     
|
|
|
Date
|
Sighting
|
Location
|
Observer
|
| 2010 | |||
| August 30 | This morning I watched a large, female Cooper's Hawk catch and simply stand upon a Mourning Dove in our neighbour's driveway. What was strange, however, was that another dove, possibly the victim's mate, landed on the driveway beside the hawk and walked past it, almost as if checking out what had just happened to its partner. A few minutes later, the hawk flew off to enjoy its meal. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| August 15 | On my way into work at 6 a.m. this morning, I spotted an albino American Crow. I was driving south down Highway 7out of Peterborough between Parkhill Rd and Lansdowne St.. It was not quite as big as the other crows and a little leaner, as well, but totally pale. The bird was on the side of the road. | Highway 7 between Parkhill Road and Lansdowne St. | Ron Clarence |
| August 10 | I've been able to take pictures of an albino Common Grackle. The bird and its familty were around for a couple of days earlier this month. | Matchett Line north, Otonabee Township | Harv Bell |
| August 10 | While driving south on Hwy 115 at the intersection of Hwy 35, my wife and I saw a pure white American Crow. Presumably this is an albino crow. There was no mistake that it was a crow, but its legs and beak were pure white. | Highway 115 at the intersection of Highway 35 | Anne and Colum Diamond |
| July 3 ? | The final count for the recent Sunderland Monarch Butterfly Count was 186. Average for previous 13 years is 112.6 with a high of 388 in 2007 and low of 10 in 2004. So 2010 is well above average. Sunderland is located north of Oshawa. | Sunderland, Ontario | James Kamstra (compiler) |
| July 6 | Jerry Ball, a local butterfly expert and enthusiast, reports having observed 48 record-early species of butterflies so far this year. On average butterflies are emerging about 12 days ahead of schedule. He notes that European Skipper, a species that is usually at its most abundant right now, is already pretty much finished. Jerry reports good numbers of Monarchs (e.g., 30 individuals in a day). | Peterborough County | Jerry Ball |
| July 5 | Did you ever wonder what happened to the Cliff Swallows that used to nest under the bridge joining the east and west banks of Trent University? For a few years a small number nested under the road bridge that is presently being worked on. This year a thriving colony has set up under the new walking/cycling trail bridge by the rowing club. About thirty nests can be seen under the bridge and most of them now have young peering out of the domed clay nests. | Trent University | Tony Bigg |
| July 3 | On a drive down to Port Hope today, I saw two Monarch Butterflies along Highway 28 and two more in the town of Port Hope. One was arriving from having probably just crossed Lake Ontario. I also had a Monarch on Purple Coneflower blooms in our garden on July 2. | Highway 28 south and Port Hope | Drew Monkman |
| June 28 | Today I heard my first cicada of the summer calling. This is the earliest I've ever heard these insects call. | Edmison Heights Public School, Royal Drive | Drew Monkman |
| June 28 | My wife Dale & I went out for a boat ride on Buckhorn Lake. As we passed through Harrington Narrows and just past Curve Lake there is a small island where the Trent Severn Waterway splits into two directions. We noticed a big bird perched on a dead tree. I stopped the boat, and we confirmed that the bird in the tree was definitely a Bald Eagle! Unfortunately we hadn't brought our camera. After awhile, we saw the Eagle take off. What a sight! | Buckhorn Lake | Robb and Dale Wood |
| June 21 | Purple Coneflower and Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) are now in bloom in some neighbourhood gardens. At least one variety of hosta has been flowering for several days now. | Westbrook Drive, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 18 |
Eastern Bluebirds are nesting in Smith-Ennismore Township. There must be young in the nest, given the amount of food the parents are delivering. Images of the birds can be seen at: http://www.glenallenphotography.com/p202720605 |
Smith-Ennismore Township | Glen Alen |
| June 17 | American Toad tadpoles, that we raised in the classroom, have now reached the adult stage and no longer show any tail at all. They are about 1/2" in length and very dark in colour with a few lighter speckles. | eggs were laid on a pool tarp on McCrae Drive in Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 16 | Lilies, such as Tiger and Stella d'Oro, are now in bloom. Local strawberries are ripe, as well, a full two weeks ahead of the average date, according to the owner of Caza Berry Farm. | Edmison Heights Public School, Marina Blvd. | Drew Monkman |
| June 15 | We have a pair of trumpeter swans on Kent's Bay. They are nesting in the swampy end of the Bay! We would certainly like to see them come back, even with their bugling during the wee hours of the day. | Kent's Bay, Otonabee River, near Hiawatha First Nation | Sharon Simpkins |
| June 15 | According to the website "Science Daily" (June 11, 2010) — A warmer Arctic climate is influencing the air pressure at the North Pole and shifting wind patterns on our planet. We can expect more cold and snowy winters in Europe, eastern Asia and eastern North America. Continued rapid loss of sea ice will be an important driver of major change in the world's climate system in the years to come. "While the emerging impact of greenhouse gases is an important factor in the changing Arctic, what was not fully recognised until now is that a combination of an unusual warm period due to natural variability, loss of sea ice reflectivity, ocean heat storage and changing wind patterns working together has disrupted the memory and stability of the Arctic climate system, resulting in greater ice loss than earlier climate models predicted," says Dr Overland. "The exceptional cold and snowy winter of 2009-2010 in Europe, eastern Asia and eastern North America is connected to unique physical processes in the Arctic," he says | http://www.sciencedaily.com | |
| June 11 | Common Milkweed is in bloom. On average, we see the first blooms around July 1st! | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 10 | We now have two pairs of American Robins nesting in our yard. One nest is in a Burning Bush along the east side of the house, while the other nest is under the soffit on a nesting platform on the south side of the house - maybe 60 feet away! | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 6 | Aerial insectivores are doing well around here. I have one or more pairs of whip-poor-wills singing nitely. | Western end of Zion Line, near Millbrook | Jim Lloyd |
| June 8 | The Canada (Common) Elderberry in our yard has started blooming, at least three weeks ahead of average date. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 28 | This evening I heard a Common Nighthawk, my first of the spring in Peterborough. Black Locust and Ox-eye Daisy are in full bloom, a full two weeks ahead of their average flowering date. Black Cherry has already finished blooming! | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 22 | A good sized Black Bear (looked like a female) was taking a drink at a very small pond on the north side of County Road 8 near Side Road 5, close to the village of Douro this afternoon. We watched as it drank then stood on its hind legs observing us before sauntering slowly back into the bush behind the house. | County Road 8 near Side Road 5, close to the village of Douro | Ann and Larry |
| May 21 | We have seen a great crested flycatcher several times this week on Birchview Rd. near McCrackens Landing. | McCrackens Landing, Stoney Lake | Lynne and Len Cotton |
| May 13 | This morning, there were 6 Black Terns at the Lakefield Marsh. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| May 12 | Today, I was birding just off of Stewart Line, west of County Rd. 10. At least three Blue-winged Warblers were calling and seemingly on territory. | Stewart Line | Drew Monkman |
| May 11 | We observed a large flock of barn swallows adjacent to a hay field and forest edge a few kms outside village of Bethany last early evening just as the sun was setting - perhaps as many as a hundred barn swallows swooped in the sky above us presumably gobbling up insects in the air between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. | Bethany | Gilles d'Agenais |
| May 7 | This evening at about 19:15, Don Sutherland and I noted a large number (150+) of Chimney Swifts swirling about over Charlotte St. in Peterborough. By 19:25, virtually all of them had entered a chimney in the White House Hotel on Charlotte St. It was quite an impressive sight to see a large number of Chimney Swifts zipping into this chimney at high speed. Bill Crins | Charlotte Street, Peterborough | Bill Crins |
| May 8 | This morning, I visited the Cavan Swamp Wildlife Area (North side off of Parkhill/1st Line). A Rose-breasted Grosbreak, Purple Finches (male and two females), Kingfisher, Yellow Warbler, and a Sora (heard) were observed. Three male Bobolinks and several Kestrels were also seen on 5th Line East of Chemong. | Parkhill Road west | Robert Craig |
| May 7 | Blue-headed Vireo in the Warsaw Caves CA. Canada Geese goslings on Sawyer’s Creek at Duoro 3rd Line. | Warsaw area | Tony Bigg |
| May 6 | Today's high winds, which made cycling a head -down ride, probably concentrated a large flock of swallows at Omemee pond. Five species were present with Tree Swallows being most numerous and good numbers of Barns as well. 3 Caspian Terns also struggled in the wind. Bill McCord | Omemee | Bill McCord |
| May 6 | Bruce Kidd, a farmer in Douro/Dummer Township reports that his full complement of 30-40 Barn and Tree Swallows have now returned. | Douro/Dummer Townships | Bruce Kidd |
| May 4 | Solitary Sandpiper in a small pond on the Blezard/Villiers lines section of the old rail trail in the south of the county. Upland Sandpiper back in their usual fields on Cty Rd 38 north of Hwy 7. A good number of Bank Swallows in the gravel pits on Cameron Line just north of Cty Rd 2 | various | Tony Bigg |
| May 4 | Clouded Sulphur on the Blezard/Villiers rail trail. Silvery Blue on the Blezard/Cameron rail trail. | Blezard Line | Tony Bigg |
| May 3 | I saw a Red Admiral butterfly alight on our purple sandcherry at the patio. (Note: I have also seen 3 or 4 Red Admirals in our yard this spring. It may be a flight year for them. They do not show up every year.) | Peterborough? | Michael Ecob |
| May 1 | Sugar Maple leaves are mostly fully open. Lilac almost in full bloom, too. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 30 | Butterflies: –Chryxus Arctic, Hoary Elfin on Sandy Lake Rd., Dreamy Duskywing on FR 68, Juvenal’s Duskywing on Hubble Rd, Olympia Marble on Sandy Lake Rd, FR 68, and Hubble Rd. | Various | Tony Bigg |
| April 18 | Red Trillium, White Trillium, and Blue Cohosh were almost in full bloom today near Buckley's Lake. This is at least three weeks earlier than the average flowering date. | 5th Line of Douro | Drew Monkman |
| April 13 | Three Fox Sparrows were feeding on the ground under my feeder today. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| April 12 | Today, I found a West Virginia White Butterfly on Charlie Allen Rd. (north of Flynn’s Corner on Cty Rd 507). | Buckhorn | Tony Bigg |
| April 12 | My husband and I (both experienced birders who have seen peregrines elsewhere in Canada) saw a Peregrine Falcon flying northward over our home on Old Young's Point Road today around supper time. The tail and wing shapes were distinctive as was the wingbeat pattern. In addition, my husband had his binoculars with him and was able to confirm the sighting. He was not able to say if it was Eastern or Western race, however. | Old Young's Point Road | Sheryl Smith |
| April 12 | This morning I found the remains of an Opossum on Crescent Street in Peterborough. | Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| April 11 | Lori and I walked the dogs in Petroglyphs Provincial Park at around mid-day today, It was a cool start (@5C), but was getting warm by the time we returned to the car. The highlight was two Pine Warblers singing near the park gate at Northey’s Bay Rd. (Al Dextrase reported hearing a probable PIWA earlier in the week in Peterborough). Other birds included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Chipping Sparrow, and Purple Finch (several). Three Mourning Cloak butterflies and many bee flies (almost all Bombylius major) were the conspicuous insects. Good choruses of Midland Chorus Frog (many locations) and Northern Leopard Frog (mainly in the large beaver pond west of the park entrance). Don Sutherland | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| April 11 | I saw a Savannah Sparrow today on the fence alongside the ”Quarry” golf club west of the causeway at Bridgenorth. | Bridgenorth | Tony Bigg |
| April 11 | There was a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks in the trees above our house today at noon. We're located on Fireroute 40 near 6 Foot Bay Resort. They are the first I've seen here. Merlins come and go regularly. Also, I had a single sandhill crane flying over the Gannon Narrows Bridge on Saturday morning. | Buckhorn | Toni Sinclair |
| April 11 | I heard my first Common Loon of the year today on Lake Katchewanooka. | Lake Katchewanooka | Sheryl Smith |
| April 11 | On Sunday, April 11, about 30 people took part in the first PFN Sunday Morning Bird Walk of the spring. We first of all went to the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw and/or heard a good variety of species including Ring-necked Duck, Eastern Phoebe, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Field Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and large numbers of Tree Swallows at the boxes. On April 10th, an Eastern Bluebird was perched on one of the boxes, but we could not find it on Sunday. Afterwards, most of the group went up to the Lakefield Sewage Lagoons where the most noteworthy birds were Bufflehead (30+), Common Goldeneye (4), Ring-necked Duck (6), Lesser Scaup (8), Mallard, Gadwall (2), and Blue-winged Teal (2). | Trent University/Lakefield | PFN |
| April 9 | I watched 4 or 5 dozen swallows today in Lakefield, skimming around low over the water near the mouth of the river, opposite Isabel Morris Park. There was a strong, cold, west wind and it was overcast. I've recorded their arrival for 7 years, and this is the earliest. 2004 was April 13. I also record the first blooming of Coltsfoot at the bottom of my road. This year it was March 31. In 2007 it was April 20 ! | Lakefield | Judith Nicholas |
| April 8 | Albeit not rare and around for about a week now, there were 63 Tree Swallows hunting over the river and sitting on a powerline at Trent University yesterday. Seemed like a noteworthy sized flock to me. | Trent University | Ben Walters |
| April 8 | I had a Cabbage White (April 3) and a Spring Azure in my garden (April 6). This brings the county total to 8 species so far this year (Eastern, Green and Gray Commas, Compton’s and Milbert’s Tortoiseshells, Mourning Cloak are te others). Flowers: Coltsfoot has been in bloom for a while now. Others I noted yesterday are Whitlow-Grass (parking lot in Lakefield), Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Charlie Allen Rd), Common Field-Speedwell (garden), and Leatherwood (Charlie Allen Rd). Birds: I had a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in my yard on April 6 and another today on the old rail trail section between Villiers & Settlers Lines. I also had a pair of Blue-winged Teal on the same section. Yesterday I found a Rusty Blackbird on Charlie Allen Rd, and I also watched a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in my son’s garden in Lakefield. I saw one Sandhill Crane fly overhead on April 2 on County Rd 44, and photographed a pair at the junction of Birdsall Rd and Lakeshore Rd. on April 4. | various | Tony Bigg |
| April 7 | The first Chipping Sparrow of the year made a visit to one of our feeders. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| April 5 | Northeys Bay Road - Lots of amphibian activity during the rainy evening. Hundreds of Spring Peepers, dozens of leopard frogs, a few Grey Tree Frogs found on the roads. Also found 1 Red Eft (terrestrial juvenile Eastern Newt), and several Blue Spotted Salamanders and Spotted Salamanders. | Northeys Bay Road | Stewart Stick |
| April 5 | After an Easter Weekend with temperatures in the 20's, Hepatica was in bloom in our garden. Bloodroot, too, was almost in full bloom. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| April 4 | Yesterday morning we saw a Northern Goshawk circle over the canal at the Trent U Nature area. It landed in a wooded area on the West side of the canal. We also saw a Northern Shrike that has been singing for the past two weeks. Some of the other birds we saw were: Tree Swallows, Belted Kingfishe,r Osprey, Bufflehead, Hooded and Common Merganser, Wood Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, and Eastern Phoebe. | Trent University | Luke Berg |
| April 4 | Burnham Woods - E.Garter Snakes are out and I've observed several breeding balls. | Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park | Stewart Stick |
| April 3 | The noisy merlins have returned to Nicholls Park, hopefully to nest again. This morning the male osprey was doing the sky dance flight high above the nest at the soccer field on Ashburnham. He was so high I probably wouldn't have noticed him except for the contant calling he was doing. The female cardinal is busy gathering nesting material and is building in one of the spruces. | Peterborough | Sue Paradisis |
| April 3 | This morning in the swamp next to the Otonabee on the Mervin Line (the road north of the airport) I found 4 species of woodpecker including a male red-bellied excavating a hole. It was also calling repeatedly. I saw one here last spring as well. (downy, hairy, flicker were the other three). There were also several male rusty blackbirds foraging in the flooded forest along with the red-winged blackbirds and grackles. There were also robins, goldinches, w-b nuthatches, brown creeper, song sparrows and lots of leopard frogs. At the river was a bufflehead and several common mergansers. Scott | Mervin Line | Scott McKinlay |
| April 3 | We took the dogs for a walk in Petroglyphs Provincial Park this morning. En route, we saw an Osprey flying up the Otonabee River at McDonnel St. In the park, there were lots of Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Dark-eyed Junco, and Red-breasted Nuthatch singing. We also saw a single Eastern Phoebe, and heard two Northern Flicker calling. Two Evening Grosbeak were heard calling in flight overhead. We also saw four Compton’s Tortoiseshells, 3 Commas, a single Mourning Cloak and 2 Archieris infans (The Infant – day-flying moth). There were lots of Wood Frogs, Chorus Frogs, and Spring Peepers calling at a number of locations and several ponds with a dozen or more Midland Painted Turtles each. Leaving the park, there was an Eastern Garter Snake alive-on-road on Northey’s Bay Rd. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| April 3 | This morning I took my dog for a walk along the old rail trail between Base Line and David Fife Line in the south of the county. The sun was just rising as I arrived and the area was alive with birdsong. Three Wilson’s Snipes were calling, doing their display flights, and one was even sitting on top of a Hydro pole. Two pairs of Osprey were disputing ownership of a nest right at the start of this section of the trail (east end). A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was doing its characteristic drumming on a dead tree, and several Eastern Meadowlarks were sitting up , singing, and taking in the first warm rays of the rising sun. A male Northern Harrier was coursing the open fields, two American Kestrels were sitting on the wires, and Killdeers were calling. Along the trail I saw one Ruffed Grouse and heard four others drumming. Whilst ‘pishing’ out two Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Fox Sparrow popped into view. Eastern Phoebes had taken up a couple of stations along the way, Pileated Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers were active in the trees. The high pitched calls of the Golden-crowned Kinglets could be heard in the cedars and a helpful pair foraged in the top of an open tree. On the route home I added two Tree Swallows, a Swamp Sparrow singing, and even the now common Turkey Vultures perched kindly right above the road in a dead tree. What a lovely Easter present!! | southern Peterborough County | Tony Bigg |
| April 2 | Jerry Ball and I found an Eastern Garter Snake today on Sandy Lake Rd. | Sandy Lake Road, south of Lasswade, Ontario | Tony Bigg |
| April 2 | There was a male yellow-bellied sapsucker in Cavan Woods (Cavan), as well as a group of golden-crowned kinglets. I also glimpsed a thrush, which I assume to be a hermit thrush, but did not get much of a look. Also mourning cloaks. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| April 1st | Today, with 21 C temperatures, the first Coltsfoot bloomed in our garden. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| March 31 | Last night, in the flooded fields at the southern edge of Lakefield, a few Chorus Frogs were calling. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 31 | This morning, there were two Fox Sparrows, at least one of which was singing, near the viewing tower at the Lakefield Marsh. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 31 | Today at 8:00 a.m.at the Trent Nature Area along the canal, there were 1 Tree Swallow, 2 American Wigeons and 1 Great Blue Heron. | Peterborough | Luke Berg |
| March 27 | I just got back from walking my dogs in the Trent Nature Area (canal side) and saw a Northern Mockingbird. | Peterborougn | Luke Berg |
| March 24 | Just after 8:00 a.m. this morning I watched a flock of Wild Turkey browsing in a field off of Driscoll Road in the city’s south east end. There were 13 birds in the flock with one dominant Tom who appeared intent on corralling his hens away from several juvenile males. When I came into view the females ignored me and continued foraging - the large male stopped feeding as he warily tracked me walking down the road. It brought back memories of being chased and embarrassed, a few years ago, by a big pet Tom that belonged to a friend of mine who keeps several pens on Base Line Road. | Driscoll Road, Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| March 24 | This morning, in the fields at the southern edge of Lakefield, there were three Eastern Meadowlarks singing. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 18 | Today, I saw a group of 5 Tundra Swans on Chemong Lake on the Ennismore side of the causeway. | Chemong Lake | Colin Jones |
| March 17 | This morning, my son Shan and I saw a Milbert's Tortoiseshell at the Lakefield Sewage Ponds. There were also 20 Ring-billed Gulls. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 16 | Today, my kids and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed up to Petroglyphs Provincial Park and had the following of note: Killdeer - one flying overhead; calling Brown Creeper - at least 6 in song along the main road; Red Crossbill - one calling in flight; Compton Tortoiseshell - this is the first butterfly I have seen this year; Big Brown Bat - one flying over Hwy 28 at Woodview | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Colin Jones |
