Bruce Di Labio

In 1997, OFO’s first distinguished ornithologist was the legendary Earl Godfrey. It was stated that his “enthusiastic encouragement of young birders launched the careers of many natural science specialists throughout Canada.” Bruce Di Labio, the recipient of the 2023 OFO Distinguished Ornithologist Award personifies such a lifelong contribution to bird study.

Like many, Bruce’s passion for birds began early on. In 1965, at the tender age of seven, he hand-tamed a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) at his family cottage at Constance Bay. For the nearly six decades since, bird study has been a driving force in Bruce’s life. His contributions to our knowledge of birdlife in Ontario and Canada have been enormous over this entire period. Over thousands of days in the field, his passion and commitment to learning and sharing has never waned.

Bruce cut his teeth on birding during his teen years in the Ottawa valley. He was one of about a dozen slightly rabid youths collectively known as “the bike gang.” In the fall of 1971, this group also included Bruce Mactavish, Stephen O’Donnell, Tom Hince, Jim Harris, Brian Garvin, Tom Plath and Mike Bentley. To clarify, the bike gang used bicycles and were not motor-or electric-powered in any way. This moniker was first somewhat respectfully applied by Peter Whelan, the national birding columnist for The Globe and Mail. Over the years, it grew to become a badge of honour and skill.

When Bruce first came onto the bike gang scene, he was dubbed “question man.” This label acknowledged his immense driving thirst for learning — something which has never changed despite many years in the field. Growing up in this intensely competitive group, Bruce soon became one of their leaders. Throughout most of his teen years, he and the other bike gang members were out in the field for over a hundred days a year, and often from dawn to dusk. Being young, driven, and with keen eyes and ears, many members of this group soon matched, and then surpassed, much of the adult community in both experience and skill level. While some adults were dismissive and miffed, others, such as Earl Godfrey, Ron Pittaway, Monty Brigham and Richard Poulin, encouraged and celebrated this development.

A varied career

Bruce used his travel experience and knowledge to focus on birding in the Ottawa valley. As he grew up, he became a major player in the regional community. At the age of 17, he led his first bird hike for the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club (OFNC). His contributions grew throughout his twenties. He frequently led field trips, gave talks, organized and compiled Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) and other regional censuses, and wrote numerous articles in publications of the Ottawa Field Naturalists. Speaking of CBCs, Bruce has participated in the Ottawa-Gatineau CBC for 52 consecutive years and is the founder and compiler of the Dunrobin CBC (now running for 42 years). In 1983, the OFNC acknowledged his important contributions to the knowledge of regional birdlife and natural history as the recipient of the Anne Hanes Award. In 1996, the OFNC awarded him an Honorary Lifetime membership for significant contributions to Canadian natural history.

Bruce managed to turn his immense knowledge into a varied and productive professional career — and all with birds. In the late 1970s, he began working for Dr. Henri Ouellet and Dr. Earl Godfrey at the Canadian Museum of Nature (formerly National Museum of Canada), as an ornithological technician. In addition to fieldwork, he specialized in specimen preparation and collecting, and he contributed significantly to the museum’s avian reference collection.

Next was a position at the Canadian Nature Federation, where he spent several years as their staff naturalist. This made Bruce realize that his real calling was to instill his passion for birds in others.

With the confidence and experience gained from these positions, Bruce soon moved on to the private sector. Here he combined environmental consulting and field work with a career as a professional birding and nature guide. Bruce’s talent for birding and affable nature made his success in guiding inevitable. He worked relentlessly for his charges and was always patient and nurturing. This resulted in an incredibly faithful clientele who wanted to bird with Bruce — wherever or whenever.

His field skill was sought out by several of the continent’s biggest tour companies, and he soon became a regular local guide on several rosters. Bruce though, had bigger ideas. He loved to travel and soon began adventuring and guiding outside eastern Ontario. Initially, he led adventures to sites like Prince Edward Point, Point Pelee National Park and Moosonee/Shipsands Island. Inspired by this success, it wasn’t long before he was guiding across Canada. Frequent destinations included Saskatchewan, the Alberta Rockies, the Yukon, Newfoundland and Churchill. In Churchill, Bruce fell in love with this dynamic northern site and coined it “the Pelee of the north.” Over the years, he has guided more than 20 groups there, and recorded more species than any other birder.

But the world beckoned. As his guiding business grew, he organized and led trips across the globe. Sites he visited multiple times included Australia, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica and South Africa. Cuba, which soon became his favourite island, was the site of over 20 trips. Through all these trips, Bruce gained a reputation as a highly skilled leader who was patient, organized and professional. Most of all, he was passionate about birds and nature wherever he travelled — and a heck of a lot of fun to spend time with.

After more than forty years of professional bird guiding, Bruce finally retired in 2021.

Community

For many people in eastern Ontario, Bruce has always been the face of birding. If there was something going on in the bird world, the Ottawa media would soon be calling Bruce for facts, quotes, or a full-blown article or feature. He made birding look cool and inviting and no doubt encouraged a huge number of people to join our group. He never forgot those who took the time to help him along the way. He was always willing to speak to a school group, lead a hike, or take some time to answer the endless questions that come with being an expert birder.

