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Drew Monkman

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Sightings

Uncommon Baird’s Sandpiper at Briar Hill Pond

Yesterday evening, at about 19:30, a juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper was present on the north shore of the Briar Hill pond on Ptbo. Co. Rd. 21.  There was little else shorebird-wise, aside from a couple of Least Sandpipers, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

Snowy Tree Cricket – a living thermometer

Last night a Snowy Tree Cricket was calling fervently outside my bedroom window at about 9 p.m. Also known as the “thermometer cricket” you can use the chirping rate to estimate air temperature.  For  degrees Celsius, count the number of Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 22, 2013 ago
Columns

Schoolyard goes mean to green

Edmison Heights at forefront of ecological movement when project began in 1990 Click here to read column

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 22, 2013 ago
Sightings

Increase in Giant Swallowtail sightings

  The number of Giant Swallowtails in the area has increased greatly in the last week or so. Yesterday we had two Giants on the same Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) in our garden in Lakefield. I also saw two more earlier Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 22, 2013 ago
Sightings

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber wasp and nest

What are the insects that are building nests (see photo) in our garage? The insect is  black and looks like a big flying ant .  It has black, transparent wings and is 2″ or so long. It scratches away on Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

Egrets at the Millbrook Pond

Three Great Egrets have been hanging around the pond in Millbrook for the past week or so.  A lovely, exotic sight! Jane Zednik

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 21, 2013 ago
Sightings

Eagle-watching – and BIG trees – near Curve Lake First Nation

Today, David Beaucage Johnson took me out to see the eagles that have once again nested on a small island on  Buckhorn Lake,  just to the east of Fox Island. We were able to see one mostly-dark juvenile bird perched Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 20, 2013 ago
Sightings

A skink sighting from Jack Lake

During my holidays this summer at Jack Lake near Apsley, we saw a Common Five-lined Skink on our dock from August 8 to 12 – except when we had a camera handy to take a photo!   Our cottage is Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 20, 2013 ago
Sightings

Finally, a Monarch in my garden

This afternoon, a lone Monarch butterfly nectared on the Butterfly Bush (Buddlia) in my garden. This was only my second Monarch sighting of the summer and the first Monarch to show up in my garden. Two days ago, a White Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 20, 2013 ago
Sightings

eBird: more southward-bound migrants passing through

*** Species Summary: – Black-bellied Plover (1 report) – Lesser Yellowlegs (1 report) – Least Sandpiper (1 report) – Pectoral Sandpiper (1 report) – Barred Owl (1 report) – Olive-sided Flycatcher (2 reports) – Tennessee Warbler (1 report) ——————————————— The Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 20, 2013 ago
Sightings

Giant Ichneumon Wasp and Pigeon Tremex Horntail?

Today, I saw two unidentified insects (see photos) on a dead maple tree, full of small holes. Cindy Shields, Peterborough My guess is that the insects are a Giant Ichneumon Wasp and a Pigeon Tremex Horntail. When you find one, Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 19, 2013 ago
Sightings

eBird – Migrant shorebirds and rare flycatcher moving south through the Peterborough Area

*** Species Summary: – Semipalmated Plover (1 report) – Lesser Yellowlegs (3 reports) – Semipalmated Sandpiper (1 report) – Least Sandpiper (2 reports) – Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1 report) – Olive-sided Flycatcher (1 report) – Cliff Swallow (1 report) ——————————————— Thank Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 19, 2013 ago
Sightings

Five-lined Skink and Whip-poor-wills at Coon Lake

  I was visiting a cottage on Coon Lake just west of Burleigh Falls on the weekend of July 20 and all of us got a good look at a juvenile Five-lined Skink with its beautiful blue tail. Very exciting. Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

Of cherries, bears, apples, chestnuts, hummingbirds, Red Maples, Monarda and bees…

  At our lot in Galway, Cavendish & Harvey Township north of Bobcaygeon, we have never seen the cherry trees so loaded as this summer. We have had a small crew of Cedar Waxwings in our meadow all summer, but Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 18, 2013 ago
Sightings

Fruit and flower colour along the Trans-Canada Trail – Lily Lake sector

On Wednesday afternoon (August 14) I walked the Trans-Canada Trail west from the foot path that goes up the steep hill to the bottom of Wallis Drive, past the  blue bridge (near the pumping station entrance point on Parkhill Road Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 16, 2013 ago
Columns

