| Date | Sighting | Location | Observer |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2010 | We woke at 8:30 a.m. to the sound of three beagles chasing a Coyote in the middle of Lower Buckhorn Lake. Hunters appeared but were not successful in shooting the coyote who wandered across the lake. | Lower Buckhorn Lake | Rose Mary Rosada |
| December 31, 2010 | Today, I saw a Lesser Scaup (perhaps the same one that was seen during the Peterborough CBC on Dec 19th) on the river in Lakefield between the campground beach and the marina. Also, flying down the lake and over the Lakefield Marsh was a flock of about 50 Snow Buntings. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| December 31, 2010 | At or near my feeders over the past 3 days have been Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Song, White-thr. and White-crowned sparrows, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Shrike, Cooper's Hawk and many more common birds. | Scollard Drive off Cunningham off Armour Rd. opposite the zoo in Peterborough | Dave Milsom |
| December 28, 2010 | All fall and thus far this winter, our suet and peanut feeders have been popular with Downy, Hairy, and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. The big Red-Bellied comes several times a day. The smaller Downy and Hairy have to back off and wait for their turns when he arrives. | Montcalm Drive, Peterborough | Bernadine Dodge |
| December 26, 2010 | There was a Merlin in our backyard today, perched on the pool fence. | 244 Patricia Crescent, (off Fairbairn St., just north of Lily Lake Road) | Lowell Lunden |
| December 24, 2010 | I finally had some Common Redpolls (3) at my feeder in Cavan today. | Cavan | Scott McKinlay |
| December 21, 2010 | I saw a Bald Eagle today in front of our cottage in a pine tree. | Lower Buckhorn Lake | Rose Mary Rosada |
| December 17, 2010 | There has been a Pied-billed Grebe on the Otonabee River in Peterborough (just north of the train bridge near the Holiday Inn). We saw it again this morning. (Note: This species is quite rare in the Kawarthas in winter, but does occasionally turn up on Christmas Bird Counts. D.M.) | Otonabee River | Rian Dickson |
| December 16, 2010 | This morning I watched a Glaucous Gull flying up and down the Otonabee River just south of Lakefield. I also saw a Pied-billed Grebe on the far shore near the first islands south of Lakefield. On Tuesday Dec 14 I saw an Ermine (Short-tailed Weasel) cross the path in front of me near the car park in the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. I thought that was the last of it but then it popped back out and stared at my small dog. It summed it up and then decided it was too big for a meal and disappeared into the brush. It was one of the few moments when the sun was out and the pure white fur with the black tip on the tail looked spectacular. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| December 15, 2010 | 50 + Bohemian Waxwings 2510 Bensfort Rd. Highland Park Cemetery. Also 5 Common Goldeneye on river beside Little Lake Cemetery. | Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| December 11, 2010 | This morning, December 11, there were at least four American Robins at the corner of Norwood Terrace and Glencairn Avenue. Three were calling. My wife, Kathy, also had an Eastern Chipmunk at the feeders iin the backyard yesterday. | Westbrook Drive, Peterborough | Martin Parker |
| December 10, 2010 | This afternoon, we were out walking the perimeter path on the farm with the dogs when we were suddenly amazed to see a young white-tailed buck leaping across the field beside us. He disappeared behind the old fieldstone barn. But then, about one minute later, we were literally struck dumb to see a very healthy looking brush wolf (coyote) running in the same direction as the deer. The dogs were too low and missed the entire thing. | Bland Line, Mount Pleasant | Darienne McAuley |
| December 10, 2010 | Today there was a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings on the Old Keene Road south of the village of Assumption. There was also a very large (possibly) Cooper's Hawk at Trent University that flew over the science complex parking lot today. I regularly see a male Cooper's Hawk hunting the birds feeders in this area but this one was presumably a very large female. I wasn't looking at it through binoculars but it's size was verging on what I would think was a Northern Goshawk and maybe it was. | various (see posting) | Ben Walters |
