Osprey enjoys flight above Carden Alvar, Ontario

Osprey in flight at Carden Alvar, City of Kawartha Lakes in Ontario

After spending all day at the Carden Alvar in Ontario, basically patrolling along Wylie Road north to the T intersection and back again to McNamee Road,  Bob decided that we should continue to check out some other areas of that protected habitat before we made for home.  Cameron Ranch and Canal Lake both deserved a short visit, and near the causeway that crosses the lake we discovered one pair of Osprey already occupying a nesting platform. Read more

A Hummingbird Clearwing Moth at Oxtongue Lake

Image of a clearwing hummingbird moth at lilac bush at oxtongue lake, in ontario.

If ever you have seen a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, you were probably mesmerized as we were by the sheer look of its see-through wings and the way it hovers like a hummingbird.  In fact, you might have mistaken it for one of those teeny birds.  Bob and I have seen Hummingbird Clearwing Moths on a couple of occasions, once in Algonquin Park and this one above in my mom’s garden at Oxtongue Lake, Ontario. Read more

Northern Flicker Flashes Some Yellow

Image of a Northern flicker in flight near Algonquin Park, Ontario

Bob and I were surprised when we visited my mom’s place at Oxtongue Lake, Ontario, in late April to see so many Northern Flickers, or Yellow-shafted Flickers as they are also known.  On the first day alone, we saw no less than eight of these birds, six at one time in a leafless deciduous tree.  Read more

Eastern Bluebirds at Carden Alvar in Ontario

eastern bluebird, carden alvar, carden township, city of kawartha lakes, ontario

Bob and I were up early one morning in May in our attempt to get to the Carden Alvar, in Ontario, Canada, at a decent morning hour.  We’re usually a little slow to get off the sheet, but in this case, we did better than usual and found ourselves on Wylie Road by 8:30 a.m.  I know it’s not sunrise, but we still scored lots of sightings, among them several pairs of Eastern Bluebirds. Read more

A Brown Thrasher at Carden Alvar

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 5

Our first time visiting the Carden Alvar had Bob and me astonished by the myriad sounds of nature that combined into a marvelous symphony:  choruses of frogs, whirring of Wilson’s Snipes, echoing conk-la-rees from the Red-winged Blackbirds, and Savannah Sparrows raising their voice in song.  On several occasions, all were overshadowed by another lively bit of birdsong that had us mystified…until we finally spotted this Brown Thrasher. Read more

Blanding’s Turtle At The Carden Alvar

blandings turtle, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 15

Bob and I had been looking forward to getting up to the Carden Alvar in Ontario, Canada, for at least a couple of years.  I was filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing a number of early spring migrants and birds that favour the specialized habitat of the alvar plain, so it came as a pleasant surprise to also come across a rare Blanding’s Turtle. Read more

American Woodcock At The Carden Alvar

american woodcock, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes

Our anticipation ran high the night before our first visit to the Carden Alvar that is located northeast of Toronto, Ontario.  We had our alarm set for 5:45 a.m. but I woke up at 5 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep.  We were on site by 8:30 a.m. and spent hours touring the area.  It was around mid-afternoon that we came across an American Woodcock, and the sighting pretty much made our day! Read more

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