Good morning.
Yesterday (May 25th) Ian Cannell, Jay Peterson and I birded the Carden Alvar
area and despite the cool, cloudy day we came up with 103 + 1 species of birds.
All roads that we travelled were passable but some have many pot holes. Alvar
Rd east of Wylie Rd (at the small marsh & stream crossing) has several huge
puddles (relatively solid bottoms) on it and if you are a nervous or very
careful driver you may want to turn back at these puddles. We went through with
one puddle (the western one) being fairly deep.
The Prairie Smoke is showing well as are many other flowers but with warmer
weather the flower show should get much better.
Following are some of the birds we found.
Common Loon, American Bitterns, Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, 6 Hooded
Mergansers, 7 Osprey, Merlin, Wild Turkey, Virginia Rails, Soras, Upland
Sandpipers, Wilson’s Snipes, 17 American Woodcock, 4 Black-billed Cuckoos, 13
Whip-poor-Wills, Pileated Woodpecker, Alder Flycatchers, Common Ravens, Sedge
Wrens, Marsh Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, 8 Loggerhead Shrikes, 17 + 1 Warbler
species including 1 male Blue-winged warbler (Shrike Rd south of McNamee Rd at
the hydro towers), 4 Golden-winged Warblers, 1 hybrid Brewster’s Warbler, Pine
Warbler,Blackpoll Warblers, cape may Warblers, 8 Northern Waterthrush, and
Wilson’s Warbler, 10 Sparrow species including 8 Clay-colored Sparrows, Vesper
Sparrow, and 19 Grasshopper Sparrows.
I also a kind of close encounter with a Bear and we spotted a second Bear later
in the day.
Norm Murr
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Directions:
CARDEN ALVAR INCLUDING WYLIE ROAD / THE SEDGE WREN MARSH / PROSPECT ROAD ALONG
WITH A FEW AREAS SOUTHWEST OF KIRKFIELD
Wylie Road is north of Kirkfield in Victoria County and Kirkfield itself is
on County Road 48 east of Highway 12 and well north of Whitby and about 130 km
from Toronto if you follow the roads and not a Crow.
From the centre of Kirkfield go north on County Road 6 passing under the Lift
Lock on the Trent Canal and drive about 2 ½ km further north to where the road
curves left or west. On this curve and on your right is McNamee Road, turn
right here onto McNamee and drive east for about 300 yards and you will be at
Wylie Road. This road is about 9 ½ km long ending at Alvar Road (a T
intersection). Birding can be good on Alvar Road as well, either way.
The Sedge Wren Marsh is about 5 ½ km up Wylie Road, you can’t miss it as it has
the only bridge along the road. Park just to the south of and overlooking the
bridge and walk the road. Birding is good all along the road and I find that
the best birding happens when you park and walk both ways a km or two from your
auto.
This is a narrow road with little traffic but be sure to park in such a way as
to not block the road or at the gravelled parking areas that you will find at
several places along the road as you don’t want to rile up the locals. This is
all private property but there really is no need to leave the road, nor should
you. Please respect the property rights of the land owners.
Other roads to check in the area are Shrike, Curl’s, Dalrymple, Eldon Station,
Rockview, Doyle, Palestine, Creek View, and McNamee Road, etc..
PS
Down Rockview Road just west of Kirkfield on your right along County Road 48.
Past the dump road (on your right) you will come to a wet wood lot that
straddles the road. This is a great place for N. Waterthrush. We heard and saw
7 there on May 5/01 and May 4/02. We continue to find the N. Waterthrushes
here. Also along here you should find Upland Sandpiper and Grasshopper Sparrow.
Prospect Road Marsh
Continue south on Rockview Road to Eldon Station Road (the next road) turn
right (west) and drive to Prospect Rd. Turn right (north) and drive up to a
large marsh. Here you could find many Marsh Wrens along with Sora, Virginia
Rail, Common Moorhen, American Bittern, Least Bittern and Green Heron and
watch for Osprey, Northern Harrier and Turkey Vulture. If you continue north on
this road you will come upon another small marsh and pond just short of County
Road 48. Of coarse most of the roads in this and the Wylie Road area can be
very productive and it is not a stretch saying you could spend a whole day in
the area, I have and do.
PPS
Wylie Rd south of the Sedge Wren Marsh is good for Upland Sandpiper, Vesper and
Grasshopper Sparrows and lots of Eastern. Bluebirds. North of the marsh are the
same birds and near the north end of the road watch and listen for Purple
Finch, Golden-winged Warbler and Clay-colored Sparrow.
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
