunting has indeed changed her life.
“I felt so much joy when I saw it for the first time. It changed my life in a second because as soon as I tried photographing it with my camera, I knew I needed a birding camera and long lens. I think in that moment it instantly turned me into a birder.”
By Sue Nielsen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 13, 2026 at 08:03
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