Blog

For the first half of this winter (November through early January), Environment Canada is expecting milder than normal temperatures from the Great Lakes eastward. Precipitation is expect to be near normal in the eastern half of the country. Location: Observer:

At approx. 11 a.m, I saw a flock of Eastern Bluebirds on the west side of 6 Ft. Bay Road (Buckhorn) in an unused pasture. There were about a dozen males flitting amongst the grasses and thistles. I didn’t notice Read more…

During a half hour bike ride at Petroglyphs P.P. this afternoon I saw no fewer than six Fox Sparrows. Also notable were several flocks of Red-breasted Nuthatches totaling more than 60 individuals. Two days ago (Oct. 21) I saw four Read more…

I saw my first American Tree Sparrows of the Fall today. Three of them were along the rail trail south of the city. Location: south of Peterborough Observer: Tony Bigg

I saw an American crow like the one pictured in the Sibley field guide as it has all white primary and greater coverts as well as a white tail band (not in Sibley). Overall, this bird is quite a bit Read more…

At about 6:00 PM last night while I was walking my dog in Burnham

Large flocks of Dark-eyed Juncoes showed up in our yard today. There were probably at least 30 in total. Several White-throated Sparrows were with them. Location: Maple Crescent Observer: Drew Monkman

Three Trumpeter Swans turned up today on Best Road Pond. One of them wore a wing tag (050). Location: Mount Pleasant Observer: Dan McWilliams

Dan McWilliams, who lives near Mount Pleasant, reports the presence of thousands of Cepaea nemoralis or Banded Wood Snail around his house. This is an exotic species that is becoming increasingly widespread in southern Ontario. They were first seen here Read more…

There are a huge number of warblers (~40) in my yard and adjacent yards in Lakefield today. Most of these are Yellow-rumped Warblers but there are also a few Nashville Warblers and one immature Northern Parula (which is getting late Read more…

While walking the rail trail between Base Line and David Fife Line I saw large numbers of Palm Warblers, with some Yellow-rumped Warblers, an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo, and several Eastern Phoebes. In the fields by Base Line, Eastern Read more…

On a day trip to Rathbun Lake today, large numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches were present, feasting on the abundant seed crop on the White Pines. There is a major southward movement of these birds underway right now. We also saw Read more…

A Great Egret was sighted by my daughter at the end of Redmond Bay on Jack Lake. Location: Jack Lake, near Apsley, ON Observer: Cate Kingdon

The cold front that came in this weekend has triggered a lot of migration. This morning, there were numerous migrants in our backyard including white-throated sparrows (eating Canada Elderberry fruit), Wilson’s Warblers, American Redstarts, Chestnut-sided Warblers and Red-eyed Vireo. Location: Read more…

A beautiful Giant Eastern Cranefly found its way into my house today. It is at least 5cm wide at the wings. Location: Lakefield Observer: Tony Bigg

Today, I visited the abandoned gravel pit ponds at the south end of Crowley Line. When I arrived there was a Giant Swallowtail flying around the parking area by the gate. No birds to speak of but there were lots Read more…

Despite more than two hours of concerted looking, I was only able to find four Monarch larvae on milkweed plants in the Fraserville area. All were very small. In 2007 and 2006, Monarch larvae were much more common and included Read more…

There was a single Red-necked Phalarope on the south pond at the Lakefield sewage today for about 3 minutes, at around 2:05 p.m. I saw it at a distance from the south berm (it was on the north side of Read more…

While hiking across granite barrens in the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site, we observed a very striking, large bee fly, Lepidophora lepidocera – photo here: http://flickr.com/photos/28113115@N00/2814530358/ We also saw numerous Five-lined Skinks, and singles of Northern Red-bellied Snake (DOR), Eastern Garter Read more…

These last few weeks I’ve been noticing the exceptionally heavy cone crop on White Pines. Many shrubs, too, have abnormally abundant fruit. These include Choke Cherry, Tartarian Honeysuckle, dogwoods and blueberries. As for ornamental trees, European Mountain-Ash is showing a Read more…