Fielding Bird Sanctuary

On the first big leg of our September 2024 trip, we happened across Fielding Memorial Park almost by accident.

We’d blown out an RV tire on the way to Chutes Provincial Park, and we were trying to figure out where the nearest Canadian Tire was, to buy a replacement.

Unfortunately, this meant having to drive into the Greater Sudbury Area. About an hour each way for the tire replacement! Oof!

Anyway, when mapping everything out, there was a big green section on the map - not that far from the CT - labeled as a bird sanctuary!

It seemed like a pretty good way to wait out a tire appointment, so we dropped our rim off and headed to Fielding Park.

We were shocked by what a nice place it was. I guess we were expecting something more rustic, maybe a marshy field with some signage if we were lucky.

Fielding Memorial Park actually had some great features* - well maintained trail, some nice lookouts over birding areas, a bit of a picnic area, and a nice garden / patio area, behind the main building.

We liked it so much, we visited again, on the way home... then a couple times the next spring... and the next year, too! It’s now a “mandatory” stop whenever we are in the area.

Anyway, let us tell you all about it!

*With one MAJOR exception, anyway!

The Basics:

Location Name: Fielding Memorial Park / Fielding Bird Sanctuary
Address: 345 Fielding Road, Greater Sudbury, ON, Canada, Ontario
Website: Fielding Memorial Park - Facebook
Price: Free!
Reservations: Not Applicable

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your trip to Fielding Bird Sanctuary:

Maps and Signage

The trail signage is fantastic, and there’s a map as you get to the actual trail, when coming at it from the far end of the parking lot (beyond a gate).

It would have been nice to have had a map in the parking lot itself, and/or at the other side of the trail (by the building).

We generally start the walk at the far end of the parking lot and end at the building... but the building side of the trail feels like more of a natural entry to the park.

... There’s no trail map over there, though.

The signage, where it exists, is super informative though.

Some of the signage changed in the few weeks between our second and third visits, though.

On our first two visits, there was a little trail pavilion next to the parking lot, with a bunch of donor names and such. By the third visit, the sign portion had been removed and replaced with a weird... bench? Half picnic table?

Not sure what it is. If you’re sat on it like a bench, you’re looking at the pond. If you sit at it in such a way as to actually use the table top thing, you’ve got a view of... a parking lot. Kinda weird.

Anyway, it definitely felt like the park was going through some transition between the 1st and 2nd visits. There were some pretty significant changes made to the road / landscaping by one of the bird lookouts, as well.

Connectivity

We’ve always had really good cell phone reception and internet connectivity all through the main area of the park (along the 1 km trail), and the parking lot area.

We’re on Rogers Wireless.

Creature Comforts

There’s a building with 2 single-stall washrooms, one male and one female- it looks like a maintenance shed for the rest of the building, with washrooms attached.

Across from that, there are two portapotties. We thought this was weird - why use a Portapotty when there are actual indoor washrooms?

And then we found out why.

Porter went off to the mens, I opened the door to the womens’ and noped out. The toilet bowl was full of wet paper towels, and the whole stall looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a very long time.

At the same time, he was disgusted by the mens washroom - dirty, run down, the toilet was covered in rust stains, garbage overflowing onto the floor, just really gross.

The portapotty wasn’t much better - and didn’t have any form of soap or hand sanitizer in it - but at least I didn’t have to worry about a toilet being stopped up.

Accessibility

The 1 km trail is *mostly* wheelchair accessible, the longer extension trail off it (Kelly Lake Trail) may or may not be, depending on which sign you’re looking at (see the trail description for more info).

There was a gate to the path at the entry we used - it was closed and locked, with easy paths around... but we’re not sure you’d be able to get a wheelchair through there.

It’s a pretty short trail, though, so you can start at the other end - by the building / garden - go as far as you choose to, and turn back.

(I’d turn back after what would be the second platform, from that direction - you won’t miss any great views by continuing to the gate.)

As far as the birding lookouts along the wheelchair accessible trail goes, both are offshoots from the main trail.

The first lookout is wheelchair accessible.

The road to the second lookout was dirt on the first trip, and “finished” by the second trip - mostly. You can get a wheelchair through there, you’re just really going to want to be careful as you get closer to the end of it.

On our second trip, we had to help a lady who was stranded on her mobility scooter. At the end of that part of the lookout road, it was more of a chunky gravel, rather than the hard packed path leading up to it.

One of her scooter wheels got stuck when she came to the edge of where they’d been working. She’d been stuck in a bit of a mini ditch for a while before we arrived. 🙁

They were clearly still working in the area, given the way the benches were moved aside... so I’m assuming THAT accessibility issue will be fixed shortly.

Update: It appeared to be completed by our May 2025 visit - a really nice viewing area!

Finally, the Portapotties were not wheelchair accessible.

