• Events
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Contact Info

Drew Monkman

  • Home
  • About
  • Sightings
  • Columns
  • Monthly Almanacs
  • Books
  • Climate Change in the Kawarthas
    • CLIMATE CRISIS NEWS
    • Climate Change Columns
    • Peterborough Temperature Archive
    • Climate Change in the Kawarthas (PowerPoint)
  • Presentations & Walks
  • Resources

Climate Change

Columns

A Christmas tradition: Counting birds

Peterborough Examiner – January 7, 2022 – by Drew Monkman A record 71 species tallied on the Peterborough Christmas Bird Count As the full moon cast long shadows through a woodlot on the outskirts of Bridgenorth, the mysterious “whooo…whoo-hoo…who-who” song of a great horned owl echoed through the trees. Almost immediately, a Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 4 monthsJanuary 7, 2022 ago
Sightings

December sightings of note

We live at the 12th Line and Northey’s Road in Selwyn. This Red-bellied Woodpecker has been here for the past week. Not the best picture (taken December 3). Paul Vigneux I had a productive day (December 6) at the Peterborough Airport. Most of these birds were photographed along Moncrief Line. Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 5 monthsDecember 24, 2021 ago
Columns

A winter nature almanac

Peterborough Examiner – December 3, 2021 – by Drew Monkman Looking ahead to what nature has in store this winter nature             As is now the pattern with a changing climate, this fall in Peterborough was marked by extreme temperature. October was an amazing 5.0 C warmer than normal – most likely our Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 5 monthsDecember 3, 2021 ago
Climate Change Columns

We can make a world of difference for our grandchildren

Peterborough Examiner – July 9, 2021– by LINDA AND AL SLAVIN Local 4RG climate group connects us all to the biggest crisis modern humans have ever faced We keep hearing about the climate crisis in the news: more than 700 people died in BC in the late-June heatwave, just a Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 10 monthsJuly 9, 2021 ago
Columns

Woodcock-watching: a rite of spring

Peterborough Examiner – April 9, 2021 Woodcock’s sky dance a must-see marvel of nature in the Kawarthas With monikers like pop-eyed shot dodger, bogsucker, sky dancer, and timber-doodle, the American woodcock may have the most evocative nicknames of any bird. It’s not surprising. This strangely-shaped species with a ridiculously long Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 1 yearApril 9, 2021 ago
Climate Change Columns

Why we don’t engage with climate change

Peterborough Examiner – March 19, 2021 – subscription required to read article online Comments from readers provide insights into why so many of us still remain silent             This week, I’d like to provide a breakdown of the comments people submitted to me via Facebook and email to my question: Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 1 yearMarch 19, 2021 ago
Climate Change Columns

Climate change: we must know the facts

“It’s getting the facts straight that gets us to act and not to wait. So, I tell you this not to scare you,But to prepare you, to dare youTo dream a different reality. – Amanda Gorman, U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, from “Earthrise: A Poem About Climate Change”             If Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 1 yearFebruary 12, 2021 ago
Columns

Exploring the wonder of ferns

It’s easy to tune out the commonplace in our flora and let it become part of the “green blur”. This is especially true when it comes to ferns, which are among the most common plants you’re likely to encounter on a forest or wetland walk. However, just recognizing and paying Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJuly 17, 2020 ago
Columns

Our forests are under attack

Many areas of the Kawarthas have been devastated by gypsy moth caterpillars I suspected something was up last summer. Swarms of small, brown moths were flying everywhere around my brother’s cottage south of Bon Echo Provincial Park. Closer examination revealed they were male gypsy moths. After a bit of searching, Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJuly 10, 2020 ago
Columns

Starry stonewort: Not as friendly as the name suggests

A new invasive plant is rapidly spreading through the Kawartha Lakes In 2018, a water plant by the charming name of starry stonewort (SSW) was identified in Stony Lake. Fast forward two years and this highly-aggressive, invasive aquatic species is now turning up all over the Kawarthas. For many cottagers Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJuly 3, 2020 ago
Columns

A summer nature almanac for Peterborough & the Kawarthas

A Kawarthas Summer Nature Almanac           With summer almost upon us, I want to look ahead to some of the events in nature that we can expect over the next three months. As for the long-term weather forecast, normal to above-normal temperatures are expected this summer, according to Dave Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJune 19, 2020 ago
Columns

Our Heritage of Orchids

“In spring the moccasin flowers reach for the crackling lick of the sun…” Mary Oliver For anyone with an interest in wildflowers, June is synonymous with orchids. At least a dozen species of this fascinating plant family bloom this month in the Kawarthas, and the spectacle is not to be Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJune 12, 2020 ago
Columns

Seeing and understanding wonder in nature

Engaging activities to help kids grasp the basics of evolution The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust One of the greatest gifts you can give children is a sense of wonder in the natural world. At the same time, Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJune 5, 2020 ago
Climate Change Columns

Nature books for this time of crisis

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting.”    — Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese” From all accounts, nature seems to be doing just fine as human activity has been dialed down in recent months. Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsMay 15, 2020 ago
Columns

