The Giant is a magnificent diabase sill with steep cliffs on each side of its length, the highest cliffs in Ontario. The combination of the shape of the peninsula and the height of the Sleeping Giant produce concentrations of several groups of birds at the Cape during migration, including passerines and waterfowl and raptors in the fall. When weather conditions are right, the area is teeming with thousands of birds. Passerines flit through the balsam fir and spruce trees and descend on the trimmed shrubs in front of the cabin, affording great close-up looks. Loons, ducks and other waterfowl fly by continuously, west in the spring and east in the fall.
Raptors are also a treat to watch, especially in the fall.
Sharp-shinned Hawks are always zooming through the trees and out into the clearing, chasing the many small birds that are milling about, and other species, including Northern Goshawk, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon, are seen hunting in the clearing. With support from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Thunder Bay Bird Observatory is a joint project of the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Bird Studies Canada. Four or more staff and volunteers work at the station during both spring and fall migration, starting at the beginning of May and winding up at the end of October. The Observatory owns a boat, which is used to bring supplies and volunteers out to the Cape from the closest road access at Silver Islet.