I don’t know if the indoor washrooms were accessible or not, but - frankly - if they’re not usable at all, does it matter if they’d theoretically fit a wheelchair?

Parking

Parking is free, and plentiful.

While not marked with parking spots at all, there is a wide open space in the middle of the fits RVs, with room to get around. There’s also a loop at the end of the parking lot, so turning around isn’t going to be a problem.

Pets

Dogs are allowed on all 3 trails, but must be leashed and picked up after.

Loads of people were walking their dogs on the trails during our visits, and the doggie bag dispensers were actually stocked with poop collection bags!

Park Store

SO far as we could tell, there was no park store or gift shop at Fielding Bird Sanctuary.

Kind of a missed opportunity there - I bet they could come up with all kinds of cute bird merch, sell binoculars, etc.

Visitor Centre

So... I’m not sure.

The main building looked like it COULD be some sort of visitor center, but it was in use for events on both of our visits.

Aside from finding hall rental information, we couldn’t really find any information about it online. I actually had to give up on figuring out what it was called.

“Hall” seems a bit generic, but maybe that’s actually the name?

Day Use Area

There’s a sprawling picnic area near the building, with a playground and gardens.

There are also a few benches and picnic tables along the trail, at the 2 birding lookouts, and overlooking the marshy area next to the parking lot.

Miscellaneous

At the time of our first visit, they were setting the building up for an event - looked like a wedding. On the second visit, it looked like there was an event either in progress, or about to begin.

So, if you’re planning a visit on a weekend, there’s a fairly good chance you’ll be sharing the space.

Entertainment and Activity

Some basic information on the activities you can partake in, at Fielding Memorial Park:

Hiking

There are 3 hiking trail options either in or extending from Fielding Memorial Park. Signage for at least 2 of the 3 routes has them listed as being part of the Rainbow Routes - non motorized routes of Greater Sudbury.

Those 2 trails - Kelly Lake and Hillfield Trail - aren't maintained from November 1 to April 30.

We’re not clear as to whether this also applies for the barrier-free loop through the park. (We’re not sure who maintains which, if they're looked at as separate entities - park vs the trail system/ etc

Barrier-Free Walking Trail - 1 km Loop, Easy.

This is the main walking trail in Fielding Memorial Park, basically looping around the main park area.

The trail was flat, well packed gravel, and wide. People were pushing strollers on it, and there were benches every once in a while along the path.

There are two short offshoot trails to birding lookouts, as well.

One takes you to a small wooden deck next to a tiny waterfall, and the other takes you to a clearing that overlooks Kelly Lake. Very different views, and seem to attract very different varieties of birds.

The trail ends (or begins, depending on which way you start!) at a marshy area next to the parking lot. At least one Great Blue Heron seems to love this area, btw.

Anyway, it’s a really nice, comfortable trail, with some great opportunities for birding!

Also just a really great way to get out and stretch your legs, while on a long road trip.

Kelly Lake Trail - 3.5 or 4.5 km, Easy/Moderate

Kelly Lake Trail is listed as being both 3.5 and 4.5 km long, but it doesn't say what makes the difference there.

At the point this trail splits off from the main loop in Fielding, it's 1.1 km to the hiking loop, and 3.7 km to Southview Drive. Maybe the 4.7 includes the barrier-free loop at the beginning?

If that's the case, the signage is pretty inaccurate - you have to walk a bit to get TO the split, after all... and that's still 3.7 to the other end.

Weird.

The signage is also contradictory when it comes to wheelchair accessibility - At least one sign for the trail has the accessibility symbol, and one does not.

We didn't do the whole trail - we walked just under 1 km of it out - and that part is probably wheelchair accessible. It's generally wide and flat, well-packed, and level.

There are some SMALL roots to deal with, but they looked to be easy enough to roll over.

Overall, a nice walk through the woods - it goes along Kelly Lake, between the lake and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Hillfield Trail - 2 km, Easy/Moderate

Across the street from the entrance to the parking lot is a trail access point for the Hillfield Trail.

This is a 2 km linear trail, starting right across the street from the Fielding Memorial Park parking lot.

It's rated easy to moderate, and is open to walking, biking, and snowshoeing (weather permitting, obviously). Dogs are allowed - but must be leashed and picked up after - and motorized vehicles are not allowed. The other side of this trail is the Kinsmen Sports Complex, and links up with the Lake Huron North Cycling Route

If you'd like to continue on the Great Trail from that point, turn left on Mikola Rd as you exit the trail, then right on Hillcrest Dr.

As a note: I’m not sure if this trail is 2 km long from the parking lot to the end, or if the 2 km also includes the barrier-free loop.

The trail signage says “2 km, linear”, but also includes a reference to the barrier free loop of it - across the street in Fielding Memorial Park - as being part of it. In reality, it’s 2.2 km from the parking lot at Fielding, to the end of the trail - 4.4 km return.

