(Peterborough Examiner – March 5, 2021) Higher-than-usual owl numbers are thrilling people throughout the Kawarthas Mysterious visitors on silent wings are among us this winter. Arriving from the trackless expanses of Canada’s north, owls are thrilling people all over the Kawarthas. I can think of no other bird that Read more…
I observed this Merlin in our front yard in the west end of Peterborough on February 23. I managed to get a few photos before it flew off. Evan Thomas I walk every and often chat with people that I meet on the rails. On February 20, I came across Read more…
Last week I looked at the scientific facts about the climate crisis – a problem that will prove to be far worse than the pandemic. This week I’d like to turn to the solutions. Here’s the challenge: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in order to avoid Read more…
“It’s getting the facts straight that gets us to act and not to wait. So, I tell you this not to scare you,But to prepare you, to dare youTo dream a different reality. – Amanda Gorman, U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, from “Earthrise: A Poem About Climate Change” If Read more…
February 12 is day to reflect on the legacy of Charles Darwin – and why a male cardinal is red! With the arrival of February, bird song is slowly returning to the natural world. A week ago, I heard the boisterous song of the cardinal for the first time Read more…
I was out for a couple of hours on the afternoon of January 3 and saw a Barred Owl in the Cavan Swamp plus a Snowy Owl that has been at the Lindsay turn on Chemong Road for a couple of days. Carl Welbourn, Kawartha Camera Club I have attached Read more…
Recently, I was asked to reflect on how nature in the Kawarthas has changed since I was a child and young adult in the 1960s and 70s. Thinking back, what immediately comes to mind is how much more abundant so many species were. In my mind’s eye, I see the Read more…
Winter can be a great time for birding Although it can seem like birds are few and far between in winter, there are actually many interesting species to be found. Some, like snow buntings, pine grosbeaks, and snowy owls are present at no other time of year. In fact, it Read more…
Record-highs for 16 species recorded on the annual Peterborough Christmas Bird Count Maybe it was our collective cabin fever, the increased interest in birding, or simply fewer Christmas obligations than in a normal year. For whatever combination of reasons, a record 96 people took part in this year’s Peterborough Read more…
Looking ahead to events in nature as the seasons change As I wrote earlier this fall, I’ve been on a quest to see how many bird species I can find in a single calendar year in Peterborough County. On November 8, I tallied number 200, thanks to a surf Read more…
Despite recognition of time spent in nature as a pillar of health, protecting greenspace remains an uphill battle For me, an enduring image of the pandemic will be the unprecedented number of people taking advantage of local rail-trails and parks. Some days, the procession of dog-walkers, cyclists, photographers, joggers, Read more…
On December 2, I observed two Short-eared Owls flying over the east end of the runway at the Peterborough Airport. I flushed the first bird from a ditch as I parked on a pull-off on the west side of Moncrief Line, about 200 metres south of Mervin Line. The pull Read more…
On November 1, a Tufted Titmouse turned up at my backyard feeder. I live at 62 Westview Drive (an area known as The Glen) on Pigeon Lake in the City of Kawartha Lakes. It was coming to the feeder off and on until at least November 11. Blair Hamilton On Read more…
November offers much more than meets the eye This week I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother and the huge influence she had on my life – and still does. She was born on November 16, 1925 and died 87 years later on the same day. Coming from Read more…
My quest to find 200 species in Peterborough County in 2020 For a long time now, I’ve taken a degree of pride in no longer being a “lister”, namely a birder who’s obsessed with adding new species to their list. Well, I’ve had to eat crow this year. An Read more…
Despite the onslaught of bad environmental news, there is much to be encouraged about Although it might come as a surprise, there is much to feel positive about when it comes to environmental problems like climate change and biodiversity loss. It’s vitally important that people know this. Not seeing Read more…
A road trip across the country is a must do for all Canadians Wow. We live in a big country. This fact was impressed upon my wife and me during our recent road trip to Surrey, B.C., near Vancouver. I’d nearly forgotten that traversing Ontario represents about half the Read more…
As a retired elementary school teacher, I can vouch for the fact that no other time of year gets kids more excited than Halloween. And it’s not just about costumes, pumpkin carving, and candy. Much of Halloween’s attraction has to do with experiencing the adrenaline rush of fear within Read more…
Today we were out walking along the Rotary Trail between Parkhill and the London Street footbridge. Six or seven large nest-like webs were visible, hanging from different trees. There must be many more. I do not ever recall seeing these nests along that trail this time of year. I think Read more…
With autumn weather upon us early this year, the natural world is responding in kind. Leaves are rapidly changing colour and bird migration is well underway. A host of species we haven’t seen since the spring are now passing through the Kawarthas. I’m keeping a particularly close eye on Read more…
It’s wonderful to see outdoor learning exploding in popularity this fall. Not only does it provide cognitive, social and health benefits – both physically and mentally – but it’s seen as an effective way to lower COVID-19 transmission. Since parents and teachers may be looking for activity ideas, I thought Read more…
No matter how you measure it – demand for camping equipment and bicycles, provincial park reservations, traffic on local rail-trails, or sales of feeders and bird seed – the pandemic has led to a huge uptick in the number of people engaging with nature and the outdoors. Read more…
Hummingbird Clearwing Moths are regular visitors at the phlox in our garden. Gwen Forsyth, Lakefield Your column several weeks ago regarding Gypsy Moths really caught our attention. We have a cottage on Jack Lake and recall the infestation back in the 1970s. This past several weeks our cottage there have Read more…
A group of dedicated young people is keeping a close eye on the health of local lakes Not everyone would take delight in standing thigh-deep in muck to learn the difference between stinkpot and snapping turtles, but Rosalyn Shepherd was thrilled. The third-year environmental science student at Trent University Read more…
This Imperial Moth is a new one for me. Apparently others in the Stony Lake area have seen them, too. Perhaps that is a coincidence or maybe climate change? Rob Welsh, Dodsworth Island, Stony Lake – July 3 Tim Dyson’s response to Imperial Moth question above: It’s not climate change Read more…
It’s easy to tune out the commonplace in our flora and let it become part of the “green blur”. This is especially true when it comes to ferns, which are among the most common plants you’re likely to encounter on a forest or wetland walk. However, just recognizing and paying Read more…
Many areas of the Kawarthas have been devastated by gypsy moth caterpillars I suspected something was up last summer. Swarms of small, brown moths were flying everywhere around my brother’s cottage south of Bon Echo Provincial Park. Closer examination revealed they were male gypsy moths. After a bit of searching, Read more…
Three different species of hummingbird moths came to our lilacs on June 4th. They included a Nessus Sphinx, a Snowberry Clearwing, and one species I was unable to photograph and identify. Then, on June 17, a Hummingbird Clearwing, showed up in the lilacs, as well. As of July 3, 2020, Read more…
A new invasive plant is rapidly spreading through the Kawartha Lakes In 2018, a water plant by the charming name of starry stonewort (SSW) was identified in Stony Lake. Fast forward two years and this highly-aggressive, invasive aquatic species is now turning up all over the Kawarthas. For many cottagers Read more…
I was down along Nichols Road and County Road 2 on April 1 and saw this Northern Shrike. Carl Welbourn Today, April 1, it was nice to hear four Chorus Frogs calling along the trail near Trent University. Early sign of spring ! Mostly frozen willow shrub wetland with some Read more…