| December 10, 2010 | Sightings of winter birds are definitely on the increase. Today I had a flock of Cedar Waxwings on the 7th Line of Smith west of Miller Creek. Anne Anthony and Jerry Ball had a flock of Bohemian Waxwings containing a few Cedar Waxwings behind the Beer Store in Bridgenorth. At the south end of the Bridgenorth Trail I had a flyover Common Redpoll. At the west end of the 7th Line of Smith I saw a small flock of Pine Siskins, and on the 11th Line of Smith I found a flock of about thirty Snow Buntings. On December 3rd, in Bridgenorth, I watched a Merlin (31cm) fly up from the road in front of me, carrying a Mourning Dove (also 31cm). He alighted on a power line and proceeded to feast on it. | various (see posting) | Tony Bigg |
| December 8, 2010 | There was also a flock of over 300 Snow Buntings and 2 Lapland Longspurs on County Road 2 just east of Baillieboro today. There were also 7 Red-tailed Hawks between Baillieboro and Bensfort Bridge. However, it is the first year in about 5 years that I haven't seen harriers and kestrels in regular locations along this stretch of road. A huge numbers of gulls was on the ice at Bensfort Bridge but I didn't go down to look through them. | Baillieboro | Ben Walters |
| December 8, 2010 | Today at Boschink Narrows on Stony Lake, some new birds for the fall included Evening Grosbeaks, a Northern Shrike and a mature Bald Eagle. | Boschink Narrows, Stony Lake (Take Northey's Bay Rd. south to Fire Route 10 and follow to lake.) | Rob Welsh |
| December 5, 2010 | I was walking my dogs today at the Trent Nature Area and I saw a Northern Saw Whet Owl. | Trent University | Luke Berg |
| December 4, 2010 | This morning I witnessed a large flock of Common Mergansers on the water in front of my place feeding on minnows. Probably about 200 ducks. I live on the Harrington narrows between Chemong and Upper Buckhorn. The interesting thing was that there were quite a number of gulls actually attacking the ducks trying to steal their minnows. The duck would dive to escape this maneuver. It was very fun to watch. | Harrington Narrows between Chemong and Upper Buckhorn lakes | Jim Doolittle |
| December 2, 2010 | We're hearing lot of Coyotes at our farm this year; in fact, we hear them nightly. Actually the Coyotes were trying to entice a dog belonging to one of our neighbors to come and play a couple of months ago. One Coyote was full out in the open and my neighbour could see a couple more behind the trees. We've also noticed there are very few Deer Mice. Normally we catch about 25 mice during October. This year only 5. | Bland Line, Mount Pleasant | Darienne and Ed McAuley |
| December 2, 2010 | I received a report that a pair of Bald Eagles were seen today on Fox Island, across from Curve Lake First Nation. Eagles have nested near here for the past few years. | Curve Lake First Nation | |
| November 28, 2010 | This morning I took my dog for a walk along one of the rail trail sections south of Peterborough. At one point my dog ahead of me started barking at the frozen ditch alongside. As I came up to him I could see where the ice was opened up and a Beaver had been. There were plenty of Beaver tracks around, crossing the trail in a couple of places. In the wood behind the ditch more than twenty large poplars, one about two feet in diameter, had had the bark chewed away to a height of about three feet. A little further on the ditch flowed out off a marsh over a Beaver dam. Near the trail in the marsh there was a Beaver lodge, and again the dog ahead of me stopped by the lodge and I could see that he was listening to something, turning his head from side to side. When I reach him I too could hear the sounds. It was Beaver kits mewing inside the lodge – something I had never heard before. The only interesting birds of the day were an American Kestrel on the wires beside Hwy 7 east of the Hwy 28 junction, a flock of about 20 Wild Turkeys about 1km south of the Duoro arena on Hwy28 (this was the fourth time I had seen this flock in the same area in the last month), and one Ruffed Grouse on the rail trail. | Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| November 21, 2010 | I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Peterborough Zoo. | Peterborough Zoo | Ian Shanahan (via Chris Risley - posted on OntBirds) |