This trail starts out as a wide, flat gravel path, following along the creek. It goes up to a cute little footbridge that crosses the creek, and almost immediately turns into a wooded, more moderate trail.

Lovely wooded scenery, with several little bridges along the way. There are hilly sections and roots along the way, so it’s not wheelchair accessible.

It follows along the highway - so you can HEAR highway the whole time - but you’re completely surrounded by woods the whole way.

Biking

The 1 km accessible trail is designated as a mixed use trail, including cycling.

Beyond that, the Hillfield Trail is marked as being open to biking, and the Kelly Lake Trail may or may not be open for cycling, depending on which sign you’re looking at.

(One sign for it included the bike graphic, another did not!)

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

For such a small park, we actually saw a really good variety of bird species across our first two visits.

One neat thing about the park is that there are a few very distinct habitats along the way.

The “deck” outlook was great for ducks and shorebirds. We saw two different species of sandpipers there, as well as two different species of heron!

The birds all seemed to really enjoy the fresh water cascading over a little ledge there.

The other birding lookout area has a wide view of the open water of Kelly Lake.

Here, we saw swans, geese, and a variety of ducks.

As you leave that area (headed away from the other bird lookout), you enter what we have come to refer to as “Chickadee Alley”.

On our first walk, I extending an arm and pointed at something, and a Chickadee IMMEDIATELY landed on my finger!

On each of our passes of this area, the Chickadees were SUPER friendly and inquisitive, landing on our hands (and feet, when we stopped walking!), buzzing our heads, and even landing on Porter’s knee at one point!

A little further down the trail, there’s a more open, grassy area - here’s where we saw a lot of sparrows, Dark-Eyed Juncos, etc.

Fall 2024 Bird List

All told, we heard and/or saw:

American Goldfinch, American Robin, American Crow, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Blue Jay, Canada Goose, Cedar Waxwing, Common Mergenser, Common Raven, Dark-Eyed Junco, Double Crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Hairy Woodpecker, Herring Gull, Hooded Merganser, Mallard Duck, Ring-Billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Solitary Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Swamp Sparrow, Trumpeter Swan, White-Breasted Nuthatch, White-Crowned Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

Running Total

So far - across many visits over several years - we’ve seen and/or heard:

American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Pipit, American Redstart, American Robin, American Widgeon, Baltimore Oriole, Belted Kingfisher, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-Headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Broad-Winged Hawk, Canada Goose, Cape May Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-Sided Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Common Mergenser, Common Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-Eyed Junco, Double-Crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Warbling Vireo, European Starling, Gadwall, Great Blue Heron, Hairy Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush, Herring Gull, Hooded Merganser, Magnolia Warbler, Mallard Duck, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Northern Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Red-Winged Blackbird, Ring-Billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Solitary Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Swamp Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, Trumpeter Swan, Warbling Vireo, White-Breasted Nuthatch, White-Crowned Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Winter Activities

All 3 trails - Barrier Free, Kelly Lake, and Hillfield - are designated as being open for snowshoeing in the winter.

Beyond that, we couldn't find any other information about the park in winter.

Niantic Games

There are a few Niantic Pokestops / Gyms / Ingress Portals along the shorter trail, a few more concentrated in the parking lot area, and then a few along the longer trail.

We didn’t go on the longer trail, but on the 1 km trail and along the parking lot area, we had plenty of connectivity to play the game.

Final Thoughts

This was a nice, relatively short trail, with a lot of different points of interest.

The two designated bird watching lookout areas were great for seeing all kinds of birds.

We really enjoyed “Chickadee Alley” on the actual trail, and seeing a Great Blue Heron flying in and out of the marshy pond at the front of the park.

It’s definitely a “must visit when we’re in the area”, and we hit it twice on our Fall trip-out and back.

We’d really like to see it during spring migration!

Really fantastic little park.

More Near-North Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See

Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Near-Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!

Near-Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:

Arrowhead Provincial Park
Batman's Cottages & Campground
Chutes Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Fairbank Provincial Park
Finlayson Point Provincial Park
Grundy Lake Provincial Park
Kap-Kig-Iwan Provincial Park
Marten River Provincial Park
Mikisew Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park
Oastler Lake Provincial Park
Restoule Provincial Park
Six Mile Lake Provincial Park
Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park

Near-Northern Ontario Places to See:

Big Chute Marine Railway
Bridal Veil Falls, Manitoulin Island
Brooks Falls
Cup and Saucer Trail, Manitoulin Island
French River Provincial Park
Hardy Lake Provincial Park
High Falls [Muskoka]
Hunter's Bay Trail
Misery Bay Provincial Park
Onaping Falls
Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Provincial Park
Screaming Heads

Want to explore beyond Near-Northern Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.

We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!