Alfred Birding Trail -
Connecting Waterfowl and People!

The Prescott-Russell Stewardship Council and the Municipality of the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet are developing a Bird Watching Circuit in Eastern Ontario. Other partners include: the Vankleek Hill Nature Society, which is part of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists; Ducks Unlimited Canada; the Wetland Habitat Fund; and the Bog to Bog Project – a partnership of eleven organizations including the City of Ottawa, Eastern Ontario Model Forest, Boisés Est enr., South Nation Conservation, United Counties of Prescott-Russell, among others.

We strongly believe that no other region in Ontario can feature such ecological jewels: a provincial significant wetland – the Alfred Bog; an innovative wetland restoration project – Atocas Bay; and a municipal lagoon which is, based on bird watchers, one of the best birding site in Canada. These natural sites form a corridor for wildlife and are located within a short travelling distance.

We, and our partners, wish to take advantage of this natural corridor by promoting a bird Watching Circuit, including the following sites:

The Alfred Bog is a provincially significant wetland and is designated as an "Area of Natural and Scientific Interest” (ANSI). It is a little piece of boreal forest, hundreds of miles south of anything like it. Yet, at 4200 hectares, it is the biggest bog of its kind in Southern Ontario, big enough to give refuge to many plants and animals that were stranded as the warming climate pushed the boreal forest northward. A domed peat bog that has been building for 10,000 years, it shelters many plants and animals that are rare or endangered, some of national significance. Examples include the Bog Elfin butterfly; Fletcher's dragonfly; white fringed orchid; Atlantic sedge, and rhodora. The Alfred Bog is also home to a unique moose population in Eastern Ontario.

Atocas Bay is an impressive wetland restoration area. In March 2001, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Canadian Wildlife Service bought a parcel of land consisting of 1,800 acres consisting of rolling uplands of grass, trees, pastures and basins. Unfortunately, almost all of the 250 wetland basins had been drained by agricultural ditches and as a result provided little value to wildlife. In the fall of 2001, DUC took steps to restore most of these wetlands. Many species of waterfowl now use this property for breeding. They are mallard, American black duck, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, wood duck, gadwall and northern shoveler. This area contains many shrubs and trees that provide shelter for a number of bird species. Deer and moose browse on the speckled alder and birds feed on the seed.

Wetlands like the Alfred Bog and Atocas Bay provide habitat for wildlife and improve the quality and quantity of our water resources. It also offers good opportunities for naturalists, bird watchers and wildlife photographs.

The Alfred Municipal Lagoons are getting a reputation as a first-rate home for waterfowl rare to Eastern Ontario. Over the past 25 years, the Alfred sewage lagoons have become the premier birding spot in Eastern Ontario and are certainly one of the most significant spots in all of Canada to view and study wildlife. They are used annually by thousands of birds as a stop over, resting spot or place to nest and raise young. The diversity of habitats on the site, and the fact that is located along a major migratory pathway, lends to its attractiveness to the birds. Many significant nesting records and observations of provincially or nationally rare or significant birds have been documented at the lagoons. Birders and ornithologists have been studying the birds at the lagoons for over a quarter century and the observations made have greatly contributed to the scientific knowledge base.

Downloads:

Brochure: Alfred Birding Trail - Connecting Waterfowl and People! (PDF, 1.7 MB)

Brochure: Alfred Birding Trail – Circuit Map (PDF, 1.3 MB) 

Alfred Bog Bird Checklist (PDF, 63 KB)

Alfred Lagoons Bird Checklist (PDF, 63 KB)

Atocas Bay Bird Checklist (PDF, 65 KB)

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