High summer at Big Gull Lake

You’ll hear hummingbirds and insects by day, owls and loons by night Click here to read column Note: The bumble bee shown in the photo is not a rare Rusty-patched Bumble Bee but rather a Tri-coloured Bumble Bee, which is Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 15, 2013 ago
Sightings

eBird: Lakefield Sewage Lagoon producing interesting species as always

*** Species Summary: – Blue-winged Teal (1 report) – Great Egret (1 report) – Great Egret (American) (1 report) – Lesser Yellowlegs (1 report) – Least Sandpiper (1 report) – Ruby-throated Hummingbird (5 reports) – Cliff Swallow (Northern) (1 report) Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

eBird: Peregrine Falcon in downtown Peterborough continues to entertain

*** Species Summary: – Peregrine Falcon (1 report) ——————————————— Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Rare Bird Alert for Peterborough. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Peterborough.  View this alert on the web at http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN36363 NOTE: Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

How do we explain the huge seed and fruit crop on trees and shrubs this summer?

The drought conditions we had last summer may be the reason why nearly all of the trees and shrubs are laden with a heavy crop of seeds and fruit. This explanation is courtesy of Michael Snyder, a forester, and Commissioner of Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 11, 2013 ago
Sightings

Recent bird sightings from eBird

*** Species Summary: – Blue-winged Teal (1 report) – Great Egret (1 report) – Great Egret (American) (1 report) – Lesser Yellowlegs (2 reports) – Least Sandpiper (2 reports) – Cliff Swallow (1 report) – Cliff Swallow (Northern) (1 report) Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 11, 2013 ago
Sightings

Butterfly numbers way down except for hairstreaks

Butterflies have generally been in much reduced numbers this year, the exception being hairstreaks. On July 12 Jerry Ball and I found Banded Hairstreak 45, Acadian Hairstreak 50, Coral Hairstreak 2, Striped Hairstreak 6, Hickory Hairstreak 12,  and Edwards Hairstreak Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 9, 2013 ago
Sightings

Random Sightings – Ragweed, Cardinals, Monarchs and Stinkhorns

1. This morning was the first time I felt my hay fever symptoms, which means that Ragweed is now in bloom. 2. I had a report today of a Northern Goshawk hanging out near birdfeeders on Knox Street. The house Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 9, 2013 ago
Sightings

Great Egret near Bailieboro

On August 8 at 7:56 pm, I saw a Great Egret on Wallace Point Road, Bailieboro, just east of County Road 28. Location: 44.169431,-78.360632 Observer: Julie Horton

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 9, 2013 ago
Sightings

Giant Swallowtail update

Here is Tim Dyson’s report on the status of Giant Swallowtail butterflies this summer. The Giant Swallowtail is a newcomer to the Kawarthas and Canada’s largest butterfly. “Starting on May 30th, (first brood, which likely had over-wintered as pupae, I would expect), Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 years ago
Sightings

Cow Moose disrupts traffic on County Road 507

We encountered a cow Moose on County Road 507, north of Flynn’s Corner on Sunday evening (August 4).  The moose was taking its time, wandering back and forth across the road while traffic backed up. Observer: Jennifer

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 8, 2013 ago
Sightings

All-white Red-tailed Hawk

Dave and Debbie Brown of Indian River have reported seeing an entirely white (albino?) Red-tailed Hawk at their farm. The bird flew down from a tree and perched on a hay bale.  Thje hawk was last seen about 10 days Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 7, 2013 ago
Sightings

Purple Martins over field near Keene

Interesting phenomenon yesterday. At about 5:50 pm, we were on our porch and heard quite a different racket from the trees across the road. The bird calls were not anything similar or familiar to us. Sighting the binoculars on the Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 6, 2013 ago
Sightings

Hummingbird Clearwing moth in garden

On July 26,  I had one of our most interesting pollinators, the Hummingbird Clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe), in my garden. Observer: Colum Diamond

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 6, 2013 ago
Sightings

Battling the Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea

I think the last time I wrote I complained about a pernicious weed called Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea – Lathyrus latifolius .  They got the everlasting part right – it is now my fifth summer of digging up these plants over Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 6, 2013 ago
Sightings

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks visit Parkwood Circle backyard

On July 27, two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks appeared in and around our yard  for the better part of an hour.  They would perch on the fences or rooftops and then soar around for a few minutes and return.  One of Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 12 yearsAugust 5, 2013 ago

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