Source: eBirds A Peregrine Falcon was seen at 7:30 this morning on Water Street. “It flew by… a really big stocky falcon with pointed wings…banked, reversed direction and landed on the George Street United Church spire at McDonnel and Water St… we got out our binos and the bright yellow Read more
This morning, while walking my dogs at the Harold Town Conservation Area (Old Norwood Road, east of Peterborough), the highlights were: Purple Finch carrying food possibly (nesting?), Alder Flycatcher calling, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher heard and photographed, 4 Bobolinks and 9 Field Sparrows. Observer: Luke Berg
The Peterborough Field Naturalists were well represented in this year’s Carden Challenge, a birding and biodiversity competition in the Carden Alvar, northwest of Lindsay. It is also a major fund-raiser for the Couchiching Conservancy, a land trust. Over $22,000 was raided this year. PFN member Kathy Parker was part of Read more
Diane Ferguson saw a rare Varied Thrush early this evening at her Jack Lake cottage. The location of the cottage is Con. 16, Lot 11, North Kawartha , Fire Route 896, # 142. Diane is a birder. (Note: The Varied Thrush is native to western Canada and only rarely turns Read more
We live in Cottesloe (Webster Road and 4th Line Dummer) and two days ago our neighbour called to say there was an unusual snake in her garden. She is not a snake person so I went over to find a brown snake. It was quite thick in the main body Read more
This evening at about 8:25 there was a Common Nighthawk circling over the University Road Wetland which is almost completely dried up which I have never seen before. The only shorebirds present were about 10 Killdeer but it looks like great habitat. There where also about 10 Black Terns over Read more
I just got back from walking my dogs on the Trans-Canada Trail this evening off Lily lake Road where I saw a cougar come out of the woods, briefly run along the trail and then head off the trail away from the road. I observed it well for about 2 Read more
Once again (as in the last few years) I have a Great Crested Flycatcher hitting its reflection on the same window at the front of our house – not hard but steady and usually early in the a.m. only. The Turkey Vultures have been more than just flying around our Read more
I went out to Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park this morning and found a nice cluster of scarlet cup fungus. They are in the open, along the trail, in moist shade. Well worth the mosquito bites! These were definitely not there a week ago. The scarlet-cups I found this morning Read more
At 7:20 pm this evening, just ahead of the storm, I heard and then saw a single Common Nighthawk near Dodworth Island on Stony Lake. Observer: Rob Welsh
A morning walk on David and Ghan Frank’s property on Stewart Line (near Cavan) today produced the following species of note: Wilson’s Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Veery, Great Crested Flycatcher and Eastern Wood-pewee. Alder Flycatchers were calling along Stewart Line, west of County Road 10. Read more
Today’s harvest of butterflies along the Lang-Hastings Rail-trail near Keene included a Meadow Fritillary, a Cherry Gall Azure , a Juvenal’s Duskywing and a West Virginia White. Observers: Michael Gillespie and Jerry Ball
More butterflies and a few new birds May 18 – Three West Virginia White butterflies on Bass Lake Rd by Nogies Creek May 19 – Several Bobolinks calling around the county May 20 – Three Black Swallowtails and four Clouded Sulphurs around the intersection of Base Line and Nelson Read more
We have seen a white-headed American Robin in our yard several times and thought it was quite unusual. (Note: The robin is “leucistic” (reduced pigmentation as a result of a recessive gene). Birds like these seem to be turning up with increased frequency, especially in robins, cardinals, grackles and chickadees. Read more
This evening, for a brief moment, I had a Red-headed Woodpecker at my feeder. I was able to get a quick picture. Observer: Gary Aitkens, 7th Line of Selwyn Twsp
I haven’t been out too much this May but made the effort to get out early this morning. On Nichols Cove Road I found a male Brewster’s Warbler that was singing the typical Blue-winged song in the same spot that I had one last year and a Clay-coloured Sparrow and Read more
Butterflying is still slow but I did pick up my FOY Olympia Marbles (3 on Devil’s 4 Mile Rd) and Juvenal’s Duskywing (1 on Devil’s 4 Mile Rd, 4 on Sandy Lake Rd, 1 on FR 83). The trip was more notable for warblers with Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Read more
This afternoon at 2:15, I spotted a Barred Owl at2:15 at Reid and Hunter near downtown Peterborough. I was able to take several pictures. The owl was identified by Bob Prentice. Observer: Mike Faught
I had a lot of fun watching the swallows zipping over the meadow today, and I saw the season’s first Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I also saw a Green Heron on two occasions around the pond. I didn’t get close at all, since it was very shy. What really stood out were Read more
Today I had two Bonaparte’s Gulls on Stony Lake. They were on an islet about 200 metres east of Eaglemount in Lower Stony. Observer: Rob Welsh
Today, we walked the Blue Trail at the Trent Nature Area on University Drive. Although it was cool and there was very little bird song, I did manage to see/hear Great Crested Flycatcher, Common Raven, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and a beautiful male Northern Parula. White Read more
This morning I walked my dogs at the Haroldtown Conservation Area on Old Norwood Rd. Highlights: Possible Red-eyed Vireo, Gray Catbird, Baltimore Oriole, Purple Finch, Scarlet Tanager, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Bobolink. Observer: Luke Berg
This evening we enjoyed a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and two female Purple Finches at our Maple Crescent feeder in Peterborough. Observer: Drew Monkman
I live on the south end of the City of Kawartha-Lakes, adjacent to the Ganaraska Forest. We have lots of birds in our gardens but Wednesday evening this yellow Hairy Woodpecker came to one of our feeders. He looks to me like the typical male Hairy Woodpecker except for the Read more
Today, on the Hastings rail-trail , I spotted some movement to my left in the swampy area just off the trail. Having purposefully taken my new point and shoot Canon sx50 in case I saw a new butterfly , I quickly flipped it on and began to focus ( no Read more
I have two days worth of sightings to report. The first is from May 2. We were on University Road, at a marsh on both sides of the road, south of the Wildlife Sanctuary. We saw Chris Risley (lol) who helped us to identify a small group of Ring-necked Ducks, Read more
On our walk this morning near Bailieboro, we frightened a large, blackish bird from a pile of shrubbery, so I investigated why it had been there. Low and behold, she was sitting on eggs ! Through a little research, I determined them to be the eggs of a Wild Turkey. Read more