The 7th annual Carden Challenge got off to a great start with most participants getting views of both YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO at the Reid/Grand cabin on Wylie Road. Two teams heard calling SAW-WHET OWLS near the hamlet of Victoria Road, in one case 0.5 km south of the hamlet on Victoria Road, and the other on Doyle Road where the Chuck-will's Widow was located last year. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was also located on an unmarked road running north from Alvar Road about 1.5 km west of Victoria Road. Many people also heard LEAST BITTERN at Sedge Wren Marsh, but there was no sign of YELLOW RAIL.
Eleven teams participated in the 2011 Challenge, competing to find the most species within the Carden Alvar CBC circle in a 24-hour period. The top competitive team was comprised of Burke Korol, Sandy Dobbyn, Chris Escott, and Mike Runtz, who found 135 species, surpassing the previous record by a wide margin. Together, the teams raised over $21,400 in donations to support the conservation programs of the Couchiching Conservancy on the Carden Alvar. This year, half of that total goes towards the purchase of Bluebird Ranch, a 206-acre property located directly behind the IBA sign at the foot of Wylie Road. For additional information on this project, which will benefit many birders, please contact me privately. Many thanks to all the teams who participated so enthusiastically in the 2011 Carden Challenge. Ron Reid Directions: Carden Alvar is located 25 km east of Orillia, directly north of Kirkfield. To access Wylie Road, drive north from Kirkfield on CKL Road 6 for about 5 km, turn right onto MacNamee Road, and right again onto Wylie Road. The Reid/Grand cabin is 1.5 km north at 117 Wylie Road; birders are welcome to enter the property. Sedge Wren Marsh is another 3 km to the north. Victoria Road (aka CKL Road 35) runs north from Hwy 48 about 5 km east of Kirkfield; the hamlet of Victoria Road is about 2 km north. Doyle Road runs east from Victoria Road another 2 km north; the Saw-whet location is about 1 km east. _______________________________________________ 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/