Welcoming the birds of May

“Welcoming the birds of May” The time that birders have waited for 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 Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsMay 8, 2020 ago
Climate Change Columns

COVID-19: An historic opportunity

Despite all the chaos and suffering caused by COVID-19, there is much to restore our faith in humanity and brighten our day.  In my neighborhood at least, more people are out walking and acknowledging each other with a smile and a few words than I ever recall.  Kids are even Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsApril 18, 2020 ago
Columns

“Embrace your natural surroundings as an escape from COVID-19” by Sophie Monkman

The soothing balm you need in this crisis—and it needs you If I may, I would like to begin by asking you a question. Who is there for you right now, during this unprecedented time that we are living? I imagine that loved ones come to mind; close friends, family Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsApril 3, 2020 ago
Columns

Readers’ Nature Sightings from 2019 – Part Two

This week, I’d like to share more nature sightings from the past year that readers have shared with me. I am always pleased to learn about what people are seeing and to try to answer nature-related questions. To stay abreast of the latest sightings in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, please Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJanuary 5, 2020 ago
Columns

More readers’ nature sightings from 2019

This week, I’d like to share more nature sightings from the past year that readers have shared with me. I am always pleased to learn about what people are seeing and to try to answer nature-related questions. To stay abreast of the latest sightings in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, please Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsJanuary 4, 2020 ago
Columns

Readers’ Nature Sightings from 2019 – Part One

I would like to thank the many readers who have shared some of their nature sightings and photographs with me over the past year. This week and next, I am presenting a selection of the many anecdotes and observations I’ve received. These encounters with wildlife show how fortunate we are Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsDecember 13, 2019 ago
Columns

A Kawartha’s Winter Nature Almanac

Looking back at extreme fall temperatures and ahead to what nature has in store As is now the pattern with a changing climate, fall weather this year was marked by extreme temperatures. For many days in November, minimum temperatures were equal to or below historical lows. In Peterborough, the temperature Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsDecember 6, 2019 ago
Climate Change Columns

“The Uninhabitable Earth” Part 2: Moving from alarm to solutions

Book outlines challenges and reasons for hope in addressing climate change In last week’s column, I provided a glimpse of our bleak climatic future as described in “The Uninhabitable Earth”, by American journalist David Wallace-Wells. The book lays out in terrifying detail how climate change will soon become the defining Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 2 yearsNovember 22, 2019 ago
Climate Change Columns

The time to be alarmed is here

“The Uninhabitable Earth” explains how climate change is much worse than you think “We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequiv­ocally, that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.” These were the dire opening words of a report published November 4 in the Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsNovember 15, 2019 ago
Columns

Green gems of the November woods

Evergreen forest floor plants are an under-appreciated feature of late fall At first glance, a walk in the November woods seems uneventful, with little of interest to catch our attention. Yet, this is a wonderful time of year to focus on elements of the forest that we may have missed Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsNovember 8, 2019 ago
Columns

The nomadic ways of winter finches

Seeing winter finches this year may mean a trip to Algonquin Park Some of my favourite backyard birds during fall and spring migration are white-throated and white-crowned sparrows. These migrants arrive each year right on schedule – almost to the day – and feed on the millet I scatter on Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsNovember 1, 2019 ago
Columns

October’s time of yellow

Still lots to look forward to in the parade of fall colours From May’s gentle pastels and summer’s kaleidoscope of greens to early fall’s dazzling reds and oranges, each time of year has its signature colours. Now, as we move into the second half of October, yellow is taking over Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsOctober 18, 2019 ago
Climate Change Columns

Strategic voting is our only option

The Liberals aren’t perfect, but a Conservative government would be infinitely worse Earlier this summer, I thought I’d made up my mind. I was going to vote Green to send a message that much more aggressive climate action is necessary. I was bitterly disappointed that the Liberals had failed to Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsOctober 3, 2019 ago
Columns

Nature in the Kawarthas: Big changes are underway

Shifting dates, species declines, and surprising newcomers tell us climate change has arrived For years we used to drive up to Algonquin Park in early summer to take our daughters to camp. One of the highlights of these trips was seeing moose along the side of Highway 60. Getting closeup Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsSeptember 20, 2019 ago
Columns

Let’s protect Peterborough’s trees

Council expected to revisit Peterborough’s suspended tree bylaw later this fall I have always loved trees. As a kid I delighted in climbing the sugar maples near our house and seeing how high I could go until terror set in. I also spent countless hours playing “chestnuts” with the shiny Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsSeptember 13, 2019 ago
Columns

An autumn nature almanac

Looking ahead to events in nature in the Kawarthas Although we enjoyed a comfortable summer in the Kawarthas – sunny, not too hot, and no extreme weather – the biggest story for the planet as a whole continues to be the climate crisis. July was Earth’s hottest month since temperature Read more…

By Drew Monkman, 3 yearsSeptember 6, 2019 ago

Posts navigation

1 2 … 4 Next
May 2022
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Feb    
Categories
  • A Changing Climate
  • Climate Change Columns
  • Columns
  • FAQs
  • Sightings
  • Uncategorized
Archives
Follow me on Twitter
My Tweets

Copyright © Drew Monkman, Our Changing Seasons