For three years now, I have had these Trumpeter Swans across from our home in a bay near Woodland Camp Site on Buckhorn Lake. I know that they have been reported in previous years to your site. They have been here for at least the past 1 1/2 months. I Read more…
I recommend calling Pelee Wings 1-877-326-5193 in Leamington, Ontario, and speaking to one of the sales people (true experts!). They will recommend a pair and ship them to you. If you don’t like them, they can be returned and they’ll ship another model. I like the Nikon Monarch series of Read more…
Our very “skittish” and shy Red-headed Woodpecker has returned. I saw it for the first time this years on July 9, but didn’t have a camera handy. However, on July 11, I was ready. This picture was taken looking through our window into our backyard. The feeder hangs from the Read more…
In case you might be looking for some new reading material this summer, I would like to suggest some of my favourite books from the past few years. If there is one theme they have in common, it’s that science, nature history, intellectual satisfaction and wonder are all part of Read more…
I live in Ennismore on 4 acres in a century home. The article you wrote about declining bat populations and White Nose Syndrome is old but I thought I’d reach out to you since I found it interesting and I’ve got bats – Little Brown Bats, I think. They’re living Read more…
We had a pleasant surprise on Canada Day. A Snapping Turtle laid her eggs in our graveled turning circle in full view of the house windows. We watched her for about 50 minutes starting about 9:30 am though we don’t know how long she had been labouring. Interestingly, once she Read more…
I captured these photos during an early morning kayak outing on Lower Buckhorn Lake on the weekend of June 24. The Eastern Kingbird kept tossing the dragonfly (a skimmer) into the air, seemingly to kill it. I was struck with the size of the dragonfly. Robin Williams Blake
I saw 12 to 20 Sandhill Cranes under a lone elm tree northwest of Cambray and north of Cemetery. Gavin Hunter, Omemee
I have been watching two dark brown juvenile Bald Eagles for three mornings now, sitting on and beside a high nest in a white pine in Wolf Island Provincial Park on Lower Buckhorn Lake. They glared at me for about 15 minutes but never left. One of them was in Read more…
Do you have a pollinator garden? Would you consider registering the garden in the Peterborough Pollinators 150+ Garden Challenge? Our goal is to register 150+ gardens in Peterborough and area. This is a celebration of both the importance of pollinators and of Canada’s 150th birthday. If you register before the Read more…
As a tide of green leaves transforms the landscape each spring, a near limitless smorgasbord of food is offered up to leaf munchers of all kinds. Among the most noticeable of these are tent caterpillars. Eastern tent caterpillars – the ones that make an actual tent – were especially abundant Read more…
I was observing the Common Loon family (2 adults and 2 very new chicks) on the Otonabee River just south of Lakefield today, June 27. A pair of loons nested here last year as well. As I watched, a Bald Eagle swooped by and posted himself in a nearby tree. Read more…
We spotted the male Peregrine Falcon today, June 27, standing guard next to the nest on Anstruther Lake. The female was sitting on the nest. We’ll keep you posted with their progress! Marie Duchesneau
The Hairy Woodpecker with a yellow crown came back to my feeder on June 26 and even posed for me! I was confused by the yellow coloration on the crown, instead of a red patch on the back of the head. Barb Logan Note: I did some research on this Read more…
Regarding the Nessus Sphinx reported by Stephenie Armstrong, they are likely fairly common here in Peterborough County, though I rarely see them myself. They do, however, seem to be a day-flier, and can therefore be confused with a Hemaris species like the Snowberry Clearwing. A few weeks ago, at my Read more…
We had a female Northern Flicker at the condo in Auburn on Armour Road North on June 16 and 17 at around noon. Gord Young
On Jun 23, 2017, at 9:23 PM, Scott Gibson via ONTBIRDS <birdalert@ontbirds.ca> wrote: The Dickcissel invasion has extended to the Kawarthas! This afternoon around 4:50, Iain Rayner found a male Dickcissel just north of Fowlers Corners (NW of Peterborough) @ 1203 Frank Hill Rd (County of Kawartha Lakes). It was Read more…
The tent caterpillar activity is quite evident in the Millbrook area this year, but at our summer home near Bon Echo Provincial Park, the damage done by Forest Tent Caterpillars is devastating. In many areas up to 80% of the canopy on elms and maples has been devoured. Ralph & Read more…
I found this Tufted Loosestrife earlier this week next to a Showy Lady’s-slipper on my property in Havelock. It was growing near water. Ulrike Kullik
We have a sweet smelling Abelia shrub that is proving to be very popular with the insect population. Visitors this month include our first and so far only Monarch, a Black Swallowtail, a White Admiral, and two hawkmoths, including the Hummingbird Clearwing and the Nessus Sphinx, the latter new to Read more…
Sedge Wren (Sedge) (Cistothorus platensis stellaris) (2) – Reported Jun 24, 2017 07:41 by Luke Berg – Miller Creek Conservation Area, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.3866915,-78.3501577&ll=44.3866915,-78.3501577 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37767801 Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) (2) – Reported Jun 21, 2017 09:42 by Peterborough County Birds Database – Lakefield–Sewage Lagoons, Peterborough, Ontario Read more…
Now that summer has officially arrived, I would like to look ahead at some of the events in nature that we can expect over the next three months. The actual timing of events is directly affected by temperature, rainfall, and day length. While these environmental factors obviously change throughout the Read more…
I recently observed the Great Blue Heron rookery in the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. As a point of interest, I noticed the rookery is quite visible from the height of land where the Tree Swallow/Eastern Bluebird research nesting site is located along the Blue trail, as one departs the Blue trail Read more…
I photographed this Showy Lady’s-slipper near Omemee on June 18. Trudy Gibson These Showy Lady’s-slippers are blooming (June 17) behind my house in Havelock, near the creek. Ulrike Kullik
I found this plant in the O’Hara Mill Homestead and Conservation Area near Madoc. It caught my attention last fall because of the interesting seed head. Do you have any idea what species it is? Ulrike Kullik, Havelock Note: According to Mike McMurtry, a local ecologist and botanist, this is Read more…
On June 14, while sitting in my screened room in Millbrook, this moth plummeted down from the heavens and landed on the table beside me. I have no idea where he came from. Perhaps he was sleeping along the rafter and fell(?) I thought he was dead. After looking at Read more…
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) (4) – Reported Jun 16, 2017 10:15 by Martin Parker – David Fife Liner – south end & Gillepie feeder, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.2580292,-78.133918&ll=44.2580292,-78.133918 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37632606 – Media: 1 Photo Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) (1) – Reported Jun 16, 2017 07:50 by Iain Rayner Read more…
Every culture has its own origin story. They may be short anecdotes or elaborate narratives that help explain the mysteries of our existence. “Big History” is an origin story unlike any other. Instead of being rooted in a specific culture or geography, it presents a science-based perspective and is therefore Read more…
When it comes to seeing new species of plants and animals, a certain amount of effort is usually required. This might mean traveling to new locations and walking considerable distances. There is, however, a way to enjoy nature’s diversity that can appeal to even the most sedentary among us. Welcome Read more…
I was in to the Great Blue Heron rookery at the Trent University Wildlife Sanctuary and found the nests to be full. Carl Welbourn