| March 15 | This morning, a Song Sparrow was singing near the viewing tower at the Lakefield Marsh. Also, about 25 Red-winged Blackbirds were scattered throughout the marsh singing. The same number were also present on Friday (up from the 2 seen on Thursday). | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 12 | Today I saw about a dozen Common Grackles in several small flocks. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 11 | At 9:00 am this morning I saw two male Red-winged Blackbirds taking up their posts on the cattails in the Lakefield Marsh. A pair of Merlin was flying around the campsite with the male calling. A Killdeer flew overhead, also vocal. Four male and one female Hooded Mergansers, and a Pied-billed Grebe were on the lake. And the pair of adult Bald Eagles could be seen sitting by their nest out on the island. A Downy Woodpecker was drumming on a dead tree branch, Mallards and Canada Geese were already paired up looking for nesting areas. Spring is here! | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| March 11 | We had a Common Grackle at our feeder in southeast Peterborough this morning. (Note: Colin Jones also reported a grackle today from Lakefield. Temperatures today reached 14 C.) | Peterborough | Vic Henderson |
| March 10 | Today, I was in the upper parking lot of St. John's Anglican Church on Brock St and noticed that a picnic table below a tree was covered with wood chips and up the tree was a Pileated Woodpecker. He had removed the bark for about 12 inches up the limb and about 7 inches wide ! This was about 9 am . I watched him for 5 minutes, took his picture and he just continued to make the chips fly! At about 2 pm I returned and he was still at it, only he had cut a hole 12 inches x 7 inches x 7 in.deep and was still working away .I went home and brought my wife to have a look and he was stiil at it at 2.30 pm - what stamina ! must of had a head ache or a sore neck. I took a picture with his head in the hole! | Peterborough | Bob Hinton |
| March 8 | A lone, adult Ring-billed Gull was flying above Edmison Heights School this afternoon. It is the first I've seen this "pre-spring." | Marina Blvd, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 7 | I heard my first Mourning Dove of the year calling this morning. |
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Drew Monkman |
| March 6 | Today, I saw a lone Sandhill Crane land right near the junction of the Old Keene Rd. (Cty Rd.#8) and County Road #2. It never made a sound, but it was neat to watch it glide in for a landing. | Keene | Rick Stankiewicz |
| March 6 | Birding conditions are excellent at Presqu'ile Provincial Park these days, with open water in much of Presqu'ile Bay as far inland as the calf pasture. There are several vantage points along Bayshore Road from which concentrations of waterfowl may be observed with minimal disturbance to the birds. Judging from the long-range weather forecast, hundreds of new migrants should appear this weekend. | Brighton, Ontario | Fred Helleiner |
| March 4 | Since Christmas I have had almost daily visits of a male Pileated Woodpecker to the suet in my yard. I live in a country setting with bush on either side. | Woodville | Ann Boyd |
| March 2 | Today, on Nassau Road in Peterborough, there were 100 Bohemian Waxwings. The Merlins are back at my house (near Inverlea Park), too. | Peterborough | Luke Berg |
| February 28 | Wow! I sighted a Bald Eagle today in the Young's Point area. It was in a grove of trees on the north side of Young's Point Road, just before Preston Road. The trees are on a hill and beside a farm with a brick bungalow. I was fortunate to have my camera with me, although I was some distance from this magnificent bird. | Young's Point | Deb Giroux |
| February 28 | Today, at around noon, I saw two Red-tailed Hawks out my back window sitting in a White Pine. | University Heights Blvd | Myranda Hawthorne |
| February 28 | This morning, I spotted two River Otters out on Buckhorn Lake. Looks like they may have been fishing near an unfrozen section of the causeway near Buckhorn village when a Common Raven arrived. One of the otters spent a few minutes shooing the raven away, who seemed very interested in whatever nibbles the otters had dragged onto the ice. | Buckhorn | Enzo DiMatteo |
| February 28 | Just an update on birds at my feeders. The Cooper's Hawk continues to harass my regulars, particularly the Mourning Doves. I have seen him chase them but have not seen him catch anything. I have American Robins from time to time and the Fox Sparrow continues to visit. | 1338 Tudor Crescent, Peterborough | Sue Paradisis |
| February 25 | Using a trail video camera, Janet Flint was able to record a pack of three Coyotes making a nocturnal visit to her cottage property on Chemong Lake. She could hear them at times but never really thought that they would be on the property. She also has a Black-capped Chickadee with an entirely white head that has been coming to the feeder at the cottage for four years now! | Chemong Lake | Janet Flint |
| February 21 | Pre-nesting activity has begun at the House Sparrow nesting box in our backyard. We observed the female sparrow this morning "cleaning house." She was taking "beakfulls" of old nesting material from the nest, and then flying up to a nearby branch where she would drop the bits of grass and feathers to the ground. In the meantime, the male sat on top of the box and watched the proceedings. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| February 17 | This evening, I saw a Red Fox crossing Nassau Mills Rd. while I was coming home from the Trent pool. I spotted it at 8:33p.m. | Nassau Mills Road, Trent University | Myranda Hawthorne |
| February 14 | Early this morning I was walking on McNamara Road south of the city when I encountered a large flock of Snow Buntings. They wheeled and soared over the field putting on quite a show. When they landed on the snow-covered ground they seemed to disappear all together. They would then spring into view again after a few seconds and do it all over again – quite a sight!! | McNamara Road, Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| February 14 | Four Wild Turkeys emerged from our neighbour's backyard and slowly made their way along the frozen shore before venturing out across the open ice, first to a tiny island some 300 metres away, and from there on to the other side of the lake. A bizarre sight! | Buckhorn Lake, behind Buckhorn Lane North | Enzo DiMatteo |
| February 13 | Today at noon, I heard my first Northern Cardinal in song for 2010. I also heard a report of a bird that was singing on Feb. 9th in the city. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| February 11 | At about 1:00 p.m., I was able to watch a Barred Owl in Burnham’s woods. I have seen several of these owls so far in 2010 in roughly the same location near the top of the trail just before the downhill section of the path. I know there is more than one due to the differences in size. | Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park, Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| February 7 | Today, my wife and I saw a Northern Hawk Owl behind house no. 232 in Bailieboro on County Road 28. Later in the afternoon, it was perched on a telephone wire just north of the village. | Bailieboro, ON | Drew Monkman |
| January 29 | I saw an adult Bald Eagle circling over the river just below the Hunter Street Bridge this morning around 10:00 a.m. | downtown Peterborough | Sue Paradisis |
| January 27 | A single Bald Eagle has been observed the last 2 days flying around upper Buckhorn Lake close to the village. | Buckhorn, Ontario | Derry Fairweather |
| January 25 |
A pair of Bald Eagles has been turning up regularly on the Otonabee River below Lock 19 in the vicinity of Cameron and Park streets. They are regularly seen hunting ducks (mallards) which are quite abundant in this sector of the river. The eagles swoop down on the ducks which dive underwater to escape. However, eventually one of the ducks will tire and get scooped up in the talons of one of the eagles. The birds then proceed to pluck them apart on the ice. A crow fell prey to the eagles recently, as well. Last winter, as many as five eagles turned up in this area at once.
|
Cameron Street at the Otonabee River | Bob Thompson |
| January 25 | A male Red-bellied Woodpecker has been at our feeder all winter. The bird only used to pass through in the spring and fall, but this winter he has stayed. |
Westview Drive, "The Glen" Pigeon Lake south |
Blair Hamilton |
| January 24 | I just had another visit from a Cooper's Hawk. It comes regularly in early winter and early spring but this is the first time I have spotted it in January. |
1338 Tudor Crescent, Peterborough |
Sue Paradisis |
| January 23 | I have a Fox Sparrow coming to my platform feeder that is about a foot off the ground. It is a large sparrow with heavy, russet streaking converging to a messy spot on its chest. The tail is russet. When it feeds, it kicks its feet backward in the pile of seeds I have put out. (This species is usually only seen briefly during fall and spring migration and almost never in winter. D.M.) | 1338 Tudor Crescent, Peterborough | Sue Paradisis |
| January 22 | From Oct. 11, 2009 until today I have again seen a female Red-bellied Woodpecker on 63 different days. The sightings were all in my yard or at the feeders. She is feeding on suet and sunflower seeds. | South Monaghan township, about 2.5 km south-east of Squirrel Creek Conservation Area | David Harries |
| January 21 | I have now received reports of Red-bellied Woodpeckers that are coming to feeders in the Keene area, Hiawatha, Millbrook, lower Pigeon Lake, and Cordova Lake near Havelock. |
Keene area Hiawatha Cordova Lake Larmer Line, Millbrook Lower Pigeon Lake |
Michael Gillespie Leah Johnson Betty Maker Wayne Stovell Blair Hamilton |
| January 20 | There were 300 Bohemian Waxwings, 100 meters west of the 911 sign for 1468 7th line of Smith-Ennismore, Lakefield Township at 1 p.m. today. The trees were full. We returned at 3:45 and none were seen. No doubt they are not far away. Directions - From central Peterborough go north on Water St. Outside of town it becomes Lakefield Rd. At the 7th line turn left or west. Cross Buckhorn Rd almost immediately. Continue to #1468 and look around. | Lakefield | Bob and Mary Hartley |
| January 11 | Today, my mother and I saw a Great Horned Owl at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary when we took the dogs for an early morning walk. |
Trent Wildlife Sanctuary, University Drive |
Luke Berg |
| January 9 | While out for a walk this past Saturday in some woods just east of Peterborough, I spotted a magnificent Great Gray Owl. It seemed to very much at ease while watching me take pictures of it! During the 10 minutes or so that I watched the owl from quite close range, it divided its attention between watching me and scanning the area around us, looking for any signs of movement from potential meals! | east of Peterborough | Ed Lukaszewicz |
| January 6 | We have a Northen Mockingbird coming to our feeder regularly. | 1092 Sharpe Line, R.R.#3 Cavan | Verna Windrem |
| January 6 | Today I had a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the yard. | Merino Dr., Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| January 2 | A Northern Goshawk came to check out our very active feeders on New Years Day . Happy New Year from Warsaw. | Warsaw | Maureen Smith |
| 2009 | |||
| December 24 | A Red-bellied Woodpecker has been a regular visitor to our suet hanging on Dec.23 and 24th. | 2 miles east of Keene | Michael Gillespie |
| December 23 | Today at 1:10 p.m. we saw an adult Bald Eagle soaring over the Otonabee River near the Trent University rowing club. | Trent University | Jennifer Budgell and Luke and Noah Berg |
| December 22 | A Red-bellied Woodpecker that was visiting my feeder here in Warsaw in November has shown up again. We include corn in our feed and it seems to prefer that to anything else. | Warsaw | Maureen Smith |
| December 21 | This afternoon at 2:50 PM we saw a juvenile Golden Eagle flying SW over the Trent Nature Area (parking lot side)! | Trent Nature Area | Luke Berg and Jennifer Budgell |
| December 21 | Another drama is unfolding on the south shore in Hamilton Bay. A number of deer (6-8) ran out on the ice and then hit a large patch of late freezing perfectly smooth ice. They seem unable to get back on their hooves. The ice is questionable or I'd slide them off. I skated out to the loon location...a 3 metre circle of newly formed ice. No feathers but my guess is that the eagles plucked them from the water and flew away with them. | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| December 20 |
Peterborough Christmas Bird Count Highlights: A total of 51 species was found, plus 2 count period birds so far. New species – American Wigeon (It was seen at Driscoll Cottages, south of Peterborough.) Record number for species – Wild Turkey (87), Common Raven (5), White-brested Nuthatch (95) Equals record for species – Pied-billed Grebe (1), Ring-necked Duck (1), Cooper’s Hawk (5), Merlin (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (2) Other species of interest included Bald Eagle (1), Red-tailed Hawk (39), White-throated Sparrow (1) and Brown Creeper (3). There were no Purple Finch, Pine Grosbeak, redpolls, siskins or crossbills. |
Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| December 19 | A deer carcass at Boschink Narrows had 4 coyotes, 3 eagles and a whole host of ravens and crows on it today. | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| December 15 | Today, we had a pair of Hooded Mergansers on the Indian River near 395 Sawmill Road, just north of the Warsaw Caves. We do have them in the spring and throughout the summer with their young, but they usually don't linger this late in the fall. | Warsaw | Jane Bremner |
| December 14 | Today there are two Common Loons trapped in a very small area of open water near the centre of Stony Lake. Two Bald Eagles are on the ice edge and are repeatedly trying to catch them. The loons quickly dive but I expect this will end badly for the loons. | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| December 11 | While in the Co-Op in Grafton a gentleman was discussing the sighting of a Cougar in the yard of a neighbour on Lyle St. | Grafton (east of Cobourg) | reported by Steven Watson |
| Dates of Christmas Bird Counts | The dates for the two local Christmas Bird Counts are Sunday, December 20th, Peterborough CBC, and Sunday, December 27th, Petroglyphs CBC. I would ask participants to let me know as soon as possible if they are available for either or both. As usual the compilations will be at Kelsey’s, opposite the Canadian Tire plaza on Landsdowne St. at 5:00p.m. Contact me at tanddbigg@sympatico.com or phone 1-705-652-7541. Newcomers to the area, and newcomers to birding, are welcome to participate. | Peterborough Area | Coordinator: Tony Bigg |
| November 22 | Activity of at our feeder has hit the annual November doldrums. Apart from the chickadees, all I'm seeing is half a dozen juncoes, a pair of Blue Jays, a Downy Woodpecker, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and two or three American Goldfinch. On Friday, a Cooper's Hawk made a brief appearance | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| November 21 | I saw my first Bald Eagle of the season today. It lumbered down the centre of the main body of Lower Stony Lake. We also have a flock of Evening Grosbeaks feeding on the stags of the sumacs. | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| November 20 | Today, at about 11:00 a.m., there was a Cackling Goose on the Otonabee River across from Peterborough Manor on Water Street. | Water Street | Luke Berg |
| November 12 | Today, there is a single Snow Goose hanging out with a large group of Canada Geese immediately above Lock 23 on the Otonabee River between Trent and Lakefield. | Otonabee River | Colin Jones |
| November 5 | I had an Osprey (adult) just downriver from Hastings today. Also a Great Blue Heron and two Hooded Mergansers. | Hastings | Geoff Carpentier |
| November 2 | Today I saw a Northern Shrike at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. | Trent University | Luke Berg |
| October 25 | Today, at about 9:30 a.m. I saw a Cackling Goose mixed in with a group of Canada Geese on the Otonabee River under the Inverlea bridge on Parkhill Road east. | Parkhill Road and Otonabee River | Luke Berg |
| October 24 | Only a couple of White-throated Sparrows remain in our yard. However, junco numbers have increased to nearly a dozen. | Maple Cres. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| October 17 | On my walk today along the rail-trail from Jackson Park to Ackison Road, I saw and heard a number of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Dark-eyed Juncos, and White-throated Sparrows. One Rusty Blackbird flew over, making its "squeaky clothesline" call. Later, I saw a large flock of American Robins at Wallis and Parkhill. Two female Purple Finch have been visiting our feeder in recent days, in addition to several White-throats and Juncos. | Trans-Canada Trail | Drew Monkman |
| October 9 | This morning I watched a Sora walking around and feeding on water lily pads in the Lakefield Marsh. Nothing too unusual in that – but then the Sora swam across from one clump of lilies to the next. I have never seen a rail swimming before. Yesterday the same marsh and area had 3 Blue-winged Teal, 9 Wood Ducks, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Loon, White-crowned Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and only one warbler- a Yellow-rumped Warbler. | Lakefield Marsh | Tony Bigg |
| October 8 | White-throated Sparrows are passing through our area in large numbers right now. We have a dozen or so in our backyard every day. I always make a point of spreading sunflower seeds on the grass at this time of year. Once you learn their high-pitched call note, you'll start hearing it everywhere these days. The first Dark-eyed Juncos are also arriving. I saw two yesterday morning. Today, I also saw a late Monarch Butterfly. It was flying due south. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| September 27 | Today, we saw our first Snapping Turtle hatchling of the year. It may have been from a clutch that we saw deposited in our gravel driveway on June 19, though it was raided by (presumably) a raccoon. We protected what was left (which wasn't much) with some wire netting over the top but the area shows no obvious sign of emergence. We saw none last year but our first encounter with newly hatched snapping turtles was two years ago when we saw seven over a few days safely making their way to the river. Inevitably they were recorded in my wife's journal as Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful and Doc! | Sawmill Road, North Dummer Township | Peter & Stephenie Armstrong |
| September | We trapped a live Opossum in Peterborough this month at Milltown Mini Golf behind the Swiss Chalet on Lansdowne Street. We had the trap set to catch skunks and we cought the Opossum instead. I let it go where we trapped it because they don't seem to be a threat of any kind. It was very timid and didn't want to leave the trap. We left it alone and finally after more that one hour it left the trap. | Peterborough | Barry Cross |
| September 19 | According to climatologist Dave Philllips of Environment Canada, the 19-day dry spell we have just had has been the driest September period on record for Peterborough. He also said that the past summer was only a degree cooler than normal and that rain was only 5% more than usual. | Peterborough | Environment Canada |
| September 15 | Late afternoon in our yard at Sawmill Road a gaggle of five Ruffed Grouse (greys), presumably a fully grown young brood, casually and calmly ambling across the short grass for a few minutes before the one in the vanguard scuttled off into the sedge and longer grasses to be followed in similar skittish fashion by the other four, though each in turn and in its own time. | Sawmill Road, North Dummer Township | Peter & Stephenie Armstrong |
| September 15 | The foxes have returned to the fairways of the Peterborough Golf and Country Club after an eight to ten week absence. They are resplendent in their developing Fall coats and look fit to take on the coming change of season. We watched one as it stalked some black squirrels that were foraging near the giant oak tree on the first fairway. The fox crept stealthily towards the squirrels, keeping the large trunk of the oak between himself and his potential prey. When he was spotted he ran on a tangent towards a small tree that was adjacent to the oak in an attempt to cut off any squirrels that attempted to flee in its direction. We could see that the fox was still using the large oak to block the sight lines that any of the squirrels might have as they veered towards the smaller tree. When they did see the fox they were now caught out in the open and had to make it back to the oak before the fox could run them down. We thought he had one of the squirrels until it managed to out manoeuvre the fox in a lightning ground chase. He managed to escape by jumping at the last possible moment onto the trunk of the oak. It was a close call for sure and the squirrels showed their anxiety by loudly protesting from the braches above. The fox’s strategy had almost worked – that little squirrel had the fright of his life and we got to see why “cunning” is such an apt term to describe the Red Fox! | Peterborough Golf and Country Club | Ross Jamieson |
| September 14 | There must have been considerable migration overnight because a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, four Purple Finch, four White-throated Sparrows, a Tennesee Warbler, and two Magnolia Warblers, turned up in our yard this morning. | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| September 12 | Bird contact calls in the night sky were very noticeable this evening at about 10:00 p.m. There were obviously a lot of migrants passing overhead. | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| September 1 | At about 7:15 this morning I watched a black wolf canter up the street and into a field just south of my home on Ojibway Dr. N. in Burleigh Falls. I thought I may have been seeing things, but I watched it for a few minutes as it casually explored then moved off to the east and into the forest. | Burleigh Falls | Linda Post |
| August 30 | Eacles imperialis (Imperial Moth) caterpillar crawling across the cement block patio at our home in Sawmill Road near Warsaw at about midday today. Temporarily posed it with an oak leaf to get some close-up photographs. | Sawmill Rd., Warsaw | Stephenie & Peter Armstrong |
| August 29 | Migrating warblers have been showing up in our backyard over the past week. This morning, an American Redstart and a Black-throated Green Warbler were present for several hours. Migrating hummingbirds are showing up daily as well. | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| August 14 | Three Common Nighthawks flew over our house in Peterborough at 7:00 p.m. this evening, August 14th. They were heading southwest and presumably migrating. | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| August 10 | Both a male and a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak have been visiting our feeder in recent days. However, they never come at the same time, making me wonder if the birds are indeed a pair. This is the first time we've had this species at our feeder during the summer months | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| August 5 | Today, a Monarch Butterfly turned up in our backyard garden for the first time this year! | Maple Cr. Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| August 5 | Brian Wales had a White-winged Dove in his garden today. He was able to photograph the bird. If you go to see it, give him a call first at 876-9375. | 412 London St. (just east of Park), Peterborough | Brian Wales |
