At 10:30 am on Sept. 19, we had 100 or so Monarchs congregating (roosting) in trees in our front yard at our farm on Chemong Road. I’ve never seen one on our farm before. My husband had gone down our laneway and drove through the swarm, and called me from Read more…
On Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015 we were boating on Lower Buckhorn Lake around 7:00 p.m. near Gallery on the Lake and saw 3 Sandhill Cranes flying north. We were very excited to see this trio – very cool! Rosemary Rosada
I saw a weasel in my backyard in the west end of Peterborough a couple of weaks ago. Maybe 8″ long. Came from under the deck by the hot tub. Appeared on two separate days around 8:30am. May explain why I haven’t seen any mice this year! Disappeared after 10 Read more…
The countryside along the north shore of Rice Lake is beginning to smell of autumn now. Last night, I took a walk over to a friend’s farm where I plant a vegetable garden. Over the years he’s created trails throughout the woodland and I was fortunate enough to catch the Read more…
I received a telephone call from a property owner near Presqu’ile Provincial Park, who reported that in her fairly large alfalfa/cover field, which was cut early and now has lots of blooming plants, she has seen “hundreds” of monarchs this week. 142 monarchs reported yesterday at Detroit River Hawk Watch. Read more…
As we approach the autumn, change is in the air. The nights are cooler and we’re starting to see some colours appear (and I don’t mean the plethora of political campaign signs). During the fall season, most of the attention is focussed on the sights vs. sounds of nature. The Read more…
Here is a sequence of photos of a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches that nested this summer in our backyard bluebird box (two compartments). The pictures include feeding the chicks and the nest box after the chicks fledged on July 20, 2015. A beautiful experience. Unfortunately they fledged when we were Read more…
August 16: Our hummingbird feeder has been busy this summer. The hummers of course enjoy it, but also we have had orioles feeding almost the entire summer. This morning, this a Downy Woodpecker thought he might give it a try…..sweet tooth I guess !! Regards, Nancy Cafik
AUGUST 25: “We have four juvenile Merlins that we see and hear playing and squawking in our yard almost daily, albeit less in the last few days. We even saw one of them flying briefly with a Bald Eagle. We live on Young’s Point Road, between Lakefield and Young’s Point.” Read more…
August 26: Always nice to come across something new (to us) almost literally on our own doorstep, a Blue-spotted salamander, or maybe that should be Blue spotted/Jefferson salamander, as the very informative Ontario Nature website explains. Click here. I’ve included a small photo for scale – from tip to tail, Read more…
September 10, 2015 Written by: Anne Meador and John Zangas Source: DC Media Group – The repercussions of climate disruption are still not being acknowledged fully, warned climatologist Dr. James Hansen, addressing an audience of Baby Boomer and Greatest Generation climate activists on September 9. “We’ve now got an emergency,” Read more…
I have a Blue Jay with only her bottom beak. She shovels seed onto her beak by putting her head sideways. Since the baby jays are now feeding out of the bird feeder I have noticed one that also has only the bottom beak. I tried to find information out Read more…
After last night’s rain and cooler temperatures, there was a mini fallout of migrants along the Trent River this morning just south of Trent University alongside the South Drumlin. Probably other similar spots in Peterborough would be productive too. Warblers included 6 Chestnut-sided, 4 Black-throated Green, 3 Blackburnian, 2 Black Read more…
Redhead (Aythya americana) (2) – Reported Aug 13, 2015 07:02 by Daniel Williams – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Pair.” Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) (1) – Reported Aug 13, 2015 18:34 by Luke Berg – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: Read more…
May be beautiful weather but fall is near. The Barn Swallows at my farm have been departing over the last week. The last left yesterday, August 8. With the amount of mosquitos still around, I wondered if they might delay a bit, but they seem to be keeping to their Read more…
A Least Bittern was found this morning on the sidewalk in front of Jeff Purvey’s Restaurant at Brookdale Plaza in Peterborough. It was easily captured and put in a cardboard box. Late this afternoon, it was taken to an animal hospital for x-rays and may end up going to a Read more…
This evening, a Great Egret flew over our house on Algonquin Boulevard near the zoo. It was heading north up the Otonabee. Having a beer on the deck and looked up at the right time ! Mike Barker
Source: Rolling Stone – August 5, 2015 The worst predicted impacts of climate change are starting to happen — and much faster than climate scientists expected By Eric Holthaus August 5, 2015 Historians may look to 2015 as the year when shit really started hitting the fan. Some Read more…
This morning I spotted a sow Black Bear with three cubs on the Second Line of Belmont (east of Havelock) off of Highway 7. The bears were about 300 metres north of Sama Park. Sadly, I took too long to get my camera out. Ulrike Kullik
My backyard crows managed to raise one fledgling this year. He seems to be a bit behind in maturity from the other crows I see. This is the first time he has come to the deck. I find baby crows so curious and clumsy. They investigate everything…learning how different plants Read more…
I noticed a wide variety of people at the provincial park I recently visited: families with young children, older adults, groups of twenty-something friends, as well as international tourists clearly in awe at their first glimpse of Canada’s spectacular wilderness. As I pondered the potential motives all these people might Read more…
source: New York Times By SABRINA TAVERNISE JULY 13, 2015 Is climate change a serious threat to human health? Simple logic would suggest the answer is yes, a point that the Obama administration is using to build support for the president’s effort to make climate change a centerpiece of his Read more…
July 16, 2015 In 2014, the most essential indicators of Earth’s changing climate continued to reflect trends of a warming planet, with several markers such as rising land and ocean temperature, sea levels and greenhouse gases ─ setting new records. These key findings and others can be found in the Read more…
At about 9:30 pm on July 13, we were driving home from a lovely cottage weekend. We were heading north on Northey’s Bay Road, along the north shore of Upper Stoney Lake, 1 km before the community centre (at Highway 28). There was no moon and therefore not much light Read more…
This picture was taken from inside the cottage kitchen on Deer Bay Reach Road, Lower Buckhorn, at 5 pm on Sunday, July 12. The young Black Bear was climbing an oak tree beside the cottage, possibly to get acorns on the roof. My husband was trying to shoo it off Read more…
We have a cottage on Kosh Lake (Kasshabog Lake). We have been on the lake, on an island for the past 11 years. Traditionally we have Common Ravens on our island. They nest here, raise their young and wake us up very early in the morning. This spring we witnessed Read more…
We were on the Incredible Edibles Farm Tour yesterday (July 10, 2015) in Campbellford and came upon this beautiful Luna Moth on the side of the house at the Haute-Goat Farm. The time was about 10:45 a.m. Jill Purcell
The baby Kestrels fledged today and left the nesting box. Unfortunately there was no camera in the car at the time, and so I had to return home and get one and then return. There were three young on the roof of the box and one adult initially, but when Read more…
For the past two years a handsome Ring-billed Gull that I call Stanley has visited my campsite for the odd treat. He appeared one day when he saw the crows feeding at my site, and he has been a regular visitor since. He warns other gulls off, and every time Read more…
I have a couple of beautiful Serviceberry (Juneberry) trees at the corner of my house, which the Cedar Waxwings just love. This year, however, I have noticed that I have at least three – and maybe four – waxwings nesting in the shrubs right beside the Serviceberries. Outside, I can’t Read more…