February 19th, 2011

A burst of posts about northern shrikes begun by Sean led to a comment by our friend Fraser Gibson about the endangered loggerhead shrikes that nest on the Carden Plain near Orillia, and my own visit there last summer. This barn swallow was photographed on a rainy day last July from the blind constructed for shrike viewing and general bird observations.

The Carden Plain is an IBA, or Important Bird Area, as designated by Birdlife International whose Canadian partners are Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada.   It consists of grasslands, shrubs, wetlands and globally-significant rocky alvars and is home to a number of rare bird and plant species.

Visit the Carden Plain IBA website to learn more about it, and it’s inhabitants.  Two northern hawk owls have been hunting there throughout the winter. One was recently killed in a collision with a car, as has happened – sadly – in previous winters as well.

http://www.cardenplainimportantbirdarea.com/welcomeh.htm

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