| August 3 | On July 16, 2009 I found a young Merlin in our backyard, unable to fly. It was on the ground near a neighbour's feeder and I watched him for 30 minutes and no parents came. I picked him up and realized that it was fully fledged and had an injured left wing. I kept him two days and fed him scraps of beef and then transferred him to Dave Ascott, an MNR permitted raptor rehabilitator. Dave fed him, let him fly around and took care of him until today, at which point he called me to tell me the bird was ready to release. I brought it back to the same place where I found it and we opened the cage and away it flew, right back to the area near the feeders. Hopefully it will find some lunch or dinner and continue to terrorize the House Sparrows and Starlings frequenting the feeders. There was at least one nest of Merlin on our street and perhaps nest another closer to Queen Mary School. No shortage around downtown. Once a week I hear their high pitched calls (ki,ki,ki,ki). | Gilmour St. Peterborough | Chris Risley |
| July 30 | Today, we observed and photographed both a female and male Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis). This large, yellow moth has pinkish-brown patches. It is a member of the silk moth family. The female, which is larger than the male, can have a wingspan of as much as seven inches! | Upper Buckhorn Lake |
Bev & Wally Boam Derry & Nancy Fairweather |
| July 18 |
The annual Petroglyph Butterfly Count, organized and compiled by Jerry Ball, took place on July 18. Cool, wet weather this spring and summer are the most probable explanations as to why both the number of species and the number of individual butterflies were much lower than usual. 49 species and 2885 individual butterflies were recorded by the 11 participants. In 2008, 57 species were tallied along with 5148 individuals. The following are this year's results: eastern tiger swallow-tail (1), Canadian tiger swallow-tail (2), mustard white (8), cabbage white (22), clouded sulphur (31), pink-edged sulphur (7), bronze copper (2), bog copper (28), Acadian hairstreak (7), coral hairstreak (18), banded hairstreak (2), hickory hairstreak (1), striped hairstreak (1), summer azure (12), great spangled fritillary (32), Aphrodite fritillary (10), Atlantis fritillary (7), pearl crescent (5), northern crescent (145), eastern comma (5), green comma (1), grey comma (4), Compton tortoiseshell (1), mourning cloak (3), American lady (13), white admiral (15), viceroy (1), northern pearly-eye (43), eyed brown (105), Appalachian brown (5), little wood-satyr (1), common wood-nymph (5), monarch (29), silver-spotted skipper (3), columbine duskywing (12), Delaware skipper (14), least skipper (36), European skipper (1888), Peck's skipper (15), tawny-edged skipper (4), crossline skipper (4), long dash (11), northern broken-dash (8), little glasswing (1), Hobomok skipper (2), mulberry wing (20), broad-winged skipper (78), Dion skipper (1), Dun skipper (216) |
Count circle of 15 miles (24 km) in diameter. Centre of circle located in Petroglyph Provincial Park. Area includes Petroglyph Provincial Park, Jack Lake Road, County Road 46, Sandy Lake Road, Northey's Bay Road, etc. | Jerry Ball |
| July 27 | A Green Heron was observed at Six Foot Bay Golf Course in Buckhorn. | Buckhorn | Pat Edwards |
| July 27 | I saw two juvenile Sandhill Cranes walking on the alvar just to the south and east of Irwin Inn (south side of Stoney Lake) at 7:30 a.m. today. They were the size of full grown Great Blue Herons, about 4’tall, but BROWN, and walking around in an upland field. | Stoney Lake | Terry Rees |
| July 27 | Almost every morning at between 7:00 and 8:00 AM our foursome watches a pair of Red Foxes as they make their morning rounds at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club here in Peterborough. They appear to be hunting for the squirrels and rabbits that are common on the grounds, and we frequently see them with captured prey in their mouths. The last tufts of their winter coats have completely disappeared and they are lean and gaunt looking. It is not unusual to have them approach to within 20 feet, giving us cursory glances that briefly interrupt their focus before they continue on their way. | Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| July 27 | An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail appeared in our garden today, the first of the year. It spent its time on the Purple Coneflower and Joe-Pye Weed. This species flies later in the summer than the very similar Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| July 21 | I am sitting here, looking out our back window at 4 Red Foxes playing. Three days ago we had one, then two, but tonight there are four. I assume they are this years young but they are quite large. I live in town on Weller Street beside the hospital. In the 60 years my parents have owned this house, there have never been fox here. Fun watching them. | Weller Street, Peterborough | Anne Anthony |
| July 17 | I found an Eastern Milk Snake curled up in my woodshed (attached to the house) underneath a garbage can. The shed seams to be a favorite spot for snakes. I am located 6 km east of Havelock on Highway 7. | Havelock | Ulrike Kullik |
| July 17 | I have only twice in my career had the opportunity to come across an endangered species while on my way into work. The first time was about 17 years ago while driving to the East Gate of Algonquin Park and driving up to a Peregrine Falcon standing on the roadway, right on the centreline. Then, this morning at 8:15 a.m., as I walked to Robinson Place in downtown Peterborough and I looked up at the historic Clock Tower in Peterborough Square and there is another Peregrine Falcon! This time I got the pictures to prove it. What a way to start the day! | Peterborough Square | Rick Stankiewicz |
| July 17 | Today, at Jackson Park, my family and I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk. It was probably guarding its nest which we saw below the hawk. A blue jay was flying to the nest but failed to get there. After that, the jay attacked the hawk by grabbing at its neck and head. The hawk was unhurt and did not seem to care. It was calling for a while before it flew off. | Jackson Park, Peterborough | Riley Young |
| July 9 | A pair of Merlins have been present in the area of Dufferin and Ross streets for at least the last two months. There is a large nest high up a spruce on the northwest corner of the intersection. Today, my son was able to get a good look at one of them that had splayed itself out on a roof top (sunbathing?). | area of Dufferin and Ross streets in Peterborough | Ivan Bateman |
| June 28 | Several dozen Showy Lady's-slippers orchids were in full bloom today east of Warsaw. | Warsaw | Drew Monkman |
| June 24 | This morning at about 7:00 a.m., I saw and heard two Sandhill Cranes. They were calling back and forth. | 4th Line of Douro, half way between Centre Line and the dead-end of the road | Leo Condon |
| June 13 | A Pine Siskin showed up at our feeder in Peterborough today. It was the first I've seen in the yard in several weeks and a very late sighting for this species. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 11 | Jerry Ball found an American Avocet today at the Aspinal's Farm on Johnson Dr. Directions: Take Monaghan Road south, under the Bypass. It becomes Johnson Dr when it swings west and follows the bypass. Johnson jogs left, then right and then on the north side opposite house #1111 there are several small ponds in the cow field. The Avocet was in these pond. (N.B. The bird was still there on June 13.) | Johnson Drive, Peterborough | Jerry Ball |
| June 4 | I heard and saw a Whip-poor-will on the Rotary Trail, just south of Thomas A. Stewart high school today around 9:30 pm. | Peterborough | Ichora |
| June 4 | At least two pairs of Common Nighthawks were flying over the fields across from Camp Kawartha (east of Camp Line Road and south of Birchview Road) tonight. The males were doing their diving display and producing the whoosing "hoooov" sound at the bottom of each dive. | Clear Lake | Drew Monkman |
| June 4 | Today, a Virginia Rail skittered across the Rotary Trail ahead of us near the crossing of Douro 8th Concession. | Douro 8th Concession | Jane Bremner |
| May 31 | Today, we saw two Sandhill Cranes in a farmer's field next to #3211 on County Road 6 (formerly Stoney Lake Rd). | Stoney Lake Road | Lynne and Len Cotton |
| May 31 | Today, I went for a walk in the Trent University Nature Reserve and saw 1 Northern Mockingbird on the canal side. | Trent University | Luke Berg |
| May 30 | I had 2 summer adult Sandhill Cranes today just outside of Keene on Cty Rd. 2 in first farm field on left. They are difficult to see as they blend in nicely with the soil from the field. This was at 6:00 pm. | Keene | Sarah Petrasek |
| May 30 | Blackpoll Warbler singing in the yard this morning | Maple Cres., Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 28 | I had a "summer adult" Sandhill Crane today on my property. | 2902 County Road 38, Warsaw | Didi Anderson |
| May 23 | Migrating Blackpoll Warblers were calling from the trees as hundreds of people milled about at the annual Gilmour Street Garage Sale. | Peterborough | Chris Risley |
| May 14 | A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up at our feeder today. I also had reports of males today, as well, at two separate feeders in the west end of Peterborough. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 13 | I saw two Sandhill Cranes today soaring high over Highway 7, just west of Ski Hill Road in Omemee. | Omemee | Gavin Hunter |
| May 10 | In Cavan Woods this morning, I had 10 new year birds including: male Scarlet Tanager, Vesper Sparrow, Nashville Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, CommonYellowthroat, Ovenbird, Solitary Sandpiper, and Willow Flycatcher ("whit" call). | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| May 7 | I heard my first American Toads of the year "trilling" this evening in the west end of Peterborough. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 7 | White Trilliums are now in bloom in many areas including Champlain Heights Woods and Buckhorn. | Peterborough and Buckhorn |
Aidan Hickie-Bentzen Andy Curtis |
| May 7 | This evening I visited a spot where a heron had been observed starting to nest back in March. At the time there was only one nest observed. Now there are at least 7 nests. Great Blue Herons were seen on several of the nests. Hermit Thrushes were singing away in the woods along with the occasional Black and White Warbler's rusty sounding whistle. | Trent University Nature Area | Jennifer Budgell |
| May 6 | Both Least Bittern and American Bittern were calling in the Lakefield Marsh this morning at 7:30 a.m. The Least Bittern was at 11 o’clock looking out at the marsh from the Doug Sadler tower. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| May 2 | Today, in Cavan Woods, there were black-and-white warblers, northern waterthrush, black-throated green warblers, and great crested flycatchers. Today I also saw an American redstart. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| May 1 | I saw an Opossum today dead on the road near the junction of County Road 10 and Highway 115. | Millbrook | George Joncas |
| May 1 | At dusk tonight, my wandering eye checked the feeders and what should appear comfortably perched in the big pine tree but a mother Black Bear and her little cub. She looked at me, 3 ft. away and quickly unfurled herself, slid down the trunk, and lumbered across the yard to the back bay. The little cub slid farther down the tree, and then raced up another trunk and waited. Mother returned about 20 minutes later and the two of them disappeared to the north. I guess we will have to learn to live with them Today the feeders come down - except the little niger seed one which is covered with finches. Wood Ducks are in the back pond where the old turtles are sunning. No sign of the new baby turtles. | Kawartha Park on Clear Lake | Sandra and Dick Burri |
| May 1 | This morning I saw my first Chimney Swifts of the year (about six) flying above the intersection of Hunter and George in downtown Peterborough. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 30 | Today I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker on Geraldine Avenue in Peterborough. At the Trent Nature Area on the canal side, there were Spotted sandpiper (1), Fox sparrow (2), Palm warbler (5), Yellow-rumped warbler (10) and Pied-billed grebe (3). They were 15 feet away from me! | Peterborough and Trent Nature Area | Luke Berg |
| April 30 | At least two and possibly three American Bitterns and two Soras were very vocal at Millers Creek (7th line of Smith-Ennismore, 1 km east of Bridgenorth) this morning (5:45 to 6:15 a.m.). Also a single Virginia Rail was calling from the Lakefield Marsh at 7:15 a.m. A Warbling Vireo was singing in the small woodlot behind the Doug Sadler tower. | Lakefield area | Tony Bigg |
| April 29 | I saw an Eastern Kingbird this morning at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. There were also Palm warblers (3) Whip-poor- will (1 heard), House wren, (1) Winter wren (1), and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1). | Trent Wildlife Sanctuary | Luke Berg |
| April 29 | Today, there were two Northern Shovelers in the second pond of the Lakefield sewage lagoons, together with many of the regular ducks. There was no sign of the Barrow’s Goldeneye either on the river or in the lagoons. | Lakefield sewage lagoons | Tony Bigg |
| April 28 | We had a few new birds show up this morning in the yard; 2 male Baltimore Orioles, a White-crowned Sparrow in the brushpile, and a Yellow Warbler in lilacs. I mentioned in my last posting about the straggling American Tree Sparrows at my place. There was at least one still present Sunday evening, but I believe they are finally gone now. | Young's Point Road | Myles Falconer |
| April 28 | At the Trent Nature Area on the canal side today, I saw Pied-billed grebe (2) - Green heron (2) doing courtship display - Yellow-rumped warbler (15) - Hooded Merganser (1) - Female Ring-necked pheasant (1) - Brown Thrasher (1) - Northern Mockingbird (1) - Caspian tern (2) two weeks now - Blanding's turtle (1) | Trent Nature Area | Luke Berg |
| April 27 | At 9:30 this morning the male Barrow’s Goldeneye was just north of Lock 25, Sawyer’s Creek, south of Lakefield. A good flight of migrants arrived last night. New arrivals were two Solitary Sandpipers by Duoro 9th Line south of the first farm south of Cty Rd 4 (Warsaw Rd), Black-throated Green Warblers and Yellow Warblers in the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary west of the parking lot, a Northern Waterthrush east of Lock 23, and White-crowned Sparrows at my feeders in Lakefield. The Caspian Terns are still on the canal area seen from the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary blue trail west of the parking lot. | Lakefield / Trent University | Tony Bigg |
| April 27 | Lakefield Sewage Lagoons - Bufflehead (55) - Ring-necked duck (11) - Common goldeneye (16) - Barrow's goldeneye (1) - Lesser scaup (3) - Greater scaup (6) - Common loon (1) - Greater yellowlegs (1) | Lakefield | Luke Berg |
| April 27 | On April 25, my parents had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at their bird feeder on University Rd.. Today, across the road from their house, they heard a male Ovenbird on territory. | University Road, Peterborough | Peter Burke |
| April 26 | On the rail trail north of Trent University yesterday, we had Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, a single Bank Swallow. There were also heavy choruses of Chorus Frog, Spring Peeper, Wood Frog and Northern Leopard Frog. On our return to the parking lot on the north side of East Bank Drive there was a single Bohemian Waxwing sitting in the top of a flowering American Elm. | Trent University | Don Sutherland |
| April 25 | This afternoon, I found a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE at the Lakefield Sewage Ponds in Lakefield. The bird was swimming in the first pond (the one nearest the road) with Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup. To reach the Lakefield Sewage Ponds take Hwy 28 N (formerly Highway 134) of Peterborough to County Rd 33 and turn left. Drive approx. 1km - the driveway leading to the sewage ponds is on the left (S side). Park at the side so not to block the gateway. | Lakefield | Bill Crins |
| April 25 | This morning my son and I observed a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeding in the large spruce tree in our front yard on Riverview Heights in the city’s south east end. It continued from where it left off last summer by excavating at an ordered set of holes around the trunk of the tree. This fellow has been a regular visitor to our neighbourhood for several years now. | Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| April 25 | The Bloodroot in my garden was in full bloom today, along with Hepatica. Coltsfoot is in full bloom, too, along roadsides throughout the area. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 25 | A Red-bellied Woodpecker is coming to my feeder near Lasswade, east of Aplsey. | Lasswade (County Road 46 at Lasswade Road) | Linda Fierheller |
| April 22 | This morning, a Brown Thrasher foraged in the leaf litter in our garden. A few metres away, female Red-bellied Woodpecker fed on suet. This bird has be an irregular visitor to our feeders since Dec 17. Also present is a single Fox Sparrow, a dozen Pine Siskins, and five Purple Finches, along with the other regulars. Common Redpoll and American Tree Sparrows appear to have moved on. | Mt. Julian (Stony Lake) | Michael Butler |
| April 21 | A male Purple Finch visited our feeder today. It was the first male of the year. | Maple Cres., Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 21 | I don't if many others still have American Tree Sparrows around their feeders, but today I still have about 10-12 hanging out in the bushpiles and eating crack corn. I thought it was getting rather late for these birds. Also of note, yesterday I had a small flock (~6-8) Bohemian Waxwings on the west side of the Otonabee River just north of Champlain College at the Trent U campus. These are presumably some of the same group of birds I have seen at this location almost all winter long. | Young's Pt. Road and Trent University | Myles Falconer |
| April 19 | I saw my first Chipping Sparrow of the year this morning at my feeder. The Fox Sparrow is still present in our yard and singing non-stop. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 18 | A quick trip to Little Lake yielded Common Loon - 1 Double-crested Cormorant - 6 (beautiful "double crests" on some of them) Lesser Scaup - 2 Mallard - 4 Bufflehead - 7 Northern Flicker - 2 (at Little Lake Cemetary) Eastern Phoebe - 3 (at the Ecology Park) Black-capped Chickadee - 3 Pine Siskin - 8 (at the Ecology Park) Northern Cardinal - 3 Dark-eyed Junco - 2 and Song Sparrow - 5. I saw no Tree Swallows at Little Lake. | Little Lake | Chris Risley |
| April 18 | This morning, I checked out the Lakefield Marsh and the Lakefield Sewage Ponds. At the sewage ponds (I only checked the first pond) there were quite a number of ducks as follows: Bufflehead - 150 Ring-necked Duck - 50 Lesser Scaup - 20 Common Goldeneye - 6 Hooded Merganser - 1 There was also a Savannah Sparrow singing in the field beside the lagoons. At the Lakefield Marsh there were fewer ducks with only about 20 Ring-necked, 6 Bufflehead, and a few Mallards. The best duck was a single male Northern Shoveler. A couple of Swamp Sparrows were singing in the marsh and several female Red-winged Blackbirds were also present (these are the first females that I've seen although the males have been back for a while). The lack of Tree Swallows (only a few at the lagoons and none seen anywhere else) is disturbing. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| April 17 | Today (1730h -1815h) while walking the dogs along the rail trail north of Trent U, we heard several strong choruses of Northern Leopard Frog, as well as strong choruses of Chorus Frog, and lesser ones of both Wood Frog and Spring Peeper. We also heard and saw a Hermit Thrush. | Trent University | Don Sutherland |
| April 16 | I had my first Savannah Sparrow singing in the backyard field today. | 1798 Young's Pt. Road, Lakefield | Myles Falconer |
| April 15 | Also, the frogs the Wood Frogs are quacking like crazy today. The Eastern Bluebirds have come back to our vineyard again for the third year. Also, saw the first Tree Swallows arrived today, circling the bluebird box. We also observed nesting activity on the part of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers in our woodlot. | Omemee | Scott Sargent |
| April 15 | This morning at about 6:30 AM I watched two Ospreys carrying nesting materials to the man-made nesting platform in front of the Federation of Anglers and Hunters building on Guthrie Drive in the city’s south end. A few minutes later I observed three White-tailed Deer feeding in a harvested soya bean field west of McNamara road. These deer can be seen most days in roughly the same location if one arrives between 6 and 7 AM. | Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| April 15 | I have had a White-crowned Sparrow at my feeder yesterday and today. | Merino Dr., Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| April 14 | I saw a Wild Turkey hen race across the bike path at the edge of Jackson Park (between the Parkhill bridge and Bonaccord St.) | Jackson Park, Peterborough | Laura Gardner |
| April 14 |
At Trent University Nature Area - Canal Side: Caspian Tern 2; Ring-necked Duck 2; Greater Scaup 2; Tree Swallow 25 At Trent University Nature Area - Parking Lot side: Eastern Bluebird 1 On Benson Avenue in Peterborough: Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 |
Trent University Peterborough |
Luke Berg |
| April 13 | Common Mergansers and Ring Necked Ducks 100's; Double-crested Cormorant 1; Great Blue Heron 1; Hooded Merganser 2; Greater Scaup; Lesser Scaup; Northern Flicker 2; Pileated Woodpecker 1; Bufflehead; Common Goldeneye | Serpent Mounds Provincial Park on Rice Lake | Luke Berg |
| April 12 | I saw a Sandhill Crane today flying over my house and heading towards the river. | Omemee | Gavin Hunter |
| April 12 | Winter finches are still coming to the feeder. Today, there were a half dozen or so Pine Siskins and one Common Redpoll. Two Fox Sparrows and several juncos were also present. On April 10, a female Purple Finch showed up briefly. | Maple Cres., Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 11 | Green Winged Teal -3 female and 4 male; Bald Eagle 2; Wood Duck 12; Eastern Blue Bird 4; Mute Swan 2; Great Blue Heron 2; Northern Harrier 2; Turkey Vultures 7; Red Tail Hawk 5 | Near Ganaraska Rd. and Stone House Rd. | Luke Berg |
| April 9 | Today and Wednesday there were 3 Greater Yellowlegs on County Rd. 2 south of Bensfort in a very large flooded field on the east side of the road. Also there are still three Osprey hanging out together where County Rd. 2 turns west at the shore of Rice Lake. Two are usually in one nest and one bird is in the nest on the neighbouring hydro pole. The "third wheel" has been building up the nest to the west all week. It will be interesting to see how long the third individual sticks around. The birds in the eastern nest are usually paired. There are many Northern Harriers and Kestrels along this stretch of road and Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds here and there. | Rice Lake area | Ben Walters |
| April 9 | A Barn Swallow was among a large group of Tree Swallows over the Otonabee south of Lakefield today. One Greater Yellowlegs was in the flooded field at Cty Rd 4 and Duoro 9th Line, also today. | Lakefield area | Tony Bigg |
