January 2012

Today I saw an all-white Ermine (Short-tailed Weasel) in my shed. It appeared to be pregnant and had a dead Red Squirrel in its mouth. Location: Omemee Observer: Gavin Hunter

Today, on the way up to Algonquin Park today, Jerry Ball, Tony Bigg and I saw several large flocks of finches eating road sand on Hwy 127 between Maynooth and Whitney. The finches were Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls with a few American Goldfinches. At one point there were half Read more…

You know it is a mild winter when, today, at 9:28 a.m. I saw a Belted Kingfisher on the west side of Hwy 115 on the south side of Cavan Creek. Location: Hwy 115 at exit to Cavan and Bethany Observer: Rick Stankiewicz

We have had a male Red-bellied Woodpecker coming to our feeder on River Road along the Indian River since about mid-November. Location: Indian River at River Road Observer: Brendan Boyd

I have an Eastern Towhee coming regularly to my feeder. There are also a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers in our area. Location: south of County Rd. 2 on David Fife Line. Observer: Michael Gillespie

Today, I saw a Belted Kingfisher on David Fife Line where it crosses the Indian River. Location: David Fife Line Observer: Abby MacNaughton

My husband sighted a single young male Barrow’s Goldeneye (with dark grey beak) on Lower Buckhorn Lake in the boating channel just before the town of Buckhorn. Location: Buckhorn Observer: Claudio

I had a Northern Shrike at David Fife Line and River Road and another at David Fife Line and County Road 2. Location: David Fife Line Observer: Brendan Boyd

As of late this afternoon, there were still several hundred gulls of six species on Little Lake. They were on the ice, almost in the middle of the lake. I viewed them from the Mark Street boat launch. Among the many Herrings and lesser numbers of Ring-bills, I was able Read more…

Today, I saw a Cooper’s Hawk chasing pigeons at George and London streets in Peterborough Location: Peterborough Observer: Brendan Boyd

The White-winged Scoter and Common Loon were still present at 3:30 p.m. today at Gannon’s Narrows (see Jan. 4). The loon actually called briefly while I was there, which was the first time I’ve ever heard a loon call in January! I also saw a Bald Eagle on Lake Katchewanooka. Read more…

A pair of Bald Eagles are building a nest on an island in Hamilton Bay on Stoney Lake. They have been seen bringing material to the nest in recent days. Location: Stony Lake Observer: Nan Campbell

Today I saw what I believed to be a Fisher. It was east of Omemee in farmer’s field south of our home. On Jan. 14 I confirmed it was a Fisher as we saw the prints in the fresh snow. They were very distinct. Location: Omemee Observer: Bruce Flemons

Mid-morning today, I scanned the aggregation of gulls sitting on the ice on Little Lake. The gulls were all along the open channel down the centre of the lake.Between 200 and 300 gulls were present when I arrived at around 1015h this morning. Amongst the Herrings and lesser numbers of Read more…

My daughter, Valerie Wyatt, and her husband Paul Grant just returned from Gannon Narrows and found one White-winged Scoter with a group of 12 Common Goldeneye, visible from the east side of the bridge over the Narrows. A Common Loon was also present in the water further to the southeast, Read more…

I saw an adult male Green-winged Teal yesterday morning mixed in with a large flock of Mallards on the Otonabee River at Cameron and Park streets. I looked again today, but couldn’t see it. Today (3:30pm) Isaw a Belted Kingfisher on the west bank of the Otonabee River, sighted from Read more…

Today at 1 p.m., I scoped Little Lake in downtown Peterborough and found an adult, 1st-winter and 2nd-winter Glaucous Gulls, 2 adult Iceland (Kumlein’s) Gulls, and a 1 st – winter Lesser Black-backed Gull among the Ring-billed and Herring gulls. Location: Little Lake, Peterborough Observer: Dave Milsom

I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker in the woods on the west side of the south end of the Bridgenorth Trail this morning. It was with four Hairy and one Downy Woodpecker. At noon, driving along Preston Rd between Mt Pleasant Rd and Hooton Drive, just west of Hwy 7, I Read more…

The Petroglyphs CBC was held today in blustery winds with heavy snow squalls. 22 participants found 29 species, below our average of 33. No new high counts were obtained, but one all time low of 21 was counted for Blue Jays (our ten year average is 305). Unfortunately it was Read more…

This afternoon, I saw an American Kestrel sitting on a telephone wire at the south end of Peterborough County – just north of Boundary Road on Country Road 28. Location: County Road 28 Observer: Sherry Hambly