We birded the Carden Alvar with Eleanor Beagan on Thursday and Friday. We saw a Loggerhead Shrike both days on the east side of Wylie Road between bluebird boxes 3 and 7 about 0.3 km south of traditional box 10. Scan tops of hawthorns near the large White Birch east of the road. We didn't post until now because we stayed late both nights hoping to hear Yellow Rails at the Sedge Wren Marsh. A beaver dam has raised the water level in the marsh. Yellow Rails prefer very shallow water or wet sedge/grass marshes. We heard several Virginia Rails and Soras and American Bittern. Other birds along Wylie Road included many singing Upland Sandpipers, Wilson's Snipes, Sandhill Cranes, Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Towhees, Vesper Sparrows and Field Sparrows.. Directions: A birding guide is on the OFO Website. Print guide and map for use in the field. http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/cardenalvar.php Birder's World magazine lists the Carden Alvar as a birding hotspot. http://bit.ly/cardenalvar Jean Iron and Ron Pittaway Toronto and Minden ON _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