| April 9 | I heard my first White-throated Sparrow of the spring migration. | Maple Cres., Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 8 | This morning two Brown-headed Cowbirds appeared for the first time at our platform feeder on the Otonabee River south of Landsdowne street. A male American Goldfinch appeared in full breeding plumage for the first time just before lunch. On Tuesday evening, a female Red-winged Blackbird made an initial appearance. | Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| April 5 | This afternoon at Serpent Mounds, on the north side of Rice Lake, we had several thousand Lesser Scaup and a few hundred Greater Scaup (Approximately 80-90% Lesser). We also had 300-400 American Wigeon although there may have been more (There were ducks as far as the eye could see and it really makes one wonder how many tens of thousands there could be on the lake right now). There were 1000+ Ring-necked Ducks and ~200 Common goldeneye. There were smaller numbers of Redhead (~50-100), Common Mergansers (100-200), Bufflehead (~100) and Canvasback (~50). Surprisingly, there was probably less than 20 Mallards and similar numbers of Black Ducks. We were able to find less than 10 Pintail and 2 Northern Shoveller drakes and 1 hen in the mix. There were 3 Coots close to the beach at the park. Also in the park was an early Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and many creepers along with a several Golden-crowned Kinglets. There were also some cormorants hanging out by their nests near the park's south beach. Just outside of the park (approximately 0.5km north) we had a few Tree Swallows and a late Northern Shrike. On the first road to the right after leaving the park there was a very vocal Red-bellied Woodpecker. Also of interest was a partial leucistic Red-tailed Hawk on Duncan rd. (2 roads west of Serpent Mounds road) and 12 Pintail, a black duck/mallard hybrid drake, and a Green-winged Teal in a flooded field on Drummond Line. There were three Osprey at a nest near Baillieborough and two Kestrels on County Road 2 north of Baillieborough. Serpent Mounds Park is south of Keene on Serpent Mounds Road which intersects County Road 2. The park is currently "CLOSED" so I am not really sure if you are supposed to go in or not (My disclaimer). When it is open it costs $8.00/car. | Rice Lake area | Ben Walters |
| April 5 | This morning I saw my first Osprey flying over 6 Foot Bay Road and later another one at Gannon Narrows. "Our" single Common Loon has returned, but the pair that usually inhabits this area hasn't turned up yet. | Buckhorn | Toni Sinclair |
| April 4 | A pair of Osprey showed up on the nesting platform at the Cty. Rd. 2 and Old Keene Rd. today. | Keene | Rick Stankiewicz |
| April 4 | A Fox Sparrow made a brief appearance in our yard this morning. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 2 | There were three male Rusty Blackbirds singing across the road from my place today. | 1798 Young's Point Road, Lakefield | Myles Falconer |
| April 2 | This morning we had also had a Tree Swallow, checking out the usual swallow nesting box in our back yard. There is also a singing Eastern Bluebird in the neighborhood, an Eastern Phoebe showed up yesterday, and a couple Chorus Frogs started calling from the wetland here on the 7th Line Smith last Saturday. | 7th Line of Smith Twsp near the Otonabee River | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 1 | Today I saw several Rusty Blackbirds at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. This evening, I observed 12 Blue-spotted Salamanders and two Spotted Salamanders crossing the road on Camp's Line near Birchview Road | Trent University and Stony Lake | Luke Berg |
| April 1 | Today , I observed my first Tree Swallows (5) of the year, calling in flight over the Avenues area of downtown Peterborough. There are Pine Siskins in song all over the downtown area, usually in yards with at least one, dense planted spruce. No doubt these birds are paired and are nesting. | Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| March 31 | Cathy Darevic and I had our first Osprey of the year today. It was flying along the Otonabee in the vicinity of the East City baseball diamond nest of last year. | Peterborough | Simon Dodsworth |
| March 30 | Whilst doing an Earth Day walk in Lakefield on Saturday evening (March 28) our party came across a Leopard Frog hopping along the side of the road in Lakefield (9:10 pm). Earlier in the evening I heard several American Woodcocks around Trent. One was right at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary car park; about five were calling in the area of the baseball park off Nassau Rd, and two were calling just north of the campus by River Rd at the power lines. | Lakefield and Trent University | Tony Bigg |
| March 29 | I only had time for a quick check this evening, but 1 Blue-spotted Salamander crossing the road near my house at 8:45 p.m. (~ 8 km west of Buckhorn) heading north towards the breeding pond. I didn't see any Spotted Salamanders. I heard no frogs. Snow patches in the woods here are still fairly extensive, despite the rain. | Buckhorn | Martyn Obbard |
| March 29 | The warm temperature (+5 C) and rain triggered some salamander migration this evening from a hardwood stand, across Mt. Julian - Viamede Road Road, to a known breeding pond (44.5789, -78.1482). At 8:40 pm I counted 28 Blue-spotted and five (yellow-) Spotted Salamanders crossing a 100 m stretch of the road. Some photos here : http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=vernal%20pool&w=28113115%40N00 I heard no frogs. | Mt. Julian (Stony Lake) | Michael Butler |
| March 28 | At around 7:30 p.m., Simon Dodsworth, Rob Craig and I heard a few Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs calling from the wetland along University Road. A Great Horned Owl was also perched atop a dead tree in the marsh, too. | University Road, Peterborough | Colin Jones |
| March 28 | While cleaning up the backyard, I was visited by a flock of 25 or so waxwings. The sound seemed a bit off, so when I took a closer look I noticed about 10 of them were Bohemian Waxwings. They appeared to be feeding from the swollen Silver Maple buds. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| March 28 |
Today at approximately 5 p.m. I observed a Painted Turtle sunning himself on a log in the marsh at the end of North School Rd. in Young's Point. (Note: temperature today reached at least 15 C. The snow has been almost entirely gone for almost two weeks, at least in the city of Peterborough. D.M.) |
Young's Point | Ernie Basciano |
| March 28 | Today, we walked the dogs in Petroglyphs Provincial Park. Five singing male Pine Siskins were heard and after watching a pair for about 10 minutes the female was observed gathering and carrying nesting material to a nearly completed nest ~5-6m up in a 8-9m young White Spruce. Near the entrance kiosk, a Common Raven pair was observed at their nest, ~12m in a White Pine. Also heard/observed were a displaying male Northern Goshawk, a pair of Merlin (near park entrance) and about a dozen Brown Creepers. Lots of vocal Red-breasted Nuthatches (most paired), White-breasted Nuthatches and chickadees. Also observed were a single Mourning Cloak and a Comma (Polygonia sp.) butterflies. No chorus frogs heard yet. Thicket swamps in the park are still ice/snow-covered, but outside the park, particularly along the South Stony Lake Rd. thicket swamps at many sites are now ice-free, and there should be some choruses following 25-30mm of rain forecasted for tonight. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| March 27 | This morning at about 10:15 AM my dog Willow and I came face to face with a large Wild Turkey beside the third green at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club. It walked out of a cedar clump right in front of us. Willow was off leash and gave chase for about thirty metres before the turkey took flight and soared up into the trees behind the seventh tee. Unlike Mr Carlson’s unfortunate turkeys on “WKPR in Cincinnati” “this turkey could really fly. | Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| March 26 | Today in Peterborough, I saw my first Northern Flicker of the year at Aylmer and Sherbrooke Streets. | Peterborough | Randy Smith |
| March 26 | On Stony Lake, increasing numbers of waterfowl can be seen from the bottom of Dunford's Road, northeast of Burleigh Falls, about 1.5 km south of Hwy 28. Present today were: Bald Eagle 1 (subadult); Canada Goose 15; Mallard 8; Am. Black Duck 2; American Wigeon 3; Common Merganser 200+; Hooded Merganser ~50; Common Goldeneye 4; Bufflehead 2; and Ring-necked Duck 35. | Stony Lake | Michael Butler |
| March 26 | Half way down 6 Ft. Bay Road near Buckhorn there were 2 male Eastern Bluebirds on March 25. Today, there is also a female bluebird. Today on Buckhorn Lake, an Otter hung around most of the day. "Our" Great Blue Heron seems to have returned, wading along the shoreline. Around 5 pm there were at least a hundred Ring-necked Ducks, 1 American Widgeon, and several Hooded Merganzers. | Buckhorn | Toni Sinclair |
| March 25 | A Pied-bill Grebe, Mute Swan, very vocal Merlin, a few Ring-necked Ducks and a few Hooded Mergansers were at Little Lake today. | Little Lake, Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| March 25 | Near Woodview, there was a Red-shouldered Hawk circling over Hwy 28 with a rodent in its clutches. At our backyard feeder a female Red-bellied Woodpecker continues to be an irregular visitor. | Woodview | Michael Butler |
| March 23 | An Eastern Meadowlark was hovering over a pasture on the northwest side of Fife's Bay Road and Old Hwy. 7 today at around 11 a.m. | Peterborough | Everett Hanna |
| March 22 | At 2:30 p.m. today, my husband saw 2 Sandhill Cranes in a field on the south side of Stoney Lake Road, approximately 1 km east of County Road 40. | Stoney Lake | Maureen Smith |
| March 21 | I thought at first I had three really dark hawks above my feeders and went in for binocs. When I came out 14 Turkey Vultures rose out of the spruce tree, the first of the season for me. | Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| March 21 | This morning, I heard an Eastern Phoebe singing at the end of the cottage road below the locks in Lakefield. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 20 | I saw a Turkey Vulture flying over Riverview Park this afternoon. | Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| March 17 | I regret to say that the Groundhog that was digging up my backyard last year has survived the winter. It was out sunning himself this afternoon. | Peterborough | Anne Anthony |
| March 17 | A quick check of the pond on the southeast corner at Mather's Corners on County Road 2 this morning (drive a bit south on Drummond Line for best viewing) yielded 3 Tundra Swans and 10 plus Northern Pintails. The Great Blue Herons were back at the heronry at the south end of Drummond Line. Look behind the last farm into the wood lot and a bit east. | Keene | Anne Anthony |
| March 16 | My husband and I were on a bike ride tonight and saw a Great Grey Owl on Irish Line, Ennismore. | Ennismore | Jennie Armitage |
| March 15 | Yesterday, my wife saw three Snow Geese flying over Webster Road east of Peterborough. I saw a Belted Kingfisher, a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a Beaver on Cavan Creek in Cavan. At Little Lake there was a pair of American Widgeon and two male Green-winged Teal in addition to the many Hooded and Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes. A pair of Redheads were on Little Lake yesterday (Saturday). | Cavan and Peterborough | Scott McKinlay |
| March 13 | Ducks at Little Lake today included Ring- neck Ducks, Common Mergansers, a Red-breasted Merganser, many Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes and Buffleheads. | Little Lake, Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| March 13 | As I was walking my dog today along the trail on the south side of the Otonabee River between the cottages and the river, I passed three workers removing the remains of a large pine tree they had cut down. A small flock of White-winged Crossbills was scratching around the ground by the workers, under their trucks, and amongst the remaining debris eating the seeds from the scattered cones. My dog and I were able to stand within ten feet of them and watch. | Otonabee River | Tony Bigg |
| March 13 | I saw several Common Grackles today in downtown Peterborough. | Peterborough | Randy Smith |
| March 12 | Red-winged Blackbirds were observed today near the Trent University Wildlife Sanctuary. | Trent University | Luke Berg |
| March 10 | Several American Robins were in full song this morning on Princess Street, adjacent to the YMCA. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 10 | Janet Cobb reports seeing a swan March 6 and 7 on the east bank of the Otonabee between the railway bridge and the Millenium Place cafe (located just south of the MNR building). I saw the bird on March 10 and, based on the still immature plumage, I believe it to be a Tundra Swan. | Otonabee River, just north of Little Lake | Janet Cobb |
| March 9 | A Snow Goose was on Little Lake today with the Canada Geese. | Peterborough | Jerry Ball |
| March 8 | On Saturday, March 7, a pair of Merlins was heard/observed displaying over the Avenues area of downtown Peterborough. The male was flying high altitude circuits uttering the distinctive accelerating whinny, and periodically the female was flying over giving the sharp ‘pick’ call. This morning, Sunday March 8th, on our way to Petroglpyhs, we saw a male Merlin (the Inverlea Park pair?) perched atop a tall spruce at the northeast corner of Parkhill and Water Street. | Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| March 8 | At around noon today, while returning from a walk in Petroglyphs Provincial Park, Lori and I were very surprised to see two Mourning Cloak butterflies: 1 at rest on the pavement of Northey’s Bay Rd. 100m or so west of the park entrance, and the other on the gravel road shoulder (sipping road salt?) a little farther west along the road, closer to the Eels Creek bridge. We also saw an Eastern Chipmunk run across Northey’s Bay Rd. about 250m south of its junction with Hwy 28. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| March 7 | This morning, a large flock of Canada Geese past over going north. They are the first I have seen this season. | Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| March 6 | At Little Lake Cemetery, there were 2 Ring-necked Ducks, several Goldeneyes and a very vocal Merlin . At Highland Park Cemetery, there were 50 or more Cedar Waxwings. | Little Lake and Highland Park cemeteries in Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| March 6 | Our first Red-winged Blackbird showed up this morning in the yard. Singing with it were an American Robin, several American Tree Sparrows, American Goldfinches and a Northern Cardinal. A Song Sparrow was in the yard as well. Spring is near! |
Young's Point Road, Lakefield |
Myles Falconer |
| March 5 | Yesterday (March 4) a Great Black-backed Gull (3rd winter) was feeding on a dead carp on the ice just above Lock 22 north of Trent U. I also found a Porcupine feeding in a White Cedar tree in the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary, opposite the car park on the red trail. There was a lot of evidence of its feeding below other trees nearby with lots of green cedar leaves on the snow with scattered droppings. This morning I watched a Mink feeding by the bus barns on River Road. He was diving from the rocks into the Otonabee River presumably looking for crayfish on the river bottom. On Little Lake there were two male Ring-necked Ducks and eight Common Mergansers. In Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park, a noisy group of American Crows alerted me to a Great Horned Owl sitting in one of the White Pines. | various | Tony Bigg |
| March 5 | This afternoon at about 3:30, my wife and I saw two River Otters above Lock 23 on the Otonabee River. They were on the edge of the ice on the west side. The otters then slipped into the water, swimming and diving downstream. | Otonabee River | Vic Henderson |
| March 4 | A lone Red-necked Grebe was swimming in the Otonabee River in Lakefield this morning, behind the Hendren Funeral Home. | Lakefield, Ontario | Tony Bigg |
| February 25 | Single Long-tailed Duck with Common Goldeneye and single Ring-necked Duck in the open water from the east side of Little Lake Cemetery. | Little Lake, Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| February 25 | During a class trip to the Warsaw Outdoor Education Centre, we enjoyed looking at snowfleas (springtails) on the snow along the cross-country ski trails. | Warsaw, Ontario | Drew Monkman and students |
| February 24 | From Nov. 19, 2008 to Feb. 24, 2009, I sighted a female Red-bellied Woodpecker on 40 different days at my feeder/property. | South Monaghan township | David Harries |
| February 23 | I have had a single Yellow-rumped Warbler visiting my feeder all winter. Its preferred foods include nyger seed and other small seeds. The bird will take seeds directly from the feeder or from the balcony floor where they have dropped. | Murray St., Peterborough | Linda Heffernan |
| February 19 | I am being visited by Pine Siskins for the first time in many years. They are the only birds besides goldfinches that are able to hang upside down on my Niger seed feeder. As many as six Northern Cardinals at a time were visiting my sunflower feeder in early January, but they must be pairing off judging by recent visits of only two. | Rogers Street, Peterborough | Ivan Bateman |
| February 13 to 16 | Just a reminder that this weekend (Feb. 13 to 16), the Great Backyard Bird Count is taking place across North America. It serves to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds across the continent are this weekend. You basically just observe the birds at your feeder - or wherever you happen to be - for a minimum of 15 minutes and submit the results on-line. There are all kinds of different maps on the website broken down by species, region, etc. They show the results almost in real time. You can go back and look at previous years' results, too. Go to /www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ for the details. | ||
| February 9 | I heard my first Northern Cardinals of the year singing this morning at 8:30 a.m. I was standing in the parking lot Edmison Heights Public School on Marina Blvd. There were at least two birds singing. | Marina Blvd, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| February 7 | There was a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in a willow tree between my neighbors' backyard and Cavan Creek (east side of County Road 10, just north of Cavan intersection. It was there for at least half an hour giving very good views from my deck before some crows arrived and it flew off. I'm not sure if it is still in the area or not. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| February 3 | This afternoon, a small accipter sat in a tree in my yard. It was most likely a Sharp-shinned Hawk, although a male Cooper's can't be discounted. (The two species can overlap in size.) | Merino Drive, Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| February 2 | Today, I observed a Great Gray Owl on the road between Bridgenorth and Lakefield. | County Road 18 | Heather Watson |
| February 1 | While skiing up Jackson’s Creek trail this morning, a Winter Wren flew out from under an ice shelf and sat in a bush about 2 meters from me. It was between the concrete bridge in the park proper and the first wooden bridge to the west. I had about 2 minutes to have a good look before it flew back under the ice shelf again. | Jackson Park, Peterborough | Ben Taylor |
| February 1 | 10 Pine Grosbeaks with lots of Pine siskins and a few Common Redpolls. | Ford Cresent, RR#1 Cavan. | Ken Rumble |
| January 30 | Today at 2:00 p.m. I found observed a Snowy Owl in Millbrook. It was sitting on a telephone pole. | Millbrook, Ontario | Paige Young |
| January 30 | At 4:30 pm, I saw an adult Bald Eagle flying over the Little Lake Cemetery. Lots of Pine Siskins, too, at the feeder today on Ford Crescent in Cavan. | Peterborough and Cavan | Ken Rumble |
| January 28 | In conversation today with Tim Dyson, I learned that a Bobcat was trapped in December north of Havelock near Devil's 4 Mile Road and Oak Lake. The trapper's name is Guy Kennedy. Pictures were taken of the animal. Although I've heard of sight records of this species in the County, this is the first time I've ever heard of a Bobcat actually being trapped here. | Oak Lake | Guy Kennedy |
| January 27 | While on the road south of Warsaw, about 100 metres south of the reindeer farm, I sighted a Great Gray Owl on Sunday, January 25. On January 26, six Common Redpolls were at my feeder in the front yard with some goldfinches. | Warsaw and Curve Lake | David Beaucage Johnson |
| January 27 | I saw a Merlin this morning fly across Marina Blvd near Water Street. There has been at least one bird in this area for several years now. | Marina Blvd, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| January 25 | I saw an adult Bald Eagle today, flying north along the Otonabee just south of Lakefield. | Lakefield | Drew Monkman |
| January 17 | There was an adult Bald Eagle feeding on a goose this morning. It was on the ice about 100 m below Lock 19. | Lock 19, Otonabee River | Trish Beales |
| January 17 | Finally a single Common Redpoll at my feeder in Cavan with all the siskins this morning. I also was visited by 44 Cedar Waxwings. I looked for bohemians in the flock but there weren't any. There was one with an orange band on the tail instead of the usual yellow. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| January 15 | We have a Red-bellied Woodpecker coming to our bird feeder this winter. We live on the Otonabee River below Lock 19, near Whitfield Landing. | Whitfield Landing, south of Peterborough | Bob and Eva McFaul |
| January 14 | I have had a male Red-bellied Woodpecker at my feeder for the last month. So pretty. | County Road 21, Millbrook | Claire Van Loon |
| January 13 | According to Karin Mundinger (see Jan. 5), who was talking to the head cougar biologist, Rick Rosatte, of the MNR, there was a Cougar sighting today east of Peterborough. There were deer nearby. | east of Peterborough | unknown |
| January 11 | I came across a deer kill at Boschink Narrows on Stony Lake today.Lots of wolves/coyotes around..and hence Bald Eagles. | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| January 10 | This morning, a flock of about 40 Pine Siskins descended upon our feeders. They were accompanied by one Common Redpoll and a couple of dozen American Goldfinches. These were our first siskins of the winter. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| January 8, 2009 | I came upon a boisterous flock of about 250 Bohemian Waxwings on and in the trees beside Holden Road, about a kilometer north of the 8th Line of Smith. | Bridgenorth, Ontario | Michael Butler |
| January 5, 2009 | At 9:30 a.m. today in Cannington, I saw a Cougar on the Beaver River. It was on the bank of the river and then on the ice getting a drink from the open water. I then went to my neighbors and we looked at it about 200 yards away through binocculars. | Cannington, Ontario | Karin Mundinger |
| January 1, 2009 | I saw a Cougar today by the Independent grocer at Television Road and Hwy 7. This is where an animal was seen in mid-December, so maybe it hasn't travelled very far and there is a possibility of finding more evidence in the future. | Television Road, Peterborough | Faye Sarah Ginies |
| 2008 | |||
| December 31 | A Brown Thrasher is visiting the feeders at our cottage located at 1631 Kinsale Road which is on the west side of Gannon Bay (near Gannon Narrows), Buckhorn Lake. During the past few days we were there (Sunday 27 December to Wednesday 31 December, 2008), the thrasher appeared rather briefly, several times throughout the day, but its presence is not predictable. If you wish to try for this winter rarity, you are welcome to do so. The feeders are at the front of the cottage. The thrasher almost always appears from and retreats to the trees/brush on the left side (looking toward the bay) of the property. Also, about a dozen White-winged Crossbills were foraging on spruce trees at 1705 and 1713 Kinsale Road on the 30th and 31st December, and 50+ Pine Siskins were foraging on cedar cones at 1705. | near Gannon Narrows on Buckhorn Lake | Bryan Wyatt, Guelph |
| December 29 | A Great Horned Owl was seen today at noon along the gravel path running from the St. Joseph at Fleming parking lot at Brealey and Forster Avenue towards the main Fleming campus. It was perched in a White Pine. | Brealey Drive, Peterborough | Irene Rudd |
| December 27 | A male Yellow-headed Blackbird is coming to a feeder near Bridgenorth. It first showed up four days ago. According to the homeowner, Bob Pettifer, it often arrives in the company of grackles, starlings and two Red-winged Blackbirds. People are welcome to go out to see the bird, but Bob prefers you call ahead of time. Take County Road 18 north about 1 kilometre past Bridgenorth and turn right at Holden Road. The house is number 1295 and is on the left. Phone 292-9742. | Holden Road, Bridgenorth | Bob Pettifer |
| December 26 |
A Great Gray Owl was found dead north of Lakefield today. It was on County Road 6, 4 to 5 kms east of Hwy 28. Great Grays have started to turn up in eastern Ontario in recent weeks and may foreshadow a major flight southward from the boreal forest. For people reporting Great Gray Owls (or other dead raptors) who want to keep the bird (e.g. to have it mounted), under the provisions of the provincial Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act you must first bring the specimen to the local district office of the MNR to receive a possession permit. By law, taxidermists can only accept raptor specimens (or those of any other ‘specially-protected species) that are accompanied by a valid possession permit. In the case of the Great Gray, the corresponding district office is Peterborough, and Lorraine Norris (lorraine.norris@ontario.ca or 705-755-3361) is the contact. Lorraine was instrumental in compiling information on mortality of GGOW during the last invasion and ensuring that unwanted specimens made their way to the ROM. She is compiling similar information for Snowy Owls during the current irruption. (Thanks to Don Sutherland for this information. D.M.) |
north of Lakefield | reported by Robin McRobbie (bird found by her brother) |
| December 26 | We had an opportunity to watch a Cooper's Hawk devour a pigeon in our backyard this afternoon. | Riverview Heights, Peterborough | Ross Jamieson |
| December 25 | Just reporting that 2 very fat and healthy looking American Robins spent all of Christmas Day at my home in Peterborough chowing down small berries on many of my trees. | Peterborough | Randy Smith |
| December 23 | Environment Canada announced that 2008 has been the wettest year on record for Peterborough and area. A snowy winter, followed by a wet summer, produced 1,106 millimetres of precipitation as of December. The average for the year is 840 millimetres. | Peterborough | Environment Canada |
| December 22 | We still have the Eastern Towhee at our feeders; it is very reliable visitor. Also, for several days so far, it has now been joined by a White-throated Sparrow. If you want to see them, feel free to stop by: 46 Anne St., Millbrook. However, a call first would be appreciated (932-3167). | Millbrook, Ontario | Joe Nocera and Trina Fitzgerald |
| December 21 | While out with my camera, I came across a Pileated Woodpecker that was feeding on insects located in a telephone poll beside the road. The light wasn't great (in between snow storms), but I managed to capture a few images before it flew into the woods. | Johnston Drive, Peterborough | Glen Allen |
| December 21 | We went for a walk in Petroglyphs Provincial Park. Lots of bird activity, including Red Crossbill (2). While it’s easy walking on the road, the snow depth off-road is between 30 and 45 centimeters. On the way home there was an adult Bald Eagle sitting in a tree on the east side of Hwy 28 just north of the Coon Lake Rd., north of Burleigh Falls. | Petroglyph Provincial Park and Burleigh Falls area | Don Sutherland |
| December 20 |
Highlights of Peteborough Christmas Bird Count - Dec. 14, 2008 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 17 Common Goldeneye, 5 Cooper's Hawks, 43 Red-tailed Hawk, 2 Merlin, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 1 Glaucous Gull, 886 Mourning Dove, 1 Screech Owl, 3 Great Horned Owl, 1 Barred Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl (new species for Count), 2 Northern Flicker, 9 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Hermit Thrush, 33 American Robin, 9 Northern Shrike, 189 Cedar Waxwing, 4 White-throated Sparrow, 338 Snow Bunting, 1 Brown-headed Cowbird, 379 White Crossbill, 217 Pine Siskin 51 species in total (average = 50.5) |
Peterborough and area - a circle of 15 miles diameter centered at Chemong Rd and Sunset Blvd. | Tony Bigg (compiler) 29 observers in all |
| December 20 | On our way to Bobcaygeon at mid-day today, we stopped to check for the Northern Hawk Owl at Flynn’s Corner. It was conspicuous from a distance, sitting atop a leafless deciduous tree right beside the road on the east side of Hwy 507, directly opposite the gas station. | Buckhorn area | Don Sutherland |
| December 18 | I couldn't find the swans at mid-day today, but I did see at least three adult Greater Black-backed Gulls and 1 adult Glaucous Gull with all the Herring Gulls on Little Lake, directly north of the cemetery on the edge of the ice. | Little Lake, Peterborough | Scott McKinlay |
| December 17 | Two adult and one juvenile Trumpeter Swans were at Little Lake today along the east shore of the cemetary. | Little Lake, Peterborough | Travis Cameron |
| December 17 | A single Red-bellied Woodpecker attended our feeder this afternoon. This is the first one we've seen in the Township of North Kawartha. | Mt. Julian (Stoney Lake) | Michael Butler |
| December 16 | I was on a walk today at noon hour by the Otonabee, just below Lock 19, and I am sure that I saw a Bald Eagle. I had a long,clear look at it. The head was pure white, as well as the tail, and the body was dark brown. (note: This is probably the same bird as below. D.M.) | Lock 19, Peterborough | Andy Bowes |
| December 16 | A Bald Eagle was seen at 11:45 a.m. today flying south above the Otonabee River. | near Collison Beach at the bottom of Riverview Heights. | Ross Jamieson |
| December 16 | I observed a Northern Shrike, today, devouring a mole in our backyard. | Firwood Crescent. Peterborough | Brad Baker |
| December 15 | Great Blue Heron | Highway 36 near Burleigh Falls | Bill Rogers |
| December 13 | A Carolina Wren was in my yard today, seemingly taking dormant insects off the screen door and walls of the house. |
1010 Mississauga Road, Curve Lake (tel: 657-1061) |
David Johnson |
| December 12 | 20 White-winged Crossbills | 733 Ford Crescent, RR#1 Cavan | Ken Rumble |
| December 11 | I saw two flocks of Snow Buntings, totaling about 150 birds, in the fields of Caza's Berry Farm, a few km south of Buckhorn, along Berrie Road. Each flock took flight, wheeled and landed at least once and it was evident that there were no Horned Larks or Longspurs present. Today there were two Bald Eagles, an adult and sub-adult, along Mt Julian - Viamede Road, north of Burleigh Falls, perhaps attracted by an unseen roadkill. Six or fewer Evening Grosbeaks continue to visit our bird feeder. | various (see Sighting) | Michael Butler |
| December 10 | At the Marshland Centre in Lakefield, we pished in a Common Redpoll that we heard. A very large flock (~200) of Pine Siskins was also there. At the very south end of the Old Young's Point Road, there was a flock of about 40 Cedar Waxwings with at least 4 Bohemian Waxwings mixed in. The flock was immediately south of the Elwood Hamilton Bus yards. Two Bald Eagles were perched further up the Old Young's Point Rd on the island just south of where Miller Creek empties into Lake Katchewanooka. | various (see Sighting) | Anne Anthony |
| December 9 | Great Blue Heron near the side of the road at a small river | off County Road 2 between Hasting and Keene | Randy Smith |
|
Upcoming Peterborough Christmas Bird Count
|
The 57th Peterborough Christmas Bird Count will be taking place on Sunday December 14, 2008. As usual we are looking for volunteers to participate in the event. The count is for a 24-hour period, but most participants only use the daylight hours. However owl counters are most welcome. The count takes place within a circle of 15 miles diameter centered at Chemong Rd and Sunset Blvd. The circle is split into nine sections and participants are put into groups to cover each area. Beginners will be with experienced birders to assist with identification of the sightings. The more eyes and ears, the more birds will be found The compilation of the results will be at ‘Kelsey’s’ (Landsdowne St opposite Canadian Tire) at 5:00 p.m. Let us hope the weather is better than the snowstorm we had last year!! Please contact Tony Bigg, CBC Co-ordinator, by e-mail at tanddbigg@sympatico.ca, or by phone at 705-652-7541 | Peterborough and surrounding area | Tony Bigg |
| December 6 | The feeders were busy during today's snowfall. A male Evening Grosbeak, the first of the season here, joined American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays and American Tree Sparrows. Good numbers of Common Mergansers can be seen from most vantage points along the north shore of Stony Lake. White-winged Crossbills are very active in the area although none at the feeders. | Mt. Julian | Michael Butler |
| December 5 | 1 male Hooded Merganser and 1 Common Merganser | Little Lake | Randy Smith |
| December 3 | For those that like to keep a winter list of birds (Dec-Feb) they might like to know that the Eastern Towhee is still coming to Joe Nocera’s feeder in Millbrook (46 Anne St), and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet has been in Maureen Smith’s yard in Warsaw (652-7666) yesterday and today. For those that would like to travel a little further there is an American Avocet in the Rotary Park in Ajax . | various (see Sighting) | Tony Bigg |
| December 2 | At around noon, a flock of about 30 White-winged Crossbills alighted on a spruce in my front yard in Lakefield. They only stayed for about half a minute before taking of to the west. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| November 30 | We saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk on Lansdowne St. near Erskine Ave and a Cooper’s Hawk near the intersection of Chemong Rd. and Wolsely St. | Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| November 30 | While walking the dogs in Petroglyphs Provincial Park, we observed several small flocks of White-winged Crossbills (totally ~50 birds), a few Pine Siskins, and 3 Red Crossbills near the park entrance kiosk. Reasonable numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches and Golden-crowned Kinglets and a few Brown Creepers were also heard/observed. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| November 30 | Today, we had a sickly-looking male Brown-headed Cowbird at the feeder. Its feathers were a bit messed up and it seemed it couldn't fly very well. We also had a small flock (~10) of Bohemian Waxwings fly over the house heading south. | Young's Pt. Road, Lakefield | Myles Falconer |
| November 28 | I have a Song Sparrow coming to my feeder along with three White-throated Sparrows. | Merino Drive, Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| November 28 | I drove home in the direction of the snowy yesterday and also had no luck. I did find a couple of Kestrels sitting on wires, one in Assumption and the other just south of Bensfort Bridge. I also saw about 25 Bohmeian waxwings sitting in a hemlock tree at the coroner of Hwy.7 and Television Road as I sat waiting for the light to change. | Assumption, Bensfort Bridge | Ben Walters |
| November 28 | Today, we found a Rough-legged Hawk on Base Line, and Northern Harrier and Northern Shrike at the east end of Moncrief Rd where it meets Airport Rd. | Base Line and Moncrief Rd. | Jerry Ball and Tony Bigg |
| November 26 | Another dead Varied Thrush was found at a residence on Baptiste Lake near Bancroft on Nov. 25. One of my brother's co-workers at Bancroft MNR brought it in. | Baptiste Lake, near Bancroft | Travis Cameron |
| November 26 | At about 4:45 p.m., a female or immature Snowy Owl was seen on Base Line, east of Bensfort Road. | Base Line, east of Bensfort Road (south of city) | Ed Czerwinski |
| November 26 | A single Bald Eagle flying over Buckhorn Road (507) just N of Lakefield, a Northern Shrike just east of Peterborough at Donwood and several flocks of Snow Buntings from Keene to Peterborough. | various | Randy Smith |
| November 26 | I feed wild turkeys all year long and I now have a female peacock with them. This little lady seems quite happy being with them. I am wondering if she will be able to adapt to the winter? I would hate to see anything happen to her. I have no idea where she came from. Anyway, if she can tolerate winter, then its a bonus for me to watch her. | Dorothy Waugh | |
| November 24 |
Yesterday I found a bird that had flown into my window and was killed. I realized that it was a bird I had never seen before and pulled out my bird books. It was a Varied Thrush, although all three of the books I checked indicate that the range for this species is the west coast. I took several pictures of the bird and have placed in a baggy to freeze and preserve. We live on Lovesick Lake about a mile west of Burleigh Falls. (The last Varied Thrush in Peterborough County that I'm aware of was seen here in early 2001. It came to a feeder near Petroglyph Provincial Park for a week or so. One or two of these birds turn up most winters somewhere in Ontario. On November 26, the skin of the Lovesick bird was prepared by Michael T. Butler of Trent University. He will be sending it to the Royal Ontario Museum. The following are his notes: Windowkill Location: Peterborough County, Galway-Cavendish-Harvey Twp., 44.56195, -78.22391 Weight: 85 g Wing: 124 mm Fat: moderately heavy Gizzard contained fruit from Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) Skull fully ossified (after hatching year). Sex: male - Drew) |
Lovesick Lake | Dorothy MacDonald |
| November 23 | Close to 100 Northern Cardinals were seen feeding together on wild fruit along the rail-trail located just north of Crawford Drive in the south end of the city. It is common for this species to form flocks in the winter, but 100 is an unusually large number. | Crawford Drive area | Dan McWilliams |
| November 23 | For the past several days, we have had an Eastern Towhee at our feeders in Millbrook Seems a little late for it to still be hanging around. This bird seemed to show up at the same time as the many American Tree Sparrows that are now keeping our feeders hopping. |
Anne Street, Millbrook, ON
|
Joe Nocera |
| November 23 | This morning we had a Northern Flicker (see Nov. 19) at our feeder on Gilmour St. It must be its sixth or seventh year of wintering here (assuming it is the same one, a male). We also have a White-throated Sparrow coming to the feeder along with the 10 or so juncos. Outside of town, yesterday I had an American Kestrel on Moncrief Line south of the Airport and a Northern Shrike on Moore Line just west of Hwy. 28. | see Sighting | Chris Risley |
| November 22 | Just beyond the borders of Peterborough Co., on Saturday and Sunday, November 22nd and 23rd, there were lots of White-winged Crossbills, lesser numbers of Pine Siskins and redpolls, a few Purple Finches and goldfinches, and even three Pine Grosbeaks. Most of the crossbills were in flocks (<60 individuals), but some appeared to be paired and one individual gave a short bout of song. There also was a lone female Surf Scoter at the west end of rapidly freezing Balsam Lake. | Balsam Lake area? | Don Sutherland |
| November 22 | A Pileated Woodpecker was observed hammering on a telephone pole at the corner of Charles and Burnham Streets. Another bird was seen at the corner of Homewood and Albertus. | see Sighting | Eric Monkman |
| November 21 | A White-throated Sparrow was busy scraffing seeds from under the Yew on this bitter cold morning and it seems to me he should be on his way south. Maybe I will have heavy feeders another winter. (Sue had two White-throated Sparrows stay all of last winter.) | Merino Drive, Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| November 19 | A Northern Flicker landed on a telephone pole on Alymer Street and was checking out a hole at the top. | Peterborough | Randy Smith |
| November 19 | Great Blue Heron at Beavermead Park Lagoon, Northern Harrier at Hastings, 25 CedarWaxwings near Campbellford and a Greater Black-backed Gull at Little lake Pier One. | various locations | Randy Smith |
| November 15 | I saw what I thought was a snowy owl land on top of a hydro pole this evening just outside my place of work on Fisher Drive. I work at Merit Precision Moulding. The patio where I saw him is on the north side of the building, first street on the right when you get on to Fisher Drive. | Fisher Drive, Peterborough | Janet Flint |
| November 12 | I found 4 Blue-spotted Salamanders today near the Trent University Nature Area. The site is off of University Road, about 1 km south of County Road 4. I had also found 3 Eastern Newts on November 8 in a beaver pond in the Ganaraska Forest Centre south of Peterborough. |
Trent University Ganaraska Forest Centre |
Luke Berg |
| November 11 | This morning I saw a flock of 9 male Red Crossbills in the tops of some cone-laden White Pines on the Galway Forest Access Road. The trees are 0.6 km west on the Access Road from the start at Highway 507. I drove a bit more along the road but didn't see anymore. Then on the way out I stopped at the spot again. I pished and then a flock of 11 male and female White-winged Crossbills showed up in the same tree tops! I was not seeing things. They were definitely white-wings. I also had a flock of 80 Rusty Blackbirds at Miller Creek. |
Highway 507 near Mississauga Lake 7th line of Smith-Ennismore
|
Chris Risley |
| November 9? | A Cattle Egret was observed in a pasture alongside a herd of cows. (Exact location to be determined.) | Peterborough | Mike Taylor |
| November 1 | For the first half of this winter (November through early January), Environment Canada is expecting milder than normal temperatures from the Great Lakes eastward. Precipitation is expect to be near normal in the eastern half of the country. | ||
| October 28 | At approx. 11 a.m, I saw a flock of Eastern Bluebirds on the west side of 6 Ft. Bay Road (Buckhorn) in an unused pasture. There were about a dozen males flitting amongst the grasses and thistles. I didn't notice any females, but they would have been much less noticeable in a brown field. | Buckhorn | Toni Sinclair |
| October 23 | During a half hour bike ride at Petroglyphs P.P. this afternoon I saw no fewer than six Fox Sparrows. Also notable were several flocks of Red-breasted Nuthatches totaling more than 60 individuals. Two days ago (Oct. 21) I saw four Snow Buntings on Mt. Julian - Viamede Road. Cheers, Michael Butler Mt. Julian | Mt. Julian (Stoney Lake) | Michael Butler |
| October 17 | I saw my first American Tree Sparrows of the Fall today. Three of them were along the rail trail south of the city. | south of Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| October 17 | I saw an American crow like the one pictured in the Sibley field guide as it has all white primary and greater coverts as well as a white tail band (not in Sibley). Overall, this bird is quite a bit smaller than the other crows, particularly the beak. Anyhow, not overly exciting or rare but I thought photographers and other keen birders might want to know about it because it looks pretty amazing, especially in flight. | Trent University, near Lady Eaton drumlin | Ben Walters |
| October 16 | At about 6:00 PM last night while I was walking my dog in Burnham’s woods I saw a rather large owl perched in one of the trees. It was very close to me and I had a good chance to study it from the front and the back. As I walked around the tree it swivelled its head and watched me closely. It had a noticeable tail, very prominent circular discs surrounding yellow eyes and its body had vertical stripes. It had no ears that I could see. When I got home I went to my bird book and looked in the owl section to find that it was apparently a Great Grey. | Burnham's Woods (east of Peterborough) | Ross Jamieson |
| October 12 | Large flocks of Dark-eyed Juncoes showed up in our yard today. There were probably at least 30 in total. Several White-throated Sparrows were with them. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| October 5 | Three Trumpeter Swans turned up today on Best Road Pond. One of them wore a wing tag (050). | Mount Pleasant | Dan McWilliams |
| September 29 | Dan McWilliams, who lives near Mount Pleasant, reports the presence of thousands of Cepaea nemoralis or Banded Wood Snail around his house. This is an exotic species that is becoming increasingly widespread in southern Ontario. They were first seen here about 10 years ago. They are mostly nocturnal and eat many types of plant material, both dead and alive. They are also hermaphrodites, meaning a single snail is both male and female at the same time. They can mate many times in a season, especially when conditions are moist - like this past summer. They can be a fairly serious pest in gardens and also impact negatively on native snail and slug species. | Mount Pleasant | Dan McWilliams |
| September 27 | There are a huge number of warblers (~40) in my yard and adjacent yards in Lakefield today. Most of these are Yellow-rumped Warblers but there are also a few Nashville Warblers and one immature Northern Parula (which is getting late for this species). The main point of this message is that due to the weather system it could be an excellent day for birding today! | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| September 27 | While walking the rail trail between Base Line and David Fife Line I saw large numbers of Palm Warblers, with some Yellow-rumped Warblers, an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo, and several Eastern Phoebes. In the fields by Base Line, Eastern Meadowlarks were singing and actively flying over the field. | Keene area | Tony Bigg |
| September 21 | On a day trip to Rathbun Lake today, large numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches were present, feasting on the abundant seed crop on the White Pines. There is a major southward movement of these birds underway right now. We also saw two flocks of 100+ Northern Canada Geese flying southward. Other birds of note included a Northern Parula, an Ovenbird, numerous Black-throated Green Warblers, two Black-and-White Warblers and several Yellow-Rumpeds. | Rathbun Lake near Apsley | Drew Monkman |
| September 14 | A Great Egret was sighted by my daughter at the end of Redmond Bay on Jack Lake. | Jack Lake, near Apsley, ON | Cate Kingdon |
| September 7 | The cold front that came in this weekend has triggered a lot of migration. This morning, there were numerous migrants in our backyard including white-throated sparrows (eating Canada Elderberry fruit), Wilson's Warblers, American Redstarts, Chestnut-sided Warblers and Red-eyed Vireo. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| September 1 | A beautiful Giant Eastern Cranefly found its way into my house today. It is at least 5cm wide at the wings. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| August 31 | Today, I visited the abandoned gravel pit ponds at the south end of Crowley Line. When I arrived there was a Giant Swallowtail flying around the parking area by the gate. No birds to speak of but there were lots of dragonflies and damselflies, including three or four Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), a Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) and either Tramea onusta or T. carolina. I couldn’t get close enough to it and didn’t have a net with me, but it had distinctly red bases for the wings and was one of the two species. | Crowley Line south of Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| August 30 | Despite more than two hours of concerted looking, I was only able to find four Monarch larvae on milkweed plants in the Fraserville area. All were very small. In 2007 and 2006, Monarch larvae were much more common and included both large and small ones. | Atchison Road, Fifth and Sixth Lines southeast of Fraserville | Drew Monkman |
| August 30 | There was a single Red-necked Phalarope on the south pond at the Lakefield sewage today for about 3 minutes, at around 2:05 p.m. I saw it at a distance from the south berm (it was on the north side of the south pond), then tried to get a different angle on it, and it was gone, not to be found again. | Lakefield Sewage Lagoon on County Road 33 | Bill Crins |
| August 29 | While hiking across granite barrens in the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site, we observed a very striking, large bee fly, Lepidophora lepidocera - photo here: http://flickr.com/photos/28113115@N00/2814530358/ We also saw numerous Five-lined Skinks, and singles of Northern Red-bellied Snake (DOR), Eastern Garter Snake, and Northern Ribbon Snake, photo: http://flickr.com/photos/28113115@N00/2813831435/ The few active birds included four Solitary Sandpipers on a drained beaver pond, and an overflying Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-eyed Vireos feeding fledged young. Michael and Martha Woodview | Kawartha Highlands Signature Site (to become Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park) | Michael Butler and Martha Allan |
| August 25 | These last few weeks I've been noticing the exceptionally heavy cone crop on White Pines. Many shrubs, too, have abnormally abundant fruit. These include Choke Cherry, Tartarian Honeysuckle, dogwoods and blueberries. As for ornamental trees, European Mountain-Ash is showing a very heavy crop of berries, too. | throughout Central Ontario | Drew Monkman |
| August 25 | We had about 30 Eastern Kingbirds at our place in Cavan Monday. I have never seen them in mass before. Beautiful to watch. (This would have been a migratory flock. D.M.) | Cavan | Cheryl Covert |
| August 25 | I watched about six Common Nighthawks migrating over County Road 8 near Cottesloe this evening. |
County Road 8, Peterborough County
|
Drew Monkman |
| August 24 | With the cooler temperatures overnight, a great deal of migration activitiy appeared to have taken place. On Monday morning, the trees around my brother's cottage north of Kaladar were full of warblers - 50 or more - of at least 10 different species. As is usual during fall migration, they were in the company of chickadees. Numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches were quite high as well. | Big Gull Lake, Kaladar, ON | Drew Monkman |
| August 21 | While boating on the Otonabee River just north of the Wallace Point bridge on Thursday 21 August 2008, at 19:30 hrs., I saw four large, long-legged pure white birds roosting in a tree-top. They were approached by a large osprey which sent them into a fuss and they started dive bombing the osprey and chasing it off. After they had successfully driven the osprey off, they went back into the tree top. I think they might be Common Egrets. Is is likely that that is what they were or am I mistaken? Are common egrets known to be in this part of Ontario? (Yes, these egrets - now called Great Egrets - are regular late summer visitors to Peterborough County, especially south of the city. D.M.) | Otonabee River | Colum Michael Diamond |
| August 18 | At 9 a.m.there was a single Great Egret in the construction ponds. | Mervin Line at Airport Road | Don Sutherland |
| August 18 | A possible Black-billed Magpie was seen at Trent University this morning. The bird was with a flock of crows in the north parking lot on the west bank of the Otonabee. (Note: Stu lived in Calgary where the species is common and is therefore familiar with it. However, the magpie is usually never seen east of the Ontario/Manitoba border. D.M.) | Trent University campus | Stu Harrison |
| August 16 | Jerry Ball found a Giant Swallowtail butterfly at the corner of Scriven Rd and the 4th Line of South Monaghan. On August 17th, Jerry and Tony Bigg found three Giant Swallowtails on Scriven Rd, two between the 4th and 3rd Lines, and one between the 3rd and 2nd Lines. | South Monaghan Twsp |
Jerry Ball and Tony Bigg |
| August 16 | There was a single Great Egret in with the cattle in the pasture on the north side of Beardmore Rd. and three in the construction ponds at the southwest corner of Mervin Line and Airport Rd. No bands were seen on any of these egrets. |
Beardsmore Road Mervin Line at Airport Road |
Don Sutherland |
| August 14 | Recent observations include Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Black-throated Blue warblers eating the berries on the Red-osier Dogwoods. Indigo Buntings on new growth along road. Several pairs nested this year and have done so for 4 or 5 years. | Stoney Lake | Rob Welsh |
| August 12 | Many, many Common Nighthawks here tonight in Kawartha Hideway. | Buckhorn Lake | Jane Philpott |
| August 12 | At about 10 p.m., a Northern True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia) could be heard in the vicinity of King and John Streets. | Avenues area of downtown Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| August 12 | I observed an American Snout butterfly today. (This is only the second record for Peterborough County for this species. The first was on 28 July 1999 by Don Sutherland. It was seen on Sammy Island in Belmont Lake, northeast of Havelock. | just south of Peterborough | Jerry Ball |
| August 12 | This evening, I counted 30 Common Nighthawks circling above the road. I had four sightings of Caspian Terns in the vicinity of Lakefield this summer from the beginning of June to the end of July. On July 27 whilst on a cruise on Stony Lake I saw three terns including one carrying fish in its beak. I suspect that they are still breeding somewhere on the lake. | from the end of Hwy 115, west along Hwy 7, and north on Hwy 28 | Tony Bigg |
| July 4 | We had our first Monarch in the garden today. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| July 1 | Margo Huges observed an Eight-spotted Forester (black with two white or yellow spots on the forewing and two white spots on the hind wing) in her garden. They are often mistaken for a butterfly because they fly during the day and visit nectar flowers. The host plants for the caterpillars are Virginia Creeper and grapevines. | Peterborough | Margo Hughes |
| June 26 | I saw my first Monarch Butterfly of the year today. | Marina Boulevard, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 24 | I am not sure if this would be new for Peterborough County but I found a Hooded Warbler nest right on the southern edge of the County this afternoon. It is in the Ganaraska Forest. As it is a Species at Risk and it has a nest with young I won't give the location information but I thought people would be interested to know about it anyways. | Ganaraska Forest | Ben Walters |
| June 21 | Did you notice that it "rained" little toads on Friday night? That was around the MNR building on Water street. You could not even walk accross the parking lots without stepping on the poor little guys. (Note: According to Don Sutherland of M.N.R., this was due to a mass emergence of American Toads from a breeding pond. The man-made water-cooling pond on the south side of the MNR building is used by a large number of American Toads for breeding. Strong choruses of calling males could be heard there in early May. Toad tadpoles can metamorphose into toadlets in as little as 40-50 days and usually disperse from breeding ponds en masse on warm, rainy nights.) | Water Street at Charlotte in downtown Peterborough | Ernie Basciano |
| June 16 | On Listowell Line in Ennismore today, I had an Upland Sandpiper ( always there ) and a Common Sipe sitting on the Hydro wires. Strange place for the snipe | Ennismore | Randy Smith |
| June 8 | During a midmorning walk through Quackenbush Provincial Park today, we saw/heard a good mix of resident birds including Red-shouldered Hawk, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-throated Vireo (2 singing) and Cerulean Warbler (4 singing). Most of the common warblers were present, as well. We also found a Least Flycatcher sitting on a nest. | Quackenbush Provincial Park can be accessed by a trail leading south from Cty. Rd. 44, just east of the junction with Cty. Rd. 6, near the SE corner of Stony Lake. | Michael Butler and Martha Allan |
| June 7 | This morning, both a Blackpoll Warbler and a Swainson’s Thrush could be heard singing in the Avenues area of the downtown. | Avenues area of downtown Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| May 26 | A Common Nighthawk circled over my house in the west end of Peterborough at 6:30 p.m. today. It's the first I've seen/heard in Peterborough this spring. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 16 | A bike ride to and through a woodlot at Mt. Julian turned up a few interesting birds, among them: Red-headed Woodpecker (1), Eastern Wood Pewee (1), Yellow-throated Vireo (5+), Red-eyed Vireo (many), Black-and-white Warbler (2), Ovenbird (many), Northern Waterthrush (1), Common Yellow-throat (3), Yellow Warbler (2), Yellow-rumped Warbler (3), Pine Warbler (1), Cerulean Warbler (4 singing), Black-throated Blue Warbler (3), Blackburnian Warbler (1) Black-throated Green Warbler (10), Chestnut-sided Warbler (6), American Redstart (10+), Nashville Warbler (4), Tennessee Warbler (1), Golden-winged Warbler (?) (1 GWWA song heard on Reid's Road). The Ceruleans were in very good breeding habitat at a site we haven't visited before. | Mount Julian on Stony Lake | Michael Butler |
| May 14 | Today I saw and heard a male Blue-winged Warbler on Co. Rd. 44, about 1.2 km east of the Cty Rd. 6 junction (near the south-east corner of Stony Lake), very close to the large wooden Douro-Dummer Township sign. Tony Bigg and Anne Anthony found a Blue-winged Warbler on June 6 last year, only half a km west of here. | Stony Lake | Michael Butler |
| May 12 | Warblers in our yard yesterday included a male Chestnut-sided, drinking water from the birdbath, and male Nashville, preening itself in our blossom-laden Juneberry tree. Quite a beautiful sight! Today, a female Blackburnian was singing and came in quite close in response to pishing.. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 11 | This morning, while alking along the trail bordering the west side of the canal, just south of Nassau Mills Road, oriole song was everywhere. Also calling were a Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbirds, Warbling Vireos and Northern Waterthrushes. There are some nice stands of wildflowers in the woods along this trail including Blue Cohosh. | Trent University | Drew Monkman |
| May 10 | Working in the garden today, migrant birdsong was dominated by White-crowned Sparrows. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were also singing. A Grey Catbird was in the yard, too, as well as a Baltimore Oriole. Our two Pin Cherry's are at their peak blossom as is our Juneberry. Dandelion is also at or close to peak bloom. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| May 9 |
New migrants were evident in small numbers on each of the last two mornings. All sightings were around our home at Mt. Julian. May 8: Least Flycatcher (2), Blue-headed Vireo (1), Ovenbird (3), Nashville Warbler (3), Chestnut-sided Warbler (1), Palm Warbler (1), Yellow Warbler (1), Black-throated Green Warbler (4),Yellow-rumped Warbler (5) May 9: Baltimore Oriole (1), Yellow-throated Vireo (1) , Blue-headed Vireo (1), Nashville Warbler (2), Black-and-white Warbler (2), American Redstart (1), Common Yellowthroat (1), Northern Waterthrush (1), Ovenbird (12+), Black-throated Blue Warbler (4), Black-throated Green Warbler (6), Blackburnian Warbler (4), Chestnut-sided Warbler (2), Yellow-rumped Warbler (7). Five Evening Grosbeaks continue to visit our feeders, along with 3-4 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, two Wood Ducks and 8+ White-crowned Sparrows.
|
Mt. Julian, near Woodview | Michael Butler and Martha Allen |
| May 9 | Today the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds returned. There are also many Baltimore Orioles being sighted in Youngstown subdivision in Ennismore. Our feeders are very busy at this moment. | Ennismore | Marilyn Emery |
| May 9 | We have had a Harris' Sparrow at our feeder for the past three days. My field guides indicate that this sparrow winters in the central U.S. then migrates north to Manitoba/Saskatchewant. So, it would appear to be far east of its normal range. (Note: This is an extremely rare bird for our area and one of only a handfull of sightings over the years. D.M.) | Kawartha Hideaway, Buckhorn Lake | Jane Philpott |
| May 9 | An osprey.was found today - dead with a broken wing. Apparently, just before I got there, another osprey swooped down and flipped the carcass over. Aggresion? Affection? There were no overhead wires present. I also saw 4 eagles this week. They were quite high, circling and drifting north. | Stony Lake - Fire Road 10D | Rob Welsh |
| May 7 | As cool, damp weather continues, Amelanchier is at flowering peak throughout the city right now. I saw my first Chimney Swift flying over the Otonabee with numerous swallows early this evening. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 5 | My first Ruby-throated Hummingbird arrived back today. | Cavan | Cheryl Covert |
| May 4 | The PFN Sunday outing traveled this morning to the south-east of the county. On Blezard Line we were able to watch a Solitary Sandpiper from up close in a large flooded field to the west of the road. Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs were feeding together making the ID easy for the newer birders. At the base of Birdsall Rd we had a good look at a male White-winged Scoter. The woods just east of the Ouse River on River Rd were rich with spring flowers - many Red Trilliums, White Trilliums, Dutchman’s Breeches, Large-flowered Bellwort Sharp-leaved Hepatica, and Spring Beauty to name some. Earlier at the Lakefield Marsh I saw a Warbling Vireo and an Eastern Kingbird. The River Otter was again alongside the cattails in the marsh. | Rice Lake and Lakefield areas | Tony Bigg |
| May 3 | Today, a culvert near the hamlet of Douro still contained large numbers of Canadian Worms (Aporrectodea tuberculata) swimming under the water. The worms average about 4" to 6" long. On April 21st, the mass was about 6' by 4' by 6" and probably included many thousands of individual worms. In one scoop of the hand, you could bring out a 100 or more. Whether this was some sort of mating swarm is not clear. The worms swim under debris, appear to go in and out of tunnels or burrows and even appear to be eating at times. This particular body of water dries up in the summer. | 5th Line and Centre Road of Douro in 2cd culvert north of the Centre Line | Randy Johnson |
| May 3 | Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were singing on Maple Cresecent this morning and on Gilmour Street. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman, Erica Nol |
| May 3 | Today, I flushed two separate Song Sparrows from their nests next to trails. One had 4 eggs, the other 5. | Cavan Creek | Scott McKinlay |
| May 2 | A Baltimore Oriole appeared in our yard today. | Bethel Road, Emily Township | Doug Lawson |
| May 2 | Pin Cherry and Juneberry (Amelanchier) are now in bloom in my yard. With the continued cool, wet weather, there were large numbers of swallows -mostly Tree Swallows - feeding over the Otonabee today between the zoo and Lakefield. In most sections of the river where I stopped (as far north as Lock 23), maybe two dozen swallows could be seen at a time. 50 or so birds were also feeding over the pond just north of the intersection of Water Street and University Heights Boulevard. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 1 | The cool weather this week, with night-time temperatures a few degrees below zero, has temporarily slowed the progression of leaf-out. As we begin May, the maples are still mostly clad in flowers with leaves just beginning to emerge. The overall appearance is one of a green pastel gauze. There are still lots of White-throated Sparrows singing along our street. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 29 | During the snow storm this afternoon, I was at the end of North School Rd in Youngs Point at the marsh, and there were lots of White Trilliums already in bloom. I don't think I have ever seen that in April before. I also got to view an American Woodcock today on her nest in a field off of River Road in Bobcaygeon.. | Young's Point and Bobcaygeon | Ernie Basciano |
| April 29 | We are now seeing a Brown Thrasher and several White-throated and White-crowned sparrows at our feeder. A Wild Turkey crossed our lawn. | Lily Lake Road | Gord Mallory |
| April 27 | Today, while walking the dogs in Petroglyphs Provincial Park, we heard an Ovenbird singing along the park road just north of the entrance kiosk. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| April 26 | Today, while conducting chorus frog surveys in the Ennismore-Buckhorn-Nogies Creek area, I encountered Northern Waterthrushes at more than a dozen sites, a single singing Palm Warbler and a House Wren. Lots of herps: Midland Chorus Frogs (calling at 37 locations, some of which had been ice- and snow-bound last weekend), lots of Spring Peepers and Northern Leopard Frogs, Wood Frogs still calling at one site and Gray Treefrogs (calling), Later in the afternoon, along the rail trail north of Trent University, Lori and I saw and heard both a Yellow Warbler and a Black-and-White Warbler. | various locations | Don Sutherland |
| April 26 | Today, while working in the yard, I heard and saw a Least Flycatcher (early be at least two weeks) and a Red Admiral butterfly. Ruby-crowned Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows were singing all day, as well. Unlike Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowneds respond well to pishing. One came within a metre of me. In the evening, while listening from our house, I heard a number of toads calling. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 26 | At our feeders at Mt Julian (Twp. North Kawartha) we observed an influx of White-throated Sparrows, accompanied by our first White-crowned Sparrow. A single, lingering Evening Grosbeak was joined by four Pine Siskins and three Purple Finches. In the nearby woods we saw/heard Black-throated Green (2), Blackburnian Warbler (1) & Hermit Thrush (1). We also had two Caspian Turns on Stony Lake today - an early date. | Mount Julian, near Woodview | Michael Butler |
| April 26 | We saw our first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year. | Bethel Road, Emily Township | Doug Lawson |
| April 25 | This morning, while cycling around the Forest Hill-Pinehill Dr. neighbourhood between Parkhill and Weller, in Peterborough, I encountered three Bohemian Waxwings (late date?) in a flock of 23 Cedar Waxwings on Fenwood Circle. (N.B. This is a very late date for Bohemians to still be in our area. They usually have left by mid-April at the latest. | Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| April 25 | A pair of late Pine Grosbeaks has been visiting Paul Burke's feeder in Peterborough. One of the birds appears to be injured. It was still present on April 25. The other bird was not seen after April 15. These are about the latest records for Pine Grosbeak for the County in recent times according to Peter Burke. | Peterborough | Paul Burke |
| April 25 |
The first tulips in our front garden (eastward facing) bloomed today. Some lawns in the city now have Dandelions in bloom. |
Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 24 | Two Caspian Terns were sitting on a rock in the Otonabee River on Water Street just north of Hilliard in the small park where you can pull off. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 24 | Jerry Ball and I traveled up to Sandy Lake Rd and area today and found five species of butterfly. Surprisingly the most numerous were Henry’s Elfin at 30 individuals. Jerry has never before seen more than two individuals in one year. We appear to have hit this butterfly at its peak this year. The other species were Mourning Cloak (30), Spring Azure (12), Brown Elfin (8), and Gray Comma (2). | Sandy Lake area, north of Havelock | Tony Bigg and Jerry Ball |
| April 24 | As weather in the low 20s continues, flowers are completely out on all Norway Maples and some Sugar Maples. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 23 | Today is the fifth straight day with temperatures in the twenties. The catkins are already piling up on the road under Carolina Poplars and fallen flowers litter the ground under Silver Maples. Leaves are almost out on lilacs, red elder and other early leafing species. Bloodroot is in flower in my garden as well as Pulmonaria. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 21 | My first Yellow Warbler of the year was singing across from my place (1798 Young's Pt.Road, Lakefield) this afternoon. (Note: This may be a record early date, the earliest previous date being April 24th according to Sadler's "Our Heritage of Birds" - D.M.) | Lakefield | Myles Falconer |
| April 21 | The flooded field at the corner of Smith-Ennismore Fifth Line and Centre Line resonated with calling leopard frogs, chorus frogs and several American Toads. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 20 |
This morning, during an Earth Day nature hike at Lakefield Marsh that Jerry Ball and I led, we watched a pair of very noisy and pugnacious Merlins. Their nest is easily visible in a tree opposite house #51 near the Marshland centre. Tony Bigg had found the birds and nest earlier this morning. Other birds of special interest on the walk included a Spotted Sandpiper, an American Bittern, a Caspian Tern, a displaying male Northern Harrier, and a flock of six blue morph Snow Geese flying north. The eagles could also be seen sitting on their nest. At least one Green Darner dragonfly was observed flying along the edge of the marsh. This dragonfly was likely a migrant returning from the southern United States. The Green Darner is our only migratory dragonfly, although only part of the population migrates. The rest overwinter in the nymph stage. Forsythia appears to be in full bloom now in Peterborough. Today's temperature was about 24C. |
Hague's Point in Lakefield | Drew Monkman |
| April 20 | Under the full moon and in the unseasonably warm temps, Jon and I heard 5 Anuran species calling simultaneously in our neighborhood: 1 American Toad, 2 Leopard Frogs, and full choruses of Wood Frog, Chorus Frog and Spring Peeper. (N.B. This is an extremely early date for toads. They usually don't call until the first or second week of May.) | Lakefield | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 19 | I saw my first Broad-winged Hawk of the year, south of Havelock, and heard several Virginia Rails (also my first) north of Havelock. I also saw a flock of five Bohemian Waxwings in the business district of downtown Havelock. White-throated Sparrows singing in suitable habitat (though much of it still with extensive patches of snow) were heard at several locations, as well as a number of Purple Finches. | Havelock area | Don Sutherland |
| April 19 |
Jerry Ball and I watched the Lake Katchewanooka Bald Eagles feeding their two eaglets today. The eaglets appeared to still be all white and quite small, maybe Rock Pigeon size. We also recorded 8 Greater Yellowlegs in a vernal pond just north of Young's Point and at least 20 Mourning Cloak butterflies in various locations around Lakefield. Apart from two Northern Rough-winged Swallows, a Barn Swallow, and two Tree Swallows on the River, we saw only two other swallows all day. The absence of swallows so far this spring is quite worrisome. Chorus Frogs, however, seemed as common as ever and were heard calling from numerous locations. As for plants, Coltsfoot was in bloom along roadsides in various locations. Elms, Red Maples, Silver Maples, Trembling Aspens, Speckled Alder and White Birch are in full flower right now. Clear Lake appeared 95% free of ice today. Only a few ducks and loons were still lingering here. The temperature today hit 28C!
|
various locations near Lakefield | Drew Monkman |
| April 19 | Both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were in a wet field at the corner of the Centre Line of Smith and the 5th (NE corner) this afternoon. Several Wilson's Snipe fly about also. | Centre Line of Smith | Anne Anthony |
| April 18 | The Hepatica in my garden was in bloom today. | ||
| April 18 | This morning the ice on Stoney is very black and honeycombed in the main part of the lake. It is open from Burleigh Falls to Juniper and the Church and around the islands in Boschink Narrows. We've paddled since Wednesday. Many Common Mergansers and Ring Necks with small flocks of Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Goldeneye, Mallards and geese. Also a couple of Blacks,Wood Ducks, Osprey and Loons. I expect breakup this weekend. (Note: in 2007 the ice went out of Lower Stoney on April 20 and Upper Stoney on April 21) | Stoney Lake | Rob Welsh |
| April 17 | While conducting surveys for Chorus Frog, I encountered individual, singing Pine Warblers at about a half dozen locations between Burleigh Falls, Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon and Bridgenorth. A Northern Rough-winged Swallow was with Tree and Barn Swallows over open water at Buckhorn, and Brown Thrasher and Eastern Towhee were encountered near Ennismore and Lakehurst and Buckhorn and Burleigh Falls. Also heard was a Blue-headed Vireo just north of Gannon Narrows, Field Sparrow (3 sites), Vesper Sparrow (2 sites), Savannah Sparrow and Swamp Sparrow. Lots of Chorus Frogs (40+ sites), but mainly south of the Shield edge. Snow (20-40cm depth) is still widespread in the woods and ice in the thicket swamps north of a line through Burleigh Falls, Buckhorn and Bobcaygeon. Similarly, good choruses of Northern Leopard Frog, Wood Frog and Spring Peeper at sites south of the Shield. . | Various locations | Don Sutherland |
| April 17 | Jon and I encountered a Northern Redbelly Snake this afternoon crossing the gravel rail trail just a little north of Trent University yesterday. This area (about 500 m to 1 km N of the start of the trail at Trent) also presently has choruses of Chorus Frog, Wood Frog and Spring Peepers. | Trent University | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 16 | This morning, two Ruby-crowned Kinglets could be heard singing in the Avenues area of downtown Peterborough. | downtown Peterborough | Don Sutherland |
| April 14 | I just came back from a walk down the hill here at Trent, and there is a good chorus of Chorus Frogs presently calling from the wetland between MacKenzie House and Gzowski College. | Trent University | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 14 | I was watching two Fox Sparrows, two American Tree Sparrows, and a White-throated Sparrow under and on the feeders, when suddenly a flash of colour under the pea tree caught my eye and it was an Eastern Towhee. It was the first time ever I have seen one here and such an interesting day to have them all together. | Merino Road, Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| April 13 | This morning at about 9:35, a large Snow Goose of the blue morph flew into the flooded field at Mather's Corners with a group of about 20 Canada Geese. It was still there 10 minutes later when I left that location. | Keene area | Bill Crins |
| April 13 | During an hour-long walk at Petroglyphs PP this morning, we heard Golden-crowned Kinglet (3), Brown Creeper (2), Red-breasted Nuthatch (4), Winter Wren (3), Hermit Thrush (2) and Eastern Phoebe (1), all singing. Except for a few open patches on south-facing slopes, lots of snow (20-60 cm – mid-thigh!) remains in many areas of the park. | Petroglyphs Provincial Park | Don Sutherland |
| April 13 | A Midland Painted Turtle was sunning itself on a log, at Miller’s Creek Conservation Area. | 7th Line of Smith-Ennismore Township | Tony Bigg |
| April 13 | I heard Chorus Frogs calling this afternoon in a shrub swamp about 1 km north of the Trent University science complex, just east of the rail trail leading to Lakefield. | Trent University | Mike McMurtry |
| April 12 | A couple Spring Peepers were calling tonight in the wet field behind our house. The weather was cold and wet. | Lakefield | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 12 | Today at 21:10 there was a single Spotted Salamander [yellow spotted salamander] crossing the road near my house heading north towards the breeding pond (Sumcot Dr., off Allen's Rd. west of Buckhorn). Weather at the time was light rain and 3 C. There is still a considerable snow cover in the woods; about 2/3 covered in patchy snow which is at least 15 cm deep. | Buckhorn | Martyn Obbard |
| April 11 | A White-throated Sparrow visited our yard today and was in full song for much of the morning. Several whitethroats overwintered on nearby Merino Boulevard this winter and one was briefly at our feeder in late March. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 10 | As 'sparrow week' continues, four American Tree Sparrows were in our yard this morning, for the first time since the fall. This species is slowly making its way north to its breeding grounds on the tundra and should pass through the Kawarthas in large numbers these next few weeks. Junco numbers have increased this week, as well, as they, too, head northward. They can be heard singing throughout the neighbourhood. Also, a beautifully marked Fox Sparrow showed up briefly today. This species is well-known for its "double-scratching," kicking backward in ground litter with both feet to uncover food. This is what drew my attention to its presence. A Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow and four late Common Redpolls kept it company. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 10 | Tony Bigg also had a Fox Sparrow visiting his feeder today as well as a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the trees in his garden. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| April 9 | Today at my feeder a bright and brillant male Fox sparrow - 1st of the season! | Peterborough | Randy Smith |
| April 9 | Just heard my first Savannah Sparrow of the year singing in the back alfalfa field. In previous years, they usually show at my place between April 11th to 15th. So maybe birds will start showing up on time now (instead of weeks late). Of note, yesterday I had more small flocks of redpolls flying over and a late Northern Shrike terrorizing the feeders. | Young's Point Road | Myles Falconer |
| April 8 | A Wilson's Snipe was displaying overhead early this morning just west of Omemee, on the north side of Hwy. 7. | Omemee | Everett Hanna |
| April 8 | Four Common Redpolls were at our niger feeder most of today. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 8 |
Along 6 Foot Bay Road - 1 male and 1 female Bluebird (far apart, so not necessarily a pair), a half dozen Swamp Sparrows and 2 Eastern Phoebes. |
Buckhorn area | Antonia Sinclair |
| April 7 | First Chipping Sparrow of the spring this morning on my feeder table beside the yews. | Peterborough | Susan Hill |
| April 7 | I had one Common Loon and two Horned Grebes on Little Lake this morning. I also had my first Groundhog of the season on the 5th line of Douro near Strickland. | Little Lake, 5th Line of Douro | Anne Anthony |
| April 7 | The Bald Eagle was working on his nest on Katchewanooka Lake today. The nest can be seen from the road at 1701 Old Young’s Point Rd, but it was difficult to see the bird from there. Looking back from where the stream crosses the road just north of there, the bird could be seen. | Old Young's Point Road | Tony Bigg |
| April 7 | The two Greater White-fronted Geese were still at the south end of the flooded field at Mathers' Corners this morning and in addition to the hundreds of Mallards and Canadas we saw 40 Pintails, 8 American Wigeons, 4 Blue-winged Teal and abt 20 Blacks. An Osprey was on the nesting platform just west of Keene on Hwy 2. | Keene area | Peter |
| April 6 | I drove up to the cornfield/pond south of the County Rd. 2 and Drummond Line (Mather's Corners) and aside from thousands of Canada Geese and hundreds of Mallards, I did see one pair of Northern Pintails. | Mather's Corners, Cty Rd. 2 | Rick Stankiewicz |
| April 6 | I visited Mathers' Corners pond this afternoon and saw a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese, a western species. There were at least two dozen pintails and a dozen or so blacks. | Mather's Corners, Cty Rd. 2 | Drew Monkman |
| April 6 | Yesterday I heard my first local Eastern Phoebe of the year, along the 7th Line Smith. As well, this morning a pair of Tree Swallows were already checking out their nest box (they nest in our yard every year), which surprised me considering they just arrived to the area. This evening an American Woodcock was peenting & twittering in the field behind our house. Now I'm just waiting for the frogs to begin calling! | ||
| April 6 | At noon today there were at least 4 Great Blue Herons standing on nests at the Sandy Lake colony. I heard a Winter Wren singing this morning (April 7) while I was walking the dog-off Allen's Road, west of Buckhorn. | Buckhorn | Martyn Obbard |
| April 6 | Yesterday I heard my first local Eastern Phoebe of the year, along the 7th Line Smith. As well, this morning a pair of Tree Swallows were already checking out their nest box (they nest in our yard every year), which surprised me considering they just arrived to the area. This evening an American Woodcock was peenting & twittering in the field behind our house. Now I'm just waiting for the frogs to begin calling! | Lakefield | Carrie Sadowski |
| April 6 | Amazing, right now at 1:15 p.m. there is a Mourning Cloak Butterfly on my platform feeder. It is black with a golden/beige outline on the outer wings. | Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| April 5 | At Little Lake, at least 600 ducks were present with very large numbers (150 plus) of Hooded Merganser and Ring-necked Ducks. Bufflehead numbers seemed to have increased over last week. There were also small "flocks" of Pied-billed Grebes numbering about six individuals per group. I would guess there had to be several dozen grebes in all. I did not see any swallows at Little Lake. | Otonabee River, Little Lake | Drew Monkman |
| April 5 | This afternoon there were 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers seen near the Indian River in Warsaw. Also there was an Osprey on its nest on Nicholson Road near Hiawatha First Nation. | Warsaw & Hiawatha | Anne Anthony, Maureen Smith |
| April 4 | Letting the dog out has been profitable for me the last two mornings! Yesterday an Eastern Towhee greeted me with a ‘Cup-of-tea-ea-ea’, and this morning I first heard and then saw a Sandhill Crane fly over my house in Lakefield. The latter was flying towards Buckley’s Lake – its usual breeding area. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| April 4 | I have been observing 40-60 Tree Swallows over the Otonabee River at Trent University all week long. | Trent University on the Otonabee River | Everett Hanna |
| April 3 | Despite near-freezing temperatures and a backyard still full of snow, about six midges were doing their up and down "yo-yo" mating flight in our backyard late this afternoon. |
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Drew Monkman |
| April 3 | Deer carcass about 150 yards East and North of April 2 sighting, close to shore, with mature Bald Eagle. | Stoney Lake | Fred Sneath |
| April 2 | An Osprey was flying over the nesting platform by the dam slipway in downtown Lakefield at 2:00 p.m. today. Note that no Ospreys have yet been reported by the Hawk Watch at the Beamer CA in Grimsby (which monitors hawk migration on a daily basis.) | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| April 2 | On Nicholson Rd and Lakeview we had a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, a male Northern Harrier, 4 Killdeer and 100's of robins. | SE of County Rd 2 | Jerry Ball and Anne Anthony |
| April 2 | We saw a flock of crows on a deer carcass about 250 yards off North shore of Stoney, midway between Viamede and Anchorage. The birds moved off a short distance with the arrival of a wolf. Checking a few minutes later,the wolf was gone and the crows were back. | Stoney Lake | Fred Sneath |
| April 2 | From the end of South Beach Road at Youngs Point (Clear Lake - 44.4863°, -78.2265°), we viewed the following this afternoon: 10 Canada Goose, 5 Mallards, 2 Black Ducks, 120 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Canvasback, 5 Bufflehead, 75 Common Goldeneyes, 60 Common Merganser, 25 Hooded Merganser, 1 Belted Kingfisher: The Canvasback could be seen only by scanning the water north of Clearview Resort. | Young's Point | Michael Butler and Martha Allen |
| April 1st | " Last weekend, a flock of Bohemian Waxwings landed in a flowering crab tree we have in our yard and enjoyed the leftover apples. It was quite a sight. There had to have been about 20." | Peterborough | Glenis Burnie |
| April 1st | "I watched an Eastern Phoebe this morning, sitting in a bush flicking its tail, on Maniece Ave by the Liftlock Golf Club." | Maniece Ave. | Tony Bigg |
| April 1st | I had a Cackling Goose at Mather's Corners today amongst the 100+ Canada's, 4 Black Ducks and 7 Mallards. | Mather's Corners on County Road 2, west of Keene | Anne Anthony |
| April 1st | Yesterday morning, while walking my dog between Beavermead and Rogers Cove, I counted 12 Great Blue Herons along the shoreline. I've only ever spotted a single heron or pairs before, never such a large group in one place Most interesting was that they appeared to be 'attacking' smaller water birds. | Little Lake | Bill Skilton |
| April 1st | I observed several robins, today, eating Staghorn Sumac berries. This is considered a sort of last resort survival food, given their rather scant nutritive value. However, with snow still covering 80% of the ground, there is little other food. Today saw the first double digit mild conditions in over a month with a maximum of 12 C. | Royal Drive, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 31 | "I photographed an early caterpillar taking a walk on the snow in the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday. I’m not sure of the identification but think it may be a form of Yellow Bear (Virginian Tiger Moth). Today I saw my first Common Loon and Belted Kingfisher for the year on the Otonabee River above Lock 25." | Trent Wildlife Sanctuary, Otonabee River, | Tony Bigg |
| March 29 | At least eight Turkey Vultures are presently roosting in a row of Norway Spruce on Edgewood Road in the west end of Peterborough. The birds have been there for several days and roost here for a week or so every year during spring migration. | Edgewood Road | Vickie Martin |
| March 29 | "I saw five Bald Eagles this morning. All five were close together..but two in particular were "dancing"-partial rolls,dips,climbing short stoops. No talon holds. It seems a little late for them to still be here, but there are still wolves killing deer. There have been two kills in the Boschink area of Stony Lake recently." | Stony Lake | Rob Welsh |
| March 29 | "A male cardinal is coming regularly, sitting on our BBQ and then flying into our patio door. It does this for a good half hour back and forth. Even though it is a little annoying to listen to, we don't want to scare it away." (The bird is seeing its reflection and trying to drive the "intruder" away. DM) | Bonnie Patterson | |
| March 29 | Duck numbers at Little Lake were particularly high this afternoon. After a quick count, I would guess there were at least 150 each of Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks, 100 Common Mergansers, maybe 50 Common Goldeneye, and about 30 Bufflehead. I didn't have time to check all of the ducks carefully, so other species were probably present as well. | Little Lake | Drew Monkman |
| March 28 | I found a freshly killed (still warm) Eastern Screech Owl on Division Rd. about 500m east of Hwy 28 at 7:10 this morning. There was still no sign of the Great Gray Owl near Old Norwood Rd and Burnham Line. A River Otter was on the ice by Lock 23 and the large bird on the dead carp by Lock 25 was again the immature Bald Eagle. Another immature Bald Eagle was sitting in a white pine on the island behind the beer store in Lakefield. | various locations | Tony Bigg |
| March 27 | This morning, I saw a Killdeer on one of the new subdivision roads NW of Wildlark Dr. in the west end of Peterborough. It flew off towards Loggerhead Marsh which is now frozen but must have a few patches of open water. Where else does it find food? There certainly wasn't anything to eat on the paved road. | Wildlark Drive, Peterborough | Chris Risley |
| March 27 | Kestrel and Northern Harrier | Moncrief Line (Airport Road) near Highway 28 south of Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| March 27 | Two American Woodcocks were calling and flying around the junction of Burnham line on Old Norwood Rd. at dusk. | Burnham Line east of Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| March 27 | "We have heard and seen a Merlin in Inverlea Park this spring. They are once again nesting in pine trees. Their call is disturbing us. This is the third year they have come to raise families." | Inverlea Park, Peterborough | Russell Macgillivray |
| March 27 | There were a couple of Eastern Meadowlarks standing in the snow today on Bartlett Rd. which is off Highway 28. They were near 28. There was also 2 Kestrels in the vicinity. | Bartlett Road | Ben Walters |
| March 25 | About 15 cm of heavy snow fell this afternoon and this evening. No major March thaw has occurred as of yet. Skiing conditions are still superb at Kawartha Nordic X-C ski trails at Haultain. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 25 | At Lakefield Marsh, this morning, I saw a Great Blue Heron fly over. Red-winged Blackbirds were spread out all around the marsh giving their territorial calls. A few Common Grackles were also around, and one Northern Shrike sat near the viewing tower. In the river by the campsite there were 8 Common Mergansers, 8 Hooded Mergansers, 6 Buffleheads, 5, Ring-necked Ducks, 4 Common Goldeneyes, several small flocks of Canada Geese, and several pairs of Mallards. Yesterday I had two Common Redpolls at my feeder with a large flock of American Goldfinch. The Redpolls seem mostly to have left our area. Today my feeders have a mixed flock of Redwings, Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds as well as the normal suspects. | Lakefield Marsh, Deyncourt Street, Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| March 25 | For at least the past five days, a Great Gray Owl has been present (and photographed) along Burnham Line near Old Norwood Road. To my knowledge, this is the first Great Gray seen in the Kawarthas this winter/spring and may mean there are others around or on their way. | Burnham Line | reported to Drew Monkman |
| March 25 | In the last two days, Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls have moved on from our feeders. About 30 Evening Grosbeaks continue to visit, now in the company of male Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. On Mount Julian Road, within a known breeding territory, we encountered our first Red-shouldered Hawk of the season. Over Burleigh Falls we saw a lone Turkey Vulture flying north. | Burleigh Falls area | Michael Butler |
| March 24 | A pair of House Sparrows has already laid claim to a nest box in our backyard. The female has been spending most of today and yesterday removing nesting material that I assume has been there since last summer. I guess she's giving the place a makeover! A dozen American Robins were also in the yard late this afternoon, feeding on European Buckthorn berries. The snow is still about a metre deep in the backyard. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 24 | In what's turning out to be the winter/spring of the Barred Owl, another bird has turned up, this time just north of the city. It has been sitting out in plain view in a backyard where there's lots of feeder activity and a large contingent of squirrels and chipmunks. It was present March 20th and 21st and then again today. | 5th Line of Smith Township | Sylvie Morgan |
| March 24 | A Northern Saw-whet Owl made a stop-over on its northward migration today. It turned up in a tree in the front yard of a house on Gilmour Street in Peterborough. | Peterborough | Erica Nol |
| March 23 | This morning I saw my first Common Grackles of the year along Wallis Drive. During a quick drive through of Little Lake Cemetery, a Song Sparrow, my first of the year, too, was singing. I also saw a flock of about a dozen Ring-necked Ducks in addition to the buffleheads, hooded mergansers and pied-billed grebes that were present. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 23 | While preparing our Easter supper, we were treated to a short visit by an Ermine, also known as the Short-tailed Weasel. It was spotted by my daughter, Sophie . Still in its winter colouration, the weasel was pure white except for a black-tipped tail. Note that McCrea Drive, where the animal was seen, is within the city limits. |
McCrea Drive, Peterborough |
Sophie Monkman |
| March 20 | With spring's arrival today, Peterborough has recorded a record winter for snowfall - 304 centimetres. Although there are some gaps in local records, the snowiest winter previously was 302.7 cm in 1911-12. According to Dave Phillips of Environment Canada, 10 percent of the annual snowfall comes after the first day of spring, so there is more on the way. | Peterborough | |
| March 17 | The first Turkey Vulture of the spring arrived today and is roosting in a row of tall cedars in the west end of Peterborough. Most years, as many as 10 vultures show up during spring migration and all roost together in the same stand of spruce. During the day, they are sometimes seen soaring over the west end. |
Edgewood Road, Peterborough
|
Vickie Martin |
| March 14 | I heard my first American Robin in full song this morning. There was also the most feeder activity in weeks - chickadees, both nuthatches, juncoes, house sparrows, mourning doves, cardinals, a downy woodpecker, and American goldfinches | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 14 | This first day of mild weather (7 C) in along time also brought in some migrants. The first flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds arrived at the Kidd farm today. |
Douro/Dummer County Road 8 |
Bruce Kidd |
| March 14 | Many Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, and Greater Scaup on the Lake today, along with 2 Buffleheads and 2 grebes (Pied-billed?) There were also crows carrying nesting material. | Little Lake | Ken Rumble |
| March 13 | Bohemian Waxwings are still hanging around in the area. There were about 250 birds in the trees just south of the bridge in Lakefield today. Also the Pied-billed Grebe was below and a sub-adult Bald Eagle (head turning white) was above Lock 24 today. | Otonabee River and Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| March 8 | A flock of at least 150 Bohemian Waxwings kept me entertained while I shovelled snow today. Many of them came down to feed on European Buckthorn in our yard. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 7 | A Pied-billed Grebe was seen at noon, just below Lock 25. | Otonabee River | Tony Bigg |
| March 7 | "Signs of spring today included a male Red-winged Blackbird at the feeder in our backyard in Cavan. When I went outside a few minutes later it was calling, as were a group of 4-5 robins in the neighbour's yard. While I was watching them picking tiny dried apples off the neighbour's ornamental tree, a group of 12 Bohemian Waxwings joined them. It was fun to see those two species feeding together." | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| March 6 | For the first time this spring, a male House Sparrow sat on one of our bird houses and called repeatedly today, presumably to show ownership of the box and to attract a female. He has been hanging out around the box all winter, but today was the first actual singing. |
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Michelle Monkman |
| March 6 | Two male Wood Ducks were seen just below the bus barns on River Road. | Otonabee River | Jerry Ball |
| March 4 | A dead Barred Owl was found today below a bridge on a Trent Wildlife Sanctuary trail. The bird showed no signs of trauma. |
Trent Wildlife Sanctuary |
Ingrid Jones |
| March 4 | "I heard the first Mourning Doves of the year calling this morning at around 7:30 a.m." |
Peterborough
|
Everett Hannah |
| March 1 | A Brush Wolf (Coyote) has been hanging out on the west side of Chemong Road, north of the Parkway Trail towards the Simmons subdivision. Instead of a howl, its vocalization is a high pitched scream. It has also been seen between Cabot Street. and the paved "Parkway Trail". It has a lame hind leg. |
Simmons subdivision and Cabot Street
|
Mel Barns |
| February 28 | "I looked out today at about 1:00 pm to see an exquisite Barred Owl staring back at me on my deck." |
Morton Line, Cavan |
Holly McBain |
| February 17 | Immature Bald Eagle sitting on ice on west side of Otonabee River, 100 metres above Lock 25. Bird was seen at about 1:00 p.m. | Lock 25, Otonabee River | Drew Monkman |
| February 15 | Pileated Woodpecker hammering on dead branch | McCrea Drive, Peterborough | Cy Monkman |
| February 14 | During my walk to work (MNR downtown) from East City this morning, I saw three flocks of American Robins, totalling about 125 individuals flying overhead and calling. I also heard full songs of 1 House Sparrow, 1 American Robin and 1 House Finch. | East City, Peterborough | Andrew Jobes |
| February 12 | More signs of spring – within the last week I have seen a pair of Mourning Doves copulating on my bird feeder, pairs of Red-tailed Hawks sitting together in trees, and a Beaver on the ice at Haig’s Point in Lakefield. | Lakefield and area | Tony Bigg |
| February 11 | On this cold, winter day, thought I would mention that yesterday, Feb.11, we had the first Horned Lark of the year on the farm, picking around among the cattle. |
Douro/Dummer County Rd. 8 |
Bruce Kidd |
| February 9 | A House Finch was in full song at noon today in a tree in front of our house. First House Finch song of the new year for me. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| February 6 | Opossum - "this little guy sure looked cold and was not moving very fast when I saw him" | Harrington Lane, Ennismore | Randy Smith |
| February 5 | First smell of Skunk for 2008 - at 6 a.m. this morning - foggy and mild (4 C) | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| February 5 | Two Pileated Woodpeckers observed excavating dead maples on Milburn Street in Edmison Heights. One hole over two feet long and six inches or more wide. Large chips all over the snow. | Milburn Street | Ron Fuller |
| February 2 | 12 Cedar Waxwings in yard, feeding on European Buckthorn berries | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| February 1 | Barred Owl seen in Ennismore | Ennis Road | Randy Smith |
| January 31 | Mature Bald Eagle seen at 1:30 p.m. flying south | Cty Rd 6 and 8th Line of Dummer | Horst & Elke Vauth |
| January 30 | On Jan 30 a 1st or 2nd year Bald Eagle was seen near Lakefield on River Road feeding on a carp laying on the ice. | River Road | Randy Smith |
| January 28 | I heard my first Northern Cardinal of the year singing this morning. |
Marina Blvd, Peterborough
|
Drew Monkman |
| January 8 | With extremely mild temperatures of 12 C, a Woolly Bear caterpillar was found out on the lawn and active! These insects overwinter as caterpillars, spin a coccoon in the spring, and emerge from the coccoon in early summer as an Isabella Moth. | Peterborough | Mrs. Cain |
| January 5 | On the Petroglyphs Christmas Bird Count, 31 species were recorded, a little below the average of 35. Birds and numbers of interest included 9 Bald Eagles, 1 Golden Eagle, 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers, 5 Gray Jays, 403 Blue Jays, 87 Pine Grosbeaks, 393 Common Redpolls, and 113 Evening Grosbeaks. | Stoney Lake to Apsley area | many observers |
| 2007 | |||
| December 25 | A flock of 40 Eastern Bluebirds was a nice addition to Christmas Day. |
Stevenson Road, betweeen Gore's Landing & Harwood |
Marilyn Taylor |
| December 20 | Just a little report of the Wild Turkeys that walk my back deck with caution but also bravado. The largest count so far is 19 at one time, but we regularly have 12 to 16. These include 3 males and 13 females. One of the females pecks away at the sunflower feeder as if she's a chickadee! | Buckhorn | Wayne Stone |
| December 16 |
On the Peterborough Christmas Bird Count, 33 species (plus 7 count period species) and 3264 individuals were recorded by 21 field observers. Due to the blizzard-like conditions, both of these totals are well below the averages for the last ten years of 53 species and 9328 individuals, and the lowest number of species since 1968. Winter ‘finch’ numbers were: 13 Pine Grosbeaks, 141 Common Redpolls (with 2 Hoary Redpolls seen during the count period), 77 American Goldfinch, 520 Snow Buntings, 325 Bohemian Waxwings, and 7 Cedar Waxwings. |
Peterborough | Tony Bigg and others |
| December 15 | 100+ Bohemian Waxwings |
Schneider Place, Peterborough |
Shirley Gillespie |
| December 12 | An opossum was observed this evening eating chicken skins on the back deck of a house in Omemee. | Omemee | John Sadler |
| December 4 | Just before sunset today, an immature Bald Eagle traveled the length of Lower Stony, from west to east. That is the usual direction, based on past years. | Lower Stony Lake | Rob Welsh. |
| December 2 |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ&feature=related Please take a look at this youtube video on climate change. It is the most compelling argument I've heard yet that the only logical and morally defensible decision is to take serious action now to address climate change. |
||
| December 1 | The Northern Flicker that has wintered for 6 or 7 years in the Avenues has returned a feeder on Gilmour Street, just west of downtown Peterborough. As well a Pileated Woodpecker has been seen twice on Homewood Avenue. in the past week. Singles or twos of Pine Grosbeak have also been around. | Gilmour Street, Peterborough | Chris Risley |
| December 1 | Environment Canada is predicting the coldest winter in 15 years, due mostly to the influence of La Nina (lower-than-normal water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean) which permits Arctic air to dominate the weather over Canada. | ||
| November 29 | Great Horned Owl seen at dusk, sitting in one of the dead trees in the large wetland on University Road | University Rd wetland, just north of County Rd 4 | Ben Walters |
| November 21 | Hermit Thrush and two White-throated Sparrows at feeder |
Merino Road, Peterborough
|
Sue Hill |
| November 21 | 350 to 400 Bohemian Waxwings near Gannon's Narrows. | The birds were on the tops of large trees along Myers Crescent. Myers Crescent is a short loop road off Kinsale Road which connects with Lakehurst Road about 100 metres south of the Gannon's Narrows bridge. | Bryan Wyatt, Guelph |
| November 19 |
An employee of the Peterborough Centennial Museum is quite confident he saw a Great Gray Owl sitting on a lamp post in east city (Peterborough). (This would be the first Great Gray reported in central Ontario this fall that I'm aware of. - D.M.) |
Ashburnham Road (between the Liftlock and Maria Street) | sighting reported via Carrie Sadowski |
| November 18 | The finch forecast for this fall/winter is spot-on, judging by the visitors to feeders at Mount Julian this week. They include Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, and Common Redpolls. Six Bohemian Waxwings foraging in a Red Cedar were present this morning. Pine Siskins and Purple Finches have been ABSENT for two weeks. | Mt. Julian (Woodview) | Michael Butler |
| November 18 | Pileated Woodpecker hopping from car to car in a parking lot and pecking at the front windshields (N.B. most likely seeing its reflection in the glass and assuming another Pileated had entered its feeding territory) | parking lot (directly adjacent to Jackson Creek) belonging to three-story apartment building between McDonnell and Bonaccord streets in Peterborough | Patricia Klemm |
| November 18 | "Yesterday, I drained our rainwater barrel and suddenly a male Pine Grosbeak and two females landed a foot away from me to drink the running rainwater!" | 17 km north of Norwood | Horst Vauth |
| November 16 | Many Lilacs, European Buckthorn and Siberian Elm, along with a few Norway Maple and Silver Maple, have not yet shed their leaves. This is a very late date for these trees to still have leaves. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| November 14 | 50 Snow Buntings flying over the Causeway at Bridgenorth today and 23 Wild Turkeys on the Harrington Line ennismore | Bridgenorth / Ennismore | Randy Smith |
| November 13 | Pine Grosbeaks, both males and females, feeding in crabapple tree. Have been present for at least one week. | Cabot Street, Peterborough | Geoffrey Way-Nee |
| November 9 | 35 Snow Geese (both white and “blue” individuals) flying overhead | Between Lakefield and Trent University. The birds may have landed on the Otonabee River | Colin Jones |
| November 8 |
Pileated Woodpecker at feeder (Note: There have been a number of Pileated Woodpecker sightings in the city in recent days, especially along Parkhill Road between Monaghan and Armour - D. Monkman) |
Whitaker Street / Armour Road in Peterborough | Gord Smith |
| November 8 |
12 American Robins, 10 Golden-crowned Kinglets, Winter Moth, many fresh beaver cuttings |
de Pencier Trail on east side of University Road at Trent University |
Drew Monkman Jim Cashmore |
| November 4 | Prickly Russian Thistle (Salsola tragus) a.k.a tumbleweed Has been "tumbling around the garden" | construction site on Cumberland Avenue | Hilary Tyne |
| November 3 | 14 Pine Grosbeak, 14 Bohemian Waxwing, 8 Evening Grosbeak, 100s of Common Redpolls, 30+ Snow Bunting, 1 Lapland Longspur, 10 Eastern Bluebirds, 2 American Pipits | north end of Dear Bay on Upper Buckhorn Lake | Don Sutherland |
| October 31 | Barred Owl | Jackson Park | Johanna Primavesi |
| October 28 | Two Bald Eagles at Six Foot Bay Golf Course | Buckhorn Lake | Wayne Stone |
| October 28 |
25 Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, 200 Bufflehead, 30 Lesser Scaup, 20 Common Goldeneye, 2 Northern Shovellers |
Lakefield Sewage Lagoon | Scott McKinlay |
| October 26 | wild raspberries and wild strawberries in bloom as well as Pussy Willow flower buds opening | various locations | Tony Bigg |
| October 26 |
Cackling Geese (two), Merlin |
Otonabee River | Tony Bigg |
| October 15 | five Snow Geese were seen with about 100 Canada Geese. Small numbers of Snow Geese were also reported from several other locations in early October. | Buckhorn highway, south of the Selwyn lights | Wayne Stone |
| October 13 | 23 Pine Siskins at feeder | Young's Point Road, north of Lakefield | Myles Falconer |
| October 13 |
Several people have been noticing plants re-blooming, apparently because of the extremely mild fall we've been having. These include Lowbush Blueberry. |
High Falls (Eel's Creek), just north of Stony Lake | Michael Butler |
| October 8 | an entirely white, albino Gray Squirrel was seen and photographed today | Franmore Drive near the Peterborough Golf and Country Club | Charles Hamilton |
| October 2 | An opossum was observed shortly after midnight outside a house on Rice Lake. It quickly scurried up a tree. Screech owls - up to four at a time - are being heard regularly in this area as well. | SW end of Rice Lake | Bill Stone |
| September 15 | Migrating white-throated sparrows have arrived in our yard right on schedule. Today at least six of them were in our Canada elderberry tree, eating the black berries. |
Maple Cres., Peterborough |
Drew Monkman |
| September 2 | Dozens of Fringed Gentian in bloom | rail-trail between Highway 7 and Ackison Drive | Drew Monkman |
| September 2 | Seven Great White Egrets and two Green Herons in ponds on Beardsmore Road. The egrets were in the pond when we arrived, but shortly after flew into a tree at the end of the pond. After about 20 minutes they returned to the pond. Lately there have been a number of wood ducks in both the south and north ponds. | Beardmore Road about 1 km from Airport Road. Beardmore Road exits off Airport Road to the east just south of the 115 overpass | Dave and Sherry Hambly |
| September 27 | I photographed a male Red-bellied Woodpecker in my yard today. | South Monaghan township | David Harries |
| September 1 | The past 3 nights we have seen Common Nighthawks circling and picking off insects about an hour before dusk... so I guess they are heading south .. a sure sign that fall is coming. | Buckhorn Lake at Kawartha Hideway | J. Philpott |
| August 26 | Considerable fall migration today. Redstarts, Yellow Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (eating elderberries), numerous Blue Jays, and several Purple Finch in yard. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
|
August 4
(all month) |
Giant Swallowtail on Echinacea in Peterborough garden. This is the first report of a Giant Swallowtail in Peterborough County. They do occur occasionally south of Rice Lake and west of here.
Snowy Tree Crickets calling every evening along Maple Crescent, Roper Drive and area. Seem more common than in other years. Monarchs regular at garden, mostly nectaring at Purple Coneflower and mauve coloured Phlox. Usually a Red Admiral present as well. |
Burnham Street Peterborough
Maple Crescent, Peterborough
|
Andrew Bigg
Drew Monkman |
| July 23, 2007 | For the last week or so, we have had at least six immature American Robins in the yard. They are all adult-size and feeding on their own but still heavily spotted. I'm wondering where they've come from, since I didn't see any small robin fledglings in our neighbourhood at all this spring. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| July 22, 2007 |
Michelle and I road out to Lakefield on rail-trail. Wildflowers dominated by Queen-Anne's-Lace and Tall Sweet Clover. Also fairly common and blooming were Viper Buglos, Common Milkweed (only a few still in flower), Black-eyed Susan, Joe-Pye-Weed, Swamp Milkweed, White Water Lily and Early Goldenrod. Tartarian Honeysuckles, already laden with ripe red or orange berries were common as well. Dominant birds were Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing and Song Sparrow. Saw two Black Terns at Lakefield Marsh. Counted about 15 Monarchs over the afternoon. |
Rail-Trail from Jackson Park to Lakefield and back | Drew Monkman |
| July 21, 2007 |
Petroglyphs Butterfly Count Five groups of observers found a total of 51 species of butterflies, a little above average, including two new species for the count – Milbert’s Tortoiseshell and Common Buckeye. The butterfly species seen were: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Mustard White, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Pink-edged Sulphur, Coral Hairstreak, Acadian Hairstreak, Edwards Hirstreak, Banded Hairstreak, Striped Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed Blue, Summer Azure, Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Atlantis Fritillary, Silver-bordered Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Pearl crescent, Northern Crescent, Question-Mark, Eastern Comma, Gray Comma, Compton’s Tortoiseshell, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Mourning Cloak, Americam Lady, Common Buckeye, Red Admiral, White Admiral, Viceroy, Northern Pearly-Eye, Eyed Brown, Common Ringlet, Common Wood-Nymph, Columbine Duskywing, Least Skipper, European Skipper, Peck’s Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Long Dash, Northern Broken-Dash, Delaware Skipper, Mulberry-Wing, Broad-winged Skipper, Dion Skipper, Dun Skipper, Silver-spotted Skipper, and Monarch. A total of 4177 individual butterflies were counted, of which 1799 were Dun Skippers. |
eastern end of Stoney Lake, the Petroglyphs PP, Apsley, and Sandy lake Rd | Jerry Ball, Tony Bigg |
| July 21 | A pair of Sandhill Cranes were seen feeding in a field on Highway 507. |
Highway 507 - 3 km north of Flynn's Corners near Charlie Allen Road |
Haig Kelly |
| July 12, 2007 | J. Cooper reports having a woodpecker at their oriole feeder and wanted to know if it's unusual - Yes, it is unusual but certainly does occur. Lots of other birds will visit nectar feeders, too, including jays, wrens, buntings, chickadees and house finches. Bats may even give them a try. |
J. Cooper |
|
| July 10, 2007 | Spent morning leading a nature walk at Camp Ponacka on Baptiste Lake, just east of Bancroft. Milkweed was in bloom in profusion along cottage roads and monarchs were much in evidence. In one roadside section, maybe 100 feet in length, the boys caught (and released) at least 40 caterpillars of various instars. I've never seen such abundance of monarch caterpillars anywhere before. |
Camp Ponacka, Baptiste Lake, east of Bancroft
|
Drew Monkman |
|
July 9, 2007 |
ciccada singing, Red Admiral butterflies common in garden |
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Drew Monkman |
| June 30, 2007 | a man fishing on the Otonabee River near the Hunter Street Bridge observed a large muskellunge catch and eat a half-grown mallard duckling | Otonabee River | Mario Hodder |
| May 24, 2007 | Black Cherry, and Red Osier Dogwood are now in full blossom. Willows are dispersing their wind-borne seeds. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| May 24, 2007 | First Canada Tiger Swallowtail, Dreamy Duskywing, Hoary Elfin and West Virginia White butterflies | various locations | Jerry Ball, Tony Bigg |
| May 23, 2007 | First Silvery Blue butterfly | various locations | Jerry Ball |
| May 22, 2007 | First Black Swallowtail, American Lady and Red Admiral butterflies | various locations | Jerry Ball |
| May 20, 2007 |
First Chryxus Arctic and Juvenal's Duskywing butterflies
|
Jerry Ball | |
| May 19, 2007 | First Mustard White Butterfly | Jerry Ball | |
| May 15, 2007 |
A large wave of migrants appeared in the Kawarthas this morning. Between 8:00 am and 9:00 we tallied a fourteen warbler species singing and/or feeding within 100 m of our home at Mt. Julian: Black-and-white Warbler,Pine Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Parula Warbler, Ovenbird, Canada Warbler, and American Redstart. We also had Least Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos. Large numbers of migrants were also recorded in Peterborough. Six species of warblers, a veery, and six Rose-breasted Grosbeaks appeared at 51 Maple Cres. this morning |
Mt. Julian, near Stoney Lake
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Michael Butler and Martha Allen
Drew Monkman |
| May 15 - 17, 2007 | at least 10 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in our yard at the same time including five on the sunflower seed feeder together |
Maple Crescent, Peterborough |
Drew Monkman |
| May 15, 2007 | I have a pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers coming several times daily, a pair of orioles, a pair of Cardinals, several pairs of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 2 pairs of Downy Woodpeckers, several pairs of Hairys, a pair of White-breasted nuthatches, two pairs of nesting chipping sparrows, a pair of nesting song sparrows, a pair of nesting Phoebees and a pair of Robins. I still have a small flock of White-crowned sparrows hanging around daily. Hummers have been back for about two weeks as of today. Also a Brown thrasher singing on a daily basis and a house wren singing daily as well. I also see a Pileated Woodpecker about 2 times per week and hear it "laughing" often in the woods. | 12th Line of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield | Kelly Dodge |
| May 5, 2007 | Northern Parula, Solitary & Spotted Sandpipers | Cavan (Cty Rd 10 at 7A) | Scott McKinlay |
| May 5, 2007 |
Eastern Kingbird, numerous Nashville Warblers, amongst many other species. Plants in bloom included White and Red Trilliums, Trout Lily, Large-flowered Bellwort, Blue Cohosh, Solomon's Seal and Wild Sarsaparilla. Lots of bee flies, too - Bombylius major |
9th line of Smith Township |
Peterborough Field Naturalists Sunday Morning Bird Walk with Martha Allen
|
| May 4, 2007 | Two Least Flycatcher | Warsaw Caves C.A. | Tony Bigg |
| May 4, 2007 | Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (singing) | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| May 1, 2007 | House Wren in song | Trent University | Andrew Jobes |
| May 1, 2007 | Yellow Warbler, American Bittern | Miller Creek C.A. | Tony Bigg |
| May 1, 2007 | Whip-poor-will | Stoney Lake | Tim Dyson |
| May 1, 2007 | Black-throated Blue Warbler | Jackson Park | Anne Anthony |
| May 1, 2007 | Ovenbird singing | Eel's Creek/Stoney Lake | Tim Dyson |
| April 30, 2007 | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Stoney Lake | Tim Dyson |
| April 30, 2007 | Wild Turkey and nest containing 15 eggs - on May 3, the eggs had disappeared with no sign of predation, broken shells or turkeys in vicinity | Keene | Donald Howson |
| April 29, 2007 | Upland Sandpiper | Cty Rd 38 - N. of Hwy 7 | Tony Bigg |
| April 29, 2007 | First American Toads singing | West End of Peterborough | D. Monkman |
| April 29, 2007 | Many migrant White-throated Sparrows in yard | Maple Crescent, Peterboro | D. Monkman |
| April 29, 2007 | Black-and-White, Black-throated Green Warblers | Selwyn Conservation Area | Michael Butler |
| April 29, 2007 | 2 Northern Waterthush singing | Eel's Creek | D. Monkman |
| April 28, 2007 | Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Hermit Thrush, Broad-winged Hawks (2) | Camp Kawartha | D. Monkman |
| March thru May, 2007 | Red Crossbills breeding | Petroglyphs P.P. area westward along Northey's Bay Road | Tim Dyson |
|
April 23, 2007
April 21, 2007
April 24 to 30
April 22, 2007 |
1st Amphibian Rescue Night - Spotted Salamander (many), Blue-spotted (many), Four-toed (1), Eastern Newt (many), American Toad (few), Leopard Frog (many), Spring Peeper (many). N.B. Amphibian Rescue Nights also on April 26th and 27th. Many Four-toeds on both of these dates as well as other salamander species mentionned above (Tim Dyson in Stoney Lake area)
First Cabbage White Butterfly (Jerry Ball)
Many Merlins paired, copulating, and using old crow nests in White Pines all around Stoney Lake (Tim Dyson) First Mourning Cloak and Eastern Comma butterflies (Jerry Ball)
|
|
|
Home - Columns - Sightings - Links - Contact - Book All rights reserved © Drew Monkman 2007
Design: www.Multimediate.com