My Japanese witch-hazel is in full bloom right now and the snow drops are showing flower buds. Bill Snowden, Ennismore We saw our first skunk out for an evening stroll yesterday on County Road 38 south of Warsaw. Jane Bremner, Warsaw Note: Yesterday, February 3, a record-warm 12.4 C was Read more…
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) (1) – Reported Jan 27, 2016 23:10 by Iain Rayner – Ptbo – Hooton Dr, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Bird responded well to the N of road to imitations of Screech Owl with whinny.” Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) (1) – Reported Feb Read more…
Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) (12) – Reported Jan 30, 2016 06:20 by Dave Milsom – Petroglyphs Provincial Park, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Feeding on spruce cones in Petroglyphs Prov. Park. All but one were female. Photos.” Barred Owl (Strix varia) (1) – Reported Jan 30, 2016 Read more…
My Barred Owl is back. First time in months. At about 0730 it landed on a branch overlooking the feeder where there were a number of mouse tunnels. It kept looking down and then suddenly swept down and picked up a mouse from under the snow – a one claw Read more…
On December 25, 2015, my trail camera snapped these photos of an Eastern Wolf (Canis lycaon) at my property near Carnarvon, north of Minden. Note the lack of snow! Gord Harrison, Peterborough Note: Click here for background information on the Eastern Wolf, also known as the Algonquin Wolf.
I have a male Red-bellied Woodpecker coming regularly to my sunflower feeders. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this species. It’s more yellow on the belly than red, which is confusing, given the name! I also have at least three dozen American Goldfinches. Sue Hill, Merino Road (off Wallis Read more…
Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) (2) – Reported Jan 26, 2016 16:30 by Martin Parker – Peterborough–Fairbairn Street wetland, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist:
This flock of Bohemian Waxwings was seen on Cow Island, Ennismore, on January 24, 2016. (via Sylvia Cashmore, Peterborough)
Eastern Bluebird (Eastern) (Sialia sialis) (3) – Reported Jan 24, 2016 09:08 by Luke Berg – CA-ON-Otonabee-South Monaghan-306-362 Hannah Rd – 44.1265x-78.3206, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Media: 3 Photos – Comments: “Three males perched on the telephone wires along Hannah Road at the top of the first Read more…
I saw these two Bald Eagles in a pine tree just north of lock 24 (and south of Lakefield) on the Otonabee River today. Thomas Northey NOTE: Scroll down for more January eagle sightings.
Well, it’s been a year since I had the pleasure to take a photo of a Snowy Owl. My friend, Carl, and I went in search of this guy and found him (near Woodville). We had to walk quite a distance across a field to get a shot but it Read more…
Given the paucity of birds around here ( not one owl this winter), we were pleased to see this Mink today, a first-time visitor to our property. Michael Gillespie, David Fife Line, Keene Note: Unlike weasels, Mink do not turn white in the winter. The white chin is a key Read more…
When I turned on CBC radio Monday morning, the first thing I heard was that the price of gasoline in London had dropped to less than 85 cents a litre. A quick check on ontariogasprices.com showed Costco in Peterborough selling gas at 86.9 cents. The near-universal reaction seems to be Read more…
On January 23/16 at 11 AM, we saw an adult Bald Eagle flying over the Otonabee River, south of Lansdowne Street in Peterborough. This is the first one we have sighted from our property in several years. Ross Jamieson
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) (15) – Reported Jan 22, 2016 10:35 by Martin Parker – Scriven Road south of 3rd Line, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist:
Peregrine Falcon (North American) (Falco peregrinus anatum) (1) – Reported Jan 20, 2016 13:03 by Luke Berg – Luke’s Yard, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Adult seen at 2:25 pm. Gave amazing views as it flew up George Street (great views from my attic window) and then Read more…
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) (1) – Reported Jan 15, 2016 09:25 by Donald Sutherland – Peterborough–Charlotte Towers, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “perched on communications tower atop 245 Charlotte St (Charlotte Towers) as viewed from the roof of the King Street Parking garage.”
Inside the Paris Climate Agreement: Hope or Hype? By Brian Tokar (Dec. 30, 2015) It has become a predictable pattern at the annual UN climate conferences for participants to describe the outcome in widely divergent ways. This was first apparent after the high-profile Copenhagen conference in 2009, when a four-page Read more…
Scorching. Balmy. Or, just plain mild. However you want to describe it, 2015 ended on an extraordinarily mild note. The month of December 2015 was by far the warmest December on record across virtually the entire province! How much warmer? The monthly average temperature in Ontario was five to ten Read more…
On January 13, 2015, my daughter and I watched a Peregrine Falcon eat a Rock Pigeon it had killed. The falcon was in the courtyard of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. We were able to take a picture. Mike Pineau Note: Here are two other Peregrine sightings in Peterborough from Read more…
Here is a quick update on today’s (Jan. 14, 2015) tracking at the Trent University Nature Area trails, specifically the John de Pencier trail. In general, the tracking was poor with only a few signs of wildlife found. This was likely due to the deep, fluffy snow. Despite the difficulty, Read more…
Today, I saw an immature Bald Eagle on a small carcass on the ice. It was just upstream from Lock 25 on the Otonabee River, south of Lakefield. Rob Welsh
Unbeknownst to most, a small but aggressive invader is lurking in the tranquil waters of Little Lake. For the time being, however, it seems to have met a roadblock in its attempt to expand and plunder waters to the north. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive, bottom-dwelling fish Read more…
We were out at our friends on Sandy Lake near Buckhorn last night (Jan. 12). There must have been a dozen or more flying squirrels at the feeder. It was incredible… and hilarious! The squirrels were soaring in from all directions. Mike Barker
It has taken me 70 years, but today (Jan. 7) was the first time that I have seen both a Bald and Golden Eagle in the same morning. The Bald Eagle that I saw yesterday in the adjacent cornfield to my farm was back to savage the frozen small carcass Read more…
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) (300) – Reported Jan 08, 2016 14:33 by Scott Gibson – 4th Line and Scriven Rd., Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “flying around field north side of 4th line. Landing frequently and got great looks w scope hoping to find Lapland Longspur mixed Read more…
Between mid-December and early January, birders from across North, Central and South America take a break from holiday season excess to spend a day in the fresh air, identifying and counting birds. Dating all the way back to 1900, Christmas bird counts represent the biggest organized birding event in the Read more…
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) (1) – Reported Jan 02, 2016 14:15 by Linda Sunderland – Scriven Road, Bailieboro, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Scriven Road on top of telephone pole between 2nd and 3rd Line, female – first winter” Note: Graham Yates reports finding a beautiful Barred Read more…
On the morning of January 3, I had a Long-eared Owl in my backyard. The bird was perched in a mountain-ash close to my feeders. It may have been attracted by the bird activity at the feeder. Long-ears will prey on other birds. The owl stayed for about 45 minutes, Read more…
We had a sighting of a Virginia Opossum in mid-November 2015 near Bailieboro. It was a large animal and a white-grey shade in colour. Also, on December 30 2015, we had an immature Bald Eagle in our tree overlooking a small inlet off of Rice Lake. The bird seems to Read more…