He took photos — lots of photos — and not just of birds. As we’ve aged, those non-bird images have become remarkable touchstones of the shared journey we’ve taken. Without them, our aging minds might wonder if those stories were real or imagined.

A driving member of OFO

Bruce has contributed enormously to the growth of OFO through leading hikes and organizing field trips for members, promoting membership in OFO, speaking at OFO conferences (including being the keynote speaker), and writing numerous articles, notes and site guides in Ontario Birds and OFO News. In addition, Bruce was a voting member of the Ontario Bird Records Committee for three years. And of course, there was also the enormous number of rare birds he found and shared!

Eastern Ontario — more than Ottawa

In the 1970s, Ottawa had an emerging and dynamic birding community. It included professional ornithologists like Earl Godfrey, visionary birders like Ron Pittaway and Monty Brigham, and emerging talented youths like Bruce. In the rest of Ontario, Ottawa was essentially the beginning and end of eastern Ontario. Bruce would soon change that view.

Many of our previous distinguished ornithologists have shown the way in documenting new frontiers for birding in the province. Beginning in the late seventies, Bruce would put the rest of eastern Ontario on the map. His greatest discovery was the legendary Cornwall-Massena dam. Documenting the birding at this site soon became his obsession. Year after year, he chalked up a dizzying array of rarities, high counts and other notable finds. How many old-time Ontario listers have roared down the 401 to search for another amazing rarity found by Bruce? No one ever hesitated. If he called it, it was gold.

To put it in perspective, over two decades, Bruce found three species of alcids, including Ontario’s first Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix), and one of the few gettable Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica) and both Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) and Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) at this one site alone.

Publications

In his early years, Bruce needed a nudge to put pen to paper, but with the support and encouragement of his wife Laurie, he soon became a prolific writer. Over the decades, he has authored dozens of articles in Ontario Birds, OFO News, Ontario Birding News, Birders Journal, Nature Canada, Trail and Landscape, The Canadian Field Naturalist and The Blue Jay. Topics ranged from hybridization in goldeneyes to the first record of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in Ontario to site guides for the Cornwall Dam and Chaffey’s Locks. In addition, he wrote an enormous number of popular articles, contributing for four years as a weekly birding columnist for The Ottawa Citizen.

Going Big

Bruce has always loved a challenge. As you would expect, he holds virtually all the top ten Big Year records for the Ottawa region, but he also loves Big Days. There is no doubt that Big Days are the ultimate test of a birder’s skill and knowledge. At this, Bruce has always excelled. He captained the Bushnell Nighthawks to victory in five out of eight Taverner Cup competitions in eastern Ontario. His unmatched knowledge of eastern Ontario bird distribution was a huge asset.

In 1990, he joined friends Paul Pratt and Tom Hince on the Kowa Optics birding team in the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. They soon became the feared “Canadians” and dominated the event for nine years, winning the overall competition three times (Urner Stone Cup), and earning the top-ranking out-of-state team eight times (Edwin I. Stearns Award). In their ninth and final year, they geared back and won both the Cape Island Cup and the Local Geographic Area Award just for good measure.

Before easing back from Big Days, Bruce and the Canadians entered and won the Great Texas Classic (a five-day long birding marathon). The next year, they returned to Texas and broke the long-standing North American and U.S. Big Day record (they are still the only international team to hold either record). In summary, Bruce has held the North American, U.S., Texas, and New Jersey Big Day records — an amazing feat!

In recent years, he has slowed little and on four separate occasions has been an OFO Celebrity Birder for the annual Great Canadian Birdathon (once partnered with son Benjamin and three times reunited with Paul and Tom).

Bruce’s Legacy – Mentorship

Bruce has never forgotten his roots, or those who took the time to nurture his love for birds. He has always been a patient and encouraging mentor, instilling that passion in many others. There are numerous testaments to his mentorship, but two come to mind.

The first involves Jeremy Bensette who established a new Ontario Big Year record in 2017. Jeremy gave Bruce credit for not only finding several outstanding rarities that got him over the top, but for his ongoing encouragement throughout the year. If you know Bruce well, none of this is a surprise.

A second story involves Bruce’s son Benjamin (Ben). Over the last fifteen years, Bruce and Ben have become a regular sight where birders gather — especially Point Pelee in spring. Ben has become a highly talented field observer who can more than hold his own when toe to toe with Dad. Indeed, how many among us would have readily identified Ontario’s first Little Egret? Ben did. And Bruce gave him full credit.

They say that life is a circle. In the end, what we accomplish is more than us. It is the people we encourage, influence and help to succeed. I see the photo in 1997 of Bruce presenting Earl Godfrey with the very first OFO Distinguished Ornithologist Award. I know Dr. Godfrey would be thrilled to see that young man’s decades of contributions recognized here. Congratulations Bruce!

Tom Hince