Merlin reminds us that technology, when used well, can deepen our relationship with the living world. Peterborough Examiner – November 7, 2025 – by Drew Monkman Bird activity was pretty slow on a recent October morning at Silent Lake Provincial Park. All I could hear were the occasional chip notes of yellow-rumped Read more
Peterborough Examiner – February 2, 2024 – by Drew Monkman Years ago, my wife Michelle and I were at Rondeau Provincial Park on Lake Erie to do some May birding with friends. I was very excited because a rare Connecticut Warbler had been turning up along one of the trails and we were Read more
70 or more species can be seen locally during the winter months Peterborough Examiner – December 1, 2023 – by Drew Monkman With winter almost upon us, we sometimes need a little extra motivation to bundle up and head outside. Looking for birds can provide both purpose and interest to any outing. Yes, Read more
Peterborough County has one of the largest and most active birding communities in all of Ontario Peterborough Examiner – October 6, 2023 – by Drew Monkman It’s a well-known fact that Peterborough is very much a hockey town. This reputation is well-deserved. What might come as a surprise, however, is that Peterborough also Read more
Two apps make finding and identifying birds simpler and more enjoyable Peterborough Examiner – May 6, 2022 – by Drew Monkman I’ve been a birder nearly all my life. For nearly all of this time, my equipment was limited to binoculars, field guides, and a spotting scope. However, beyond word of mouth and Read more
It was the Kirtland’s warbler that made our morning. In the red cedar ten metres off the trail, the small grey and yellow bird was all but invisible. Only when it flitted from one branch to another was there any chance of seeing it – and it didn’t flit often. Read more
One of my greatest pleasures in May is the welcome sight and sound of songbirds returning right on cue from their southern wintering grounds. I was therefore delighted to hear a northern waterthrush belting out its emphatic double-note song at the start of the de Pencier Trail at the Trent Read more
By any measure, birding has never been more popular. Its allure lies in the satisfaction of using one’s knowledge of season, range, habitat, field marks, song and behavior to identify and appreciate the birds around us. Birding can also become a window on environmental issues. Many environmentalists started out as Read more
The time that birders have awaited since the lonely, frigid days of winter is now upon us. With May comes the peak of spring migration as long‑distance migrants pour into the Kawarthas from the neo‑tropics ‑ Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America. In Peterborough County alone, a Read more
There are few better places to enjoy the beauty of a southern Ontario spring than the woodland trails of Rondeau Provincial Park. Winding through Carolinian forests blanketed with ferns and spring wildflowers, the trails routinely provide close-up views of some of our most spectacular birds. This year, the honours Read more
The spectacle of bird migration that occurs twice each year in Canada has few equals anywhere on Earth. Billions of birds leave Canada every autumn for locations to the south, only to return the following spring and once again announce the change of season. Many of these migrating birds depend Read more