| November 11, 2010 | Today, at 12:21 pm, I am watching a purple finch feed at my bird feeder. | Peterborough | Luke Berg |
| November 8, 2010 | A quick count of the ducks on the lagoons this afternoon showed about 280 Bufflehead, 40 Lesser Scaup, 20 Common Goldeneye, 8 Ring-necked Duck, and 10 Mallard. Fair numbers of Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers can also be seen on the river between Trent and Lakefield. I also saw a late Clouded Sulphur butterfly flying by the lagoons. | Lakefield Sewage Lagoons, Block Road (Cty Rd 33), Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| November 3, 2010 | This morning, at about 8:15 a.m., I saw about two dozen Wild Turkeys perched in the trees at the north end of the huge corn field at the northwest corner of Ackison and Parkhill roads. | Ackison Road | Drew Monkman |
| October 9, 2010 | Today, I saw an Eastern Phoebe land on the wire just outside our sunroom. It sat there for a mintute or two and then flew off. | Oriole Crescent, Peterborough | Pierre Gilbert |
| October 6, 2010 | Today on Boundry Rd in Ennismore, I saw 25 Rusty Blackbirds and my first American Tree Sparrow of the season. | Boundry Road, Ennismore | Randy Smith |
| October 5, 2010 | Tonight at 6:15 p.m., two Sandhill Cranes flew over my house at 406 Gifford Drive in Ennismore. | Gifford Drive, Ennismore | Randy Smith |
| October 4, 2010 | I saw an Eastern (Rufous-sided) Towhee this evening around 6 p.m. He was eating on the ground under my bird feeder, which is located near thicket like shrubs at the back of the property. It was feeding alongside Dark-eyed Juncos and Mourning Doves. This is the first time I've seen one so I quickly checked my Audubon Handbook. I observed through binoculars just to make sure I was correct! | Oriole Crescent, Peterborough | Pierre Gilbert |
| October 3, 2010 | Today, whilst leading a PFN morning walk we found a Ring-necked Duck just above Lock 23, and seven Least Scaups in the Lakefield Lagoons. Also of note we found two flocks of Rusty Blackbirds. This morning a female Common Merganser was resting on a rock just south of Lakefield. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| October 1, 2010 | Today, my wife, Liliana, and I saw a single Peregrine Falcon at about 5:00 p.m. on George Street United Church. The bird was on the southwest side of the church tower. | corner of George and McDonnel streets | Mitch Brownstein |
| October 1, 2010 | Today, three White-crowned Sparrows (two adults and one immature) fed among the 20 or so White-throats. Several juncos were also present. | Maple Crescent | Peterborough |
| September 28, 2010 | Today, the first Dark-eyed Juncos of the fall arrived at our feeder. | Maple Crescent | Peterborough |
| September 26, 2010 | The two Peregrine Falcons reported in thePeterborough Examiner of September 25 were seen this evening. This time, they were perched on the top of George Street United Church. Apparently, they took off and flew out of sight almost immediately. The birds had previously been seen on Mark Street United Church. | George Street | Andrew Lipscombe |
| September 26 , 2010 | Today, two female Purple Finches were at our feeder. Fall seems to be the only time I see these birds in the city. According to the winter finch forecast, this species is expected to be completely absent from Ontario this winter. I also saw two southward-bound Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in the yard. | Maple Crescent | Peterborough |
| September 20, 2010 | Tonight, at dusk, I was standing in a field and a large group of birds appeared. They were diving for insects overtop of my flock of sheep. To my amazement they were Common Nighthawks. There were more than 20 of them. I was able to get a definite identification as the thickly barred wings on the underside were very apparent and nothing really comes close to them in size and shape(other than a Whip-poor-will). And of course they have a distinctive flight pattern. | Millbrook | Ryan Van Loon |
| September 19, 2010 | There was a lot of bird activity along the Trans-Canada Trail this morning between Jackson Park and Ackison Rd. At least 10 Gray Catbirds were calling from the shrubbery. There were also large numbers of White-throated Sparrows, along with lesser numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Dark-eyed Juncos. As often happens in the fall, Swamp Sparrows were calling periodically. We also saw two Wood Ducks. | Trans-Canada Trail between Jackson Park and Ackison Rd. | Drew Monkman |
| September 15, 2010 | It was a successful year on Buckhorn Lake for the Bald Eagles. It looks like two eaglets were fledged this year. I last saw the adult female around Aug 15 and the adult male around Aug 22. They seemed to hang around later than last year. I saw one eaglet on the big island in Buckhorn Lake for the last time around September 6. | Buckhorn Lake | |
| September 11, 2010 | A Bedstraw hawkmoth, Hyles gallii, visited my garden today where it gathered nectar from sedum. The appearance and behaviour of this species almost suggests a hummingbird. It was caught briefly and photographed. | South Monaghan, 2nd Line at Otonabee River | Joe Kenney |
| September 9, 2010 | This morning I watched a Peregrine Falcon flying low and to the south over the Quaker Park Tennis Club by the Hunter Street Bridge. | Peterborough | Tony Bigg |
| September 6, 2010 | Despite two hours of looking in my "usual" spots near Peterborough, I was unable to find any Monarch caterpillars for my classroom. This seems strange, given that the adults have been fairly common this summer. I eventually found a few near the shore of Lake Ontario near Port Hope. | Fraserville | Drew Monkman |
| August 30, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Common Milkweed is in bloom. On average, we see the first blooms around July 1st! | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| June 10, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | This morning, there were 6 Black Terns at the Lakefield Marsh. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| May 12, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Clouded Sulphur on the Blezard/Villiers rail trail. Silvery Blue on the Blezard/Cameron rail trail. | Blezard Line | Tony Bigg |
| May 3, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Sugar Maple leaves are mostly fully open. Lilac almost in full bloom, too. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| April 30, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Three Fox Sparrows were feeding on the ground under my feeder today. | Lakefield | Tony Bigg |
| April 12, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | This morning I found the remains of an Opossum on Crescent Street in Peterborough. | Peterborough | Ken Rumble |
| April 11, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | I heard my first Common Loon of the year today on Lake Katchewanooka. | Lake Katchewanooka | Sheryl Smith |
| April 11, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | The first Chipping Sparrow of the year made a visit to one of our feeders. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| April 5, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Burnham Woods - E.Garter Snakes are out and I've observed several breeding balls. | Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park | Stewart Stick |
| April 3, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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 1, 2010 | Today, with 21 C temperatures, the first Coltsfoot bloomed in our garden. | Maple Crescent | Drew Monkman |
| March 31, 2010 | Last night, in the flooded fields at the southern edge of Lakefield, a few Chorus Frogs were calling. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 31, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | This morning, in the fields at the southern edge of Lakefield, there were three Eastern Meadowlarks singing. | Lakefield | Colin Jones |
| March 18, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | Today I saw about a dozen Common Grackles in several small flocks. | Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 11, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | I heard my first Mourning Dove of the year calling this morning. | Maple Crescent, Peterborough | Drew Monkman |
| March 6, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | 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, 2010 | We have a Northen Mockingbird coming to our feeder regularly. | 1092 Sharpe Line, R.R.#3 Cavan | Verna Windrem |
| January 6, 2010 | Today I had a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the yard. | Merino Dr., Peterborough | Sue Hill |
| January 2, 2010 | A Northern Goshawk came to check out our very active feeders on New Years Day . Happy New Year from Warsaw. | Warsaw | Maureen Smith |