(Chroicocephalus philadelphia) (2) – Reported Jul 30, 2014 18:58 by Chris Risley – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “black bill, breeding adult plumage”
I’ve just returned from four days at Big Gull Lake, north of Kaladar. There were far more mosquitoes present than is usual for late July. It appears that Eastern Ontario is having a bad year in general. Below you will find a couple of postings from NatureList Digest, an Eastern Read more…
Between June 2nd and June 12th, I saw 44 Giant Swallowtails between Cordova Mines, Marmora, Campbellford, Havelock, Norwood, and Stoney Lake. Very brief first flight this year, and started quite late, as often (2013 anyway), I will see them fairly regularly during the third and fourth week of May, and Read more…
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) (1) – Reported Jul 24, 2014 17:55 by Iain Rayner – Water St. Victoria Park, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.3076967,-78.3185613&ll=44.3076967,-78.3185613 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19210780 – Comments: “Seen circling over Victoria Park. Haven’t seen one here for quite a few months. Much much bigger then Merlin which are Read more…
Almost any time you’re near water in summer, you’re bound to see dragonflies and damselflies. They sometimes even show up in your garden. Thanks to their abundance, diversity, striking colours and relative tameness, they make for an ideal group of invertebrates to watch, identify and, for more and more Read more…
I have really enjoyed you past two columns on bees. I grew up on Glen Avon, our family property on Moncur Loch in Scotland; my Dad was an electrical engineer whose hobby was breeding roses and my Mum was a beekeeper. We had a greenhouse and a huge garden of Read more…
The Merlins around our home and neighbours, on lower Chemong Lake, are at their peak for loud calls – almost too much! So far there appear to be two adults and two juveniles flying around. They are decimating the local small bird population! Click here for some photos of one Read more…
This evening my husband, daughter and I saw an Indigo Bunting along Fallis Line in Millbrook. Never having seen one before, we didn’t know what it was at the time. It was so stunningly beautiful, we stopped the car and just watched until it flew away. Later this evening we Read more…
Gadwall (Anas strepera) (7) – Reported Jul 19, 2014 09:11 by Donald Sutherland – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “pair and female with 4-1/2 grown ducklings, S cell” Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) (3) – Reported Jul 19, 2014 09:11 by Donald Sutherland – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Read more…
I want to share some pictures of a parasitic wasp that I took up near Kinmount. I haven’t been able to identify it, but this animal was about 3-4 cm long and had two ovipositors, each about 10 cm long. When I found it, it was busily probing a hole Read more…
You may be interested in a couple of Cougar sightings my husband and I had recently. We live on an island on Stoney Lake. We park our car near the back of our island which is off of Fire Route 5 stemming from Mount Julian/Viamede Road near Woodview. The first Read more…
In my last column, I began a discussion about the importance of our native bee species. It is becoming increasingly clear that native wild bees – not just Honey Bees – are vitally important pollinators for our food system and ecosystem health in general. The bad news, however, is that Read more…
I spotted a male Scarlet Tanager at the end of our lane yesterday afternoon (July 13), and watched it for a few minutes in the company of 3 other small birds. I assumed they were his family, but I could only see the undersides of them (beige/buff colour), and my Read more…
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) (1) – Reported Jul 12, 2014 07:00 by Jeff Stewart – 621 Carveth Drive, Millbrook, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “called once fairly far off to the NW – same call as previous sighting in June (loud, clear “tropical” KOW KOW KOW)”
We were walking in our favourite conservation area (Selwyn) yesterday morning, May 9. It was quite windy, so that is how I think we surprised a very large cat. We were only about 10 feet away from the animal. It was larger than a big house cat – more the Read more…
This bird is coming to our window feeder with the other finches, but his wings are white. I can’t find a goldfinch with white wings in any of my books. Any idea what it is? We are on Redmond Rd., which is just past Assumption, off Keene Road. Tracey Murfin. Read more…
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) (1) – Reported Jul 08, 2014 19:10 by Scott Gibson – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “sitting on floating partition in NW corner of south cell; funny at first the lighting was such that the legs looks pinkish/brown but later appeared Read more…
On June 19, about half way between the Anstruther Lake Marina and Highway 28, we saw a large Blanding’s Turtle on the pavement. We stopped the car and helped it across the road. Marie and John
Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) (2) – Reported Jul 04, 2014 08:20 by Martin Parker – Peterborough–Harper Park, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “seen and heard in Harper Park off Harper Rd”
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) (1) – Reported Jul 01, 2014 18:30 by Wade Forrest – Millbrook, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “Was walking nearby Little Creek @ Main St. Saw the Red-Headed Woodpecker pecking at a dead branch of a Walnut”
One of the joys of tuning into nature is discovering the many amazing organisms that exist right under our nose and often go unnoticed until someone points them out. When it comes to flying under the radar, there are few better examples than Ontario’s native bees. Susan Chan, a pollination Read more…
Gadwall (Anas strepera) (2) – Reported Jul 01, 2014 06:20 by Peterborough County Birds Database – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: – Comments: “pair” Green-winged Teal (American) (Anas crecca) (4) – Reported Jul 01, 2014 06:20 by Peterborough County Birds Database – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario – Read more…
Tornado Tuesdays, flooding and heavy rainfall events will remain on Ontarian’s minds when looking back at June 2014. Precipitation continued to be well above normal values in Northern Ontario, especially in the Northwest, with many locales receiving more than double the expected precipitation for the month of June. Central and Read more…