2) Saturday-Sunday, June 8 & 9: Overnight to Algonquin Park

Time: 6 am – Meet at the Carp Park-n-Ride – Carp Road at Hwy 417 – https://goo.gl/maps/ZrzhVt5iLBUyxVfu9 – $275.00 per person HST incl.

Algonquin Park is famous for its extensive northern forest habitats. Its large stands of spruce and pine often attract a variety of songbirds and raptors. It also harbours several northern residents that are considered rare in the Ottawa area. We’ll look for Gray Jays, Spruce Grouse, Evening Grosbeak and Black-backed Woodpecker. Interesting migratory nesters include Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and a variety of warblers like Bay-breasted, Cape May, Canada, Mourning and Northern Parula. By early June, the breeding season is well under way in Algonquin. A mixture of large lakes, boggy wetlands, boreal and hardwood forests, this is Ontario’s most accessible northern wilderness. On the lakes, we should see and hear Common Loons while mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Beaver, River Otter, Black Bear and Moose lurk nearby. Meanwhile, warblers, thrushes, vireos, tanager and other furtive songbirds will sing their territorial songs. Some will be on nests, while others will already have young. From our starting point, we head straight for the park, spending a few hours exploring the east side before we have lunch somewhere in the park. We check into our hotel (Whitney, Ont.) just outside the East Gate in late afternoon. We will have an early dinner, then back into the park for dusk. If conditions are good, we will stay and listen for owls, woodcock, and maybe even wolves. The following morning, we go into the park immediately after breakfast. We will spend the entire day there, hiking some of the leisurely trails, leaving the park around 5:30pm. We can expect to be back home around 8:30 – 9:00pm. Book your accommodation now! Registration is to [email protected]