CARDEN ALVAR

[dbellilo]

Hi there, folks!
I would love to hear any of your thoughts on the Carden Alvar? Seems to be a hot-spot, but then again it's hard for me to be sure about these so-called hot spots.
Consider Long Point, for example. What a depressing trip! After all the rantings and ravings from folks, Long Point this and Long Point that, it was a great birding disappointment of my lifetime!
Moving on, any and all Carden Alvar thoughts, ideas, experiences, reminiscences, recommendations and warnings would be GREATLY appreciated!
All the best,
David Bell

[BIGFRANK]

It is an amazing spot to see many specialties in a smallish area. It has to be the right time of year though. As most species you'd be looking for there nest there,post nesting time like right now is not as good as late May and early June. People who know the area find most of the species now too. Remember shorebirds are already migrating south. Birds that have fledged young are going further afield then theyd be when nesting. Ive been to Carden Alvar in spring and many species I dont often see are very easily seen. Eastern Bluebirds,Sedge and Marsh Wrens,Upland Sandpiper,Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolinks. A multitude of Sparrow species also. I understand this year is good for Cuckoos because of the high volume of tent caterpillars.  Try to hit the HOT SPOTS at the right time of year.

[Moira]

I've been maybe 6 times this year.  I love Carden Alvar.  Just driving down Wylie Road can take me hours.  Typically I've been met with Eastern Kingbirds on arrival and next up are the Wilson's Snipe and Upland Sandpipers (saw the Snipe doing it's crazy territorial flying around twice).  I have seen the Snipe & Sandpiper on all but may be 1 visit and have been treated to lengthy looks.  Also, routinely see the Savannah Sparrow sitting on the fence posts.  I was also treated to young Barn Swallows on my last visit being fed by mom.  There are lots of Tree & Barn Swallows.  Brown Thrashers scamper across the road (and are very difficult to catch up to - to photograph!).  The Bluebirds were plentiful earlier in the spring, but only saw 2 on last visit (July 1).  I've seen Yellow Warblers, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Towhee, Purple Finch, Bobolinks, Black-billed Cuckoo, American Woodcock, Killdeer, Sandhill Cranes -  not on every visit - but always lots to see - and this is from sitting in the car.

If you continue around the loop, you can see Loons and Osprey on Canal Lake.  The young were in the nest on Canada Day.

I found the guide published by the OFO to be very helpful, particularly on your first trip.  You can download this from their site.

I would recommend going early in the a.m. - especially if you are a photographer.  Would agree with Frank, that the "prime time" is likely passed this year - I would still go and likely will

[cloaca]

No luck at Long Point?  Where did you go?  When did you go?  What was the weather like?

[dbellilo]

I visited Long Point in late May or early June of this year and was there most of the day...the weather was warm and sunny...don't get me started on Long Point!

[cloaca]

If you have completely ruled out the Long Point based on one visit, I'm not sure why you expect Carden to be any better.

[dbellilo]

Ouch! Don't get angry at me, birder! Did you not sense my playful tone? Of course I haven't ruled out Long Point or Carden or even Antarctica, where perhaps they have albatrosses? Or maybe they don't. But anyhow, I would love to hear about anyone's positive or negative experiences in the Carden area...

[Matthew Strimas-Mackey]

Carden Alvar is an amazing spot. Lot's of birds you aren't likely to see elsewhere in Southern Ontario. I did go with an OFO trip though and I imagine I wouldn't have had nearly as much luck on my own. It's a really big area with lots of spots so you'll definitely want to print out the OFO guide Moira mentioned.

My only complaint about Carden is that it's almost exclusively roadside birding, which I'm not a huge fan of. It's a shame really that they don't have any conservation areas or parks with proper trails through the alvar habitat. And, if you try to stray form the road onto the private land there's a good chance you'll get shot; there seems to be some serious animosity between birders and landowners up here.

Also, since it is roadside birding, a scope is a huge asset here.

[dbellilo]

Matthew,
Shot? With bullets? Are you exaggerating, or is it a legitimate possibility that my life will end because I want to get close to some pretty good birds? This was supposed to be an innocent hobby...
Best regards,
David Bell

[Matthew Strimas-Mackey]

Well, not literally shot. But definitely don't stray off the road onto the farmers fields. All over the place you'll see signs that say "No Birdwatchers", "Back Off Government - This is Our Land", and things to that effect. And, we definitely got some evil eyes from a few of the locals.

I think they're upset because if shrikes are found on their land they lose some control over it -- the shrikes are endangered and protected by the government.

Also, I'm pretty sure if you go you're not supposed to report here or on ONTBIRDS exact location of certain bird species, particularly shrikes.

Anyway, it's a bit of a complicated situation that I don't really understand. I'm sure there are others on here that could provide better info on this.

[dbellilo]

That is truly fascinating. Many thanks for the information. I must say that now I'm more intrigued than ever. Who ever knew that birdwatchers could be such tough guys and badasses? Thanks again...