Ontbirders, This afternoon at 1:45 my sister, Eileen and I heard the Yellow Rail on the west side of the bridge in the Sedge Marsh on Wylie Rd. The call(tapping) was very faint and short.
It was rather cold, overcast jacket weather. The Sedge Wrens didn't begin to call until much later in the afternoon. There were all the usual Carden birds along Wylie Rd. Four Common Snipe met us as we turned onto the road from McNamee Rd. Then there were many grassland birds:Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Sparrows: Grasshopper, Savannah, Swamp,Vesper, Field and Chipping further up the road. The Bobolinks are back in good numbers along with Upland Sandpipers, Brown Thrashers, E. Kingbirds and E. Meadowlark. The Loggerhead Shrikes were in the west field near Bluebird box # 10. Baltimore Orioles, Am. Goldfinch, and Eastern Towhee sang all the way up to the top of the "T" road. There were a few warblers, but not in great numbers yet. In the wooded areas we heard Ovenbird, Veery, Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow and many Northern Water Thrushes in wet woodlands as we approached Carden. There was Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak up on east end of Alvar Rd. The Black Flies are out in full force as are the other biting insects. We didn't stay for the evening entertainment, but left a half dozen fellow birders to begin the night shift. Directions: Wylie Road is off McNamee Rd.which is 2.5 km north of the Town of Kirkfield off County Rd. 6. The "Birding Guide to Carden Alvar" by Ron Pittaway can be found on the OFO webpage. It includes in depth information and a map. Eleanor T. Beagan Ontario Field Ornithologists Membership Secretary Toronto ON Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.ofo.ca
