Sightings

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of talking with Don Davis who does a Monarch butterfly tagging demonstration each Labour Day Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. With a lot of hard work, he was able to find enough of these insects in order to show the public how the Read more…

I stumbled upon this plant in the bush north of Highway 118 near Bancroft today.  At first, I thought it was a blackberry “on steroids” but, by doing a little research, I found out that it is a Spikenard.  I had never seen that one before. Ulrike Kullik, Marmora   Read more…

*** Species Summary: – Tennessee Warbler (2 reports) – Magnolia Warbler (2 reports) – Bay-breasted Warbler (2 reports) – Black-throated Blue Warbler (2 reports) ——————————————— The report below shows observations of species you have not seen in Peterborough, based on your eBird observations.  View this alert on the web at Read more…

What a nice surprise to find this Giant Swallowtail in our garden this afternoon.  This one one would not settle down though.  The forewings hardly ever stopped beating. I took lots of images just to get these.               Also, while on a recent local Read more…

Here is a quick description of some common backyard insect sounds of rural, suburban and sometimes urban central Ontario.  By clicking on the name of the insect, you can hear a recording of its “song.” How are the sounds produced? Crickets and katydids use stridulation to produce their song. They Read more…

This afternoon, I walked the Trans-Canada Trail west from the steep footpath leading down to the trail from the end of Wallis Drive, past the  blue bridge to Ackison Road. A number of wildflowers continue to bloom and most of the shrubs are heavily laden with fruit. Here are some Read more…

– Peregrine Falcon (1 report) – Western Kingbird (1 report) ——————————————— Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Needs Alert for Peterborough. The report below shows observations of species you have not seen in Peterborough, based on your eBird observations.  View this alert on the web at http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN34560 NOTE: all Read more…

This afternoon, I walked the Trans-Canada Trail west from the steep footpath leading down to the trail from the end of Wallis Drive, past the  blue bridge (near the pumping station entrance point on Parkhill Road at Ravenwood) to Ackison Road. A number of wildflowers continue to bloom and most Read more…

This afternoon, two Monarch butterflies were feeding on the Butterfly Bush blossoms (Buddlia) in my garden. Later, a Great Spangled Fritillary showed up, as well. Drew Monkman, Maple Cres., Peterborough

I was able to photograph this female or young male dragonfly yesterday in the garden of a neighbour’s house on Amundsen Ave. The owner of this house is a real gardener and this dragonfly was resting on a lovely orange Tuberous Begonia. Margo Hughes, Peterborough N.B. The species is probably Read more…

Walking to the forest on Saturday (August 24), I saw this late Monarch caterpillar instar as well as an empty chrysalis attached to a stem of grass. Hope these are good signs and not simply mementos of this lovely creature. Jane Zednik, Millbrook

Sitting outside in our backyard on Friday evening (Aug. 23), I heard my first nocturnal flight calls of the “fall migration” as migrants were streaming southward overhead. I am not able to identify the birds to the species level – other than the thrushes, which tend to migrate in late Read more…

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) (1) – Reported Aug 24, 2013 08:48 by Chris Risley – Peterborough–Meadowvale Park, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.3342704,-78.3128536&ll=44.3342704,-78.3128536 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15001488 – Comments: “adult, standing on log in marsh (edge of river) next to willows”

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, 1 Semipalmated Plover, a Spotted Sandpiper, and a couple of Read more…

  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 in the day in the south of the county. And, Read more…

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 the ground and then adds to the nest in a Read more…

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

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 in a tree adjacent to the nest and one adult. Read more…

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 in Brook’s Bay.  My son saw one a couple years Read more…

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 Admiral was on the same plant. Drew Monkman, Maple Cres., Read more…

*** 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 report below shows observations of species you have not seen Read more…

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, you tend to find the other. They frequent dead or Read more…

*** 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 you for subscribing to the <daily> Needs Alert for Peterborough. Read more…

  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. Whip-poor- wills sang all night. Sue Paradisis

  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 we have yet to see them or anyone else help Read more…

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 at Ravenwood) to about 100 metres west of the orange Read more…

*** 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) – Black-throated Blue Warbler (2 reports) ——————————————— Thank you for Read more…