I witnessed a murmuration of European Starlings two weeks ago over our house. At the time I did not know there was a name for it, but I knew what I was witnessing was extraordinary. I could not believe the sheer numbers of birds, and they just kept coming. I Read more…
I had a single female Evening Grosbeak November 16 in the yard here where I live near Stoney Lake. Tim Dyson, Nephton I’ve had a Brown Creeper on the tree trunks adjacent to the bird feeders and suet feeders. Last year one came to the suet feeders on a regular Read more…
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) (1) – Reported Nov 15, 2016 21:00 by Jeff Stewart – 621 Carveth Drive, Millbrook, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32578096 – Comments: “heard hooting near house by Annie” Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) (1) – Reported Nov 16, 2016 12:00 by Basil Conlin – Read more…
I took these shots of a Black Bear cub in Young’s Point on November 9th at about 2:00 pm. Jeff Keller
I spotted this little Red Fox north of Flynn’s Corners on November 1st. The pheasant I saw November 2 near Lindsay. It was my first time seeing one. I did not know they were wild around here. Jeff Keller Note: I don’t think they are reproducing in the wild. The Read more…
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my American Chestnut trees produced what appear to be a few viable nuts. The bad news is that the number of viable nuts is much smaller than I had hoped for. American Chestnuts are monoecious, so although the Read more…
On October 16, my wife and I came across a curious mushroom trail in the Robert Johnson Eco Park in Douro. We though you might be interested. We speculate that some little vole or other rodent passed by a mushroom full of spores, captured a mass of them on his Read more…
I told you about the “friendly” Ruffed Grouse at our cottage near Parry Sound. Apparently the bird was following neighbours around too. Our dog almost got him several times, despite being on leash, because the grouse would fly after us when we were walking around and land closely. Attached is Read more…
I was out on the acreage on October 12 doing my usual pre-hunt checkout, and came across this lovely Eastern Hog-nosed Snake. On the 13th, I was documenting some history for my museum about mining in the area and came upon these bats in an abandoned uranium mine near Crystal Read more…
On Friday afternoon, November 11, this beautiful adult Cooper’s Hawk made a kill in my east city backyard. It appeared to have taken a Rock Pigeon. Helen Nicolaides Keller, Mark Street
I thought you might be interested in the following: a Gray Squirrel and a Cooper’s Hawk dueled it out on the top rail of our split rail fence in mid-October. For at least 15 minutes they charged at each other fearlessly before the hawk called it quits. (When the hawk Read more…
Here is photo of a six pound Giant Puffball we found on September 19 on Fire Route 15 near Stoney Lake. This is one puffball. The small end grew from the ground It was in perfect condition and white throughout. Many people enjoyed eating it; you can be sure! Joan Major
On October 8 at 9:30 am, we were paid a visit by a young bull Moose at our place on South Bay Shore Road West on Stoney Lake. Linda Gilbert
In early October, we had a large flock of about 50 ducks that we fed on our shoreline in the hopes of giving them a safe haven away from the hunters. The flock was joined by a lone Ring-billed Gull. The gull ate the corn we spread – right in Read more…
Here is a picture of our cottage Red Squirrels’ pre-winter stash. Clearly our local squirrels are an OCD lot: note that the cones are not only symmetrically arranged, but the butt ends are all formed like rays around rocks or along the length of a fallen tree! Certainly I have Read more…
New app We are constantly striving to improve the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas and are currently in the process of revamping the smartphone app. The new version of the app will include interactive features that allow users to see when their record has been accepted and when certain records Read more…