Here is a photo I took this morning of a beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on a large old cedar tree in my backyard. It was just browsing around the trunk, yanking off bark and insect hunting. It wasn’t excavating holes in the tree. I’ve been told by my neighbour that when Read more…
I just saw a Northern Shrike take down a House Sparrow between the house and the barn. The shrike killed it slowly with its beak by grabbing the sparrow by the neck. Then it picked up the sparrow in its claws and flew east (I assume towards our gulley which Read more…
A strange creature that I had never spotted before died in my barnyard this week . I know it is a Virginia Opossum opossum but did not know they lived in the area. Marie Adamcