Carden Alvar
Carden Alvar Outing
When: Saturday, May 16 – Sunday, May 17, 2026
Where: Carden Alvar Natural Area (Lake Simcoe region)
Leader: Stewart MacDonald
Email: stewjmacdonald@aol.com
A 2 Day Outing to the Nationally Significant Carden Alvar with Waterloo Region Nature, Carden Field Naturalists, and Kawartha Field Naturalists will take place on the Victoria Day weekend on Saturday May 16 and Sunday May 17, 2026.
Registrations for this Excursion are now open and 36 Spaces will be allotted to interested participants. The Plan would be to have a Botany Group and 2 Birding Groups go out on Saturday Morning the16th of May.
There will ONLY be birding excursions in the afternoon and evening of the 16th and the morning of the 17th. There will be a group Dinner on Saturday May 16th where we will gather and do our bird checklist for the day.
Participants can choose EITHER a Botany Outing or Bird Outing on Saturday morning. Birding outings on Saturday afternoon, evening and Sunday morning are optional.
Kindly indicate in your Registration email to Stewart, whether you wish to register for the Botany or Birding Outing on Saturday morning May 16th. Also indicate if you will be attending the group dinner on Saturday as there is space for only 25 persons.
It is anticipated that we could possibly total over 100 Species of Birds as a group, in addition to early Spring Flowers that the Alvar is noted for. In 2025, 103 birds were identified, including Short-Eared Owl, Least Bittern, Vesper Sparrow and Golden-Winged Warbler.
As of March 17, there are still a few spots available.
To Register: please email Stewart directly at stewjmacdonald@aol.com and indicate your preferences regarding your Saturday morning excursion and if you will be joining the group for dinner.
For those planning to stay overnight, accommodations can be had at Balsam Lake Provincial Park (Camping), Stone Fountain Motel, Fenelon Inn and Lake Dalrymple Resort, as well as other places within close driving distance to the Alvar.
All attendees will be responsible for their own expenses for this outing.
Let Stewart know if you have any questions. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow birders and botany enthusiasts from different Clubs. Our Outing Leaders look forward to seeing you at this exciting event!
WRN insurance waiver for this event.
