I paid an early morning visit today to Prospect and Wylie Roads. Interesting birds on Prospect Road were a LEAST BITTERN (heard only), GRASSHOPPER and CLAY-COLOURED SPARROWS, a GREEN HERON, and an OSPREY on its impressively large nest built on top of a steel tower just south of the second house on Prospect Road. Prospect Road runs south from Regional Road 48, about 4 km west of Kirkfield.
At Wylie Road, I had at least two, probably three SEDGE WRENS just south of, at, and just north of the bridge that is 5.4 km north of McNamee Road. Along the Sedge Wren Trail that starts a few hundred metres south of the bridge I heard 2 SANDHILL CRANES, a WINTER WREN, and where the trail first approaches the water, a great look at a VIRGINIA RAIL. At the beaver dam section of the trail, there were 2 COMMON SNIPE. There were three calling BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS in the general area of the marsh, plus one which I saw at the Windmill Ranch, where I also saw 1 LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. Finally, I had 5 UPLAND SANDPIPERS (1 by box 87 on Wylie Road, 3 along the Kirkfield Road between Kirkfield and McNamee Road, and 1 along Regional Road 48 at Rockfield Road. Prospect Road, Wylie Road and other birding locations in the Carden Alvar are described in Ron Pittaway's excellent "Carden Alvar Birding Guide" at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/articles.cardenalvar. Returning home, I had a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and a CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW near the East Duffin Headwaters on Westney Road (Conc. 6 if coming from the Goodwood Road) 0.7 km north of the Uxbridge-Pickering Township line. Mark Kubisz, Scarborough, ON _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
