Ok, here's a few more goodies for you from the west gate to the east gate.
First, three excellent places for the exact same sightings - pairs of pileated woodpeckers during the day and barred owls at night:
Hardwood Hill Picnic Area at kilometre 25 is an abandoned old picnic ground from about 15-20 years ago that is no longer marked. It is actually getting more and more difficult to see each year with succession, but you will know you are at the right place because it is right at the very top crest of the hill at km 25 on the south side of the highway. There is still a pull-off that will easily accommodate a vehicle, and it is still gravel (though somewhat overgrown) so you don't have to worry about getting stuck. Actually the easiest way to see the pull-off is instead to look for the entrance to a logging road that is directly across from the picnic area itself. The logging road is your best bet, though officially you are not allowed to walk on them. I am not sure if Reuven would flip at me mentioning this after working up there for the summer, considering public access is a no-no
. But I think the naturalist staff can appreciate the draw of good birding locations, whereas the MNR officers are more or less worried about logging trucks ripping around bends in a road they're expecting to be empty and suddenly plowing into groups of hikers. We had a VERY territorial pair of barred owls swoop in 30 seconds after calling them one night this summer and they both put on a 15 minute 'dance' hooting back and forth at us, turning this way and that in full wing display on a branch above the road.
If you prefer a bit of a safer pull-off from the highway, go into the parking lot for the Algonquin Art Centre and pull up to N 45 33.029 W 78 38.355 in the southwest corner. There is a trail there that follows the shoreline of Found Lake that is traditionally a very good spot for pileated woodpeckers and barred owls. The benefit is that the scenery is nice along the lake and you're bound to see a great many other bird species here.
Finally for a quick 'park-and-search', pull into the Sanitation Station at N 45 34.883 W 78 27.137, where you'll find the trees predominantly hardwood and again excellent for the woodpecker and owl combo. There was a barred owl roosting in here in July that would call incessantly every 15 seconds or so for 45 minutes straight, like a robotic machine! This area is also bordered by a meadow ecosystem that was an excellent wolf pup rendezvous site for years, so if you're here at night, give a good howl. We noticed increased Ministry activity in this area this year though. In fact, it looks as though they may be developing the area to the north for some 'secret project'?
Hmmm... what else is easy access?
There are two excellent drive-up locations for cliff-dwelling species. I imagine it is too late in the year to encounter any birds of prey nesting but you still may find some real gems. Turn off the highway onto the road for Coon Lake and Rock Lake Campgrounds, drive 3.6 km in to N 45 32.909 W 78 23.521 and you'll find yourself staring up a massive set of cliffs that always hold promise. The other is the spectacular cliffs immediately to the east upon turning at N 45 35.630 W 78 19.572 onto Opeongo Road. This is where the famous annual raven's nest is with a splotch of feces painted all the way down the cliff face. Opeongo Road itself cuts through some excellent marsh areas further to the north. When our kids (we have triplet boys) were too young for my wife and I to really do any hardcore birdwatching, we would drive this road every morning and evening. The amount of wildlife we saw along here was just phenomenal. We joked that Opeongo Road should be made into an official park trail - but one you drive instead of hike it. I can't tell you how many troops of spruce grouse we would find poking along the road in the morning. It was so easy to see them! But you have to go right at sunrise before the increased traffic of the day pushes them back away from the road shoulders.
Oohhhp.... one more great owl spot! There's a traffic rest spot on Brewer Lake at N 45 35.273 W 78 18.050 that has acoustics like you wouldn't believe. If you go here at 11 pm and get out of your car, you can literally hear the entire southern shore of Brewer Lake. It is hard to express the geography but you are kind of land locked by cliffs and down in a bowl, so everything is super quiet here. Plus most of the traffic from the west would have already turned off into campgrounds at this point, so you really feel like you have the place to yourself. Barred owl galore here! I have mentioned them many times in this post, but I haven't asked: have you ever attempted to call them in? If not, search in Google for barred owl calls and listen to a few of them. They are very easy to imitate and the owls are traditionally very responsive. Especially here at Brewer Lake, your voice will really carry. If you fire a good barred owl call across the water, you'll hear your voice echoing from wayyyyyyy the heck to the south. If it doesn't work don't forget to howl!
