What is the Carden Bird Blitz? The Couchiching Conservancy’s Carden Bird Blitz is an annual event where nearly 60 birders gather at dawn on the Carden Alvar to record as many bird species as possible in a single morning. The data collected is then shared with organizations such as Ontario …
Green Power vs. Green Space in Kawartha Lakes
An article by Joel Wittnebel A large-scale solar project has been proposed on one of the world’s rarest habitats — raising questions about how we balance renewable energy development with biodiversity conservation. This piece from The Pointer explores the challenges and potential impacts of the project.
Field Notes: Two Weeks At Couchiching Conservancy
Hi! We’re Darian and Ellen, and we’re students in the Ecosystem Management Technician program at Fleming College. This month, we finished up our program with a two-week placement at Couchiching Conservancy. We started our placement right after the huge ice storm, so our initial itinerary changed to allow us …
To All A Good Night
With a spring of solar flares carrying the northern lights further south than usual more of us have been making an effort to enjoy the night sky. Of course when we go out into the dark we aren’t alone, we are accompanied by bats, birds, moths and more of the …
Summer Warblers: Part Two
Let’s dive into some of the top birding spots in the Great Lakes region, where you can experience the peak of warbler migration and discover some of the most renowned locations for birdwatching. We’ll also discuss the remaining warblers in the Setophaga genus that weren’t covered in the previous article. …
Summer Warblers: Part One
In the Great Lakes Region of North America, wood-warblers, Parulidae, are one of the most diverse groups of birds with over 40 species. There is a warbler for every habitat type, and of almost every colour pattern – although I haven’t seen any purple warblers! Considering the beautiful and striking …
Who are the Sentinel Species?
It’s dark, damp, dripping. Workers with sore backs descend staggering depths to reach their claustrophobic destination. Dangerous, dirty, sweaty; one heavily geared man carries precious cargo, a brightly coloured, charming bird. Yes, it’s a Canary in a coal mine. Canaries were used in mining as recently as the 1980s. These …
Winter Birds of the Couchiching Region
Both spring, and summer are enjoyable times of year for birding in the Couchiching area. From pine-oak barrens of Matchedash, and the shrublands of Carden Alvar, to moist maple forests around Awenda and Oro Moraine, the region provides a wide variety of habitat types, allowing birders to observe a large …
Carden Challenge participants raise $30K & count hundreds of species!
Beautiful blue skies and warm weather greeted the 74 people who took part in the 19th annual Carden Challenge. It was fun being together in celebration of this landscape and the species who call it home. All together, participants raised an impressive $30,000 for alvar stewardship efforts. Thank you to …
Rare 400-acre opportunity + a rare sighting
It was June 5, 2022 and I was testing my car along Alvar Road, listening for birds that I could add to my square for the Breeding Bird Atlas project. A distance along the road, I heard a Hermit Thrush singing very near the road. The Hermit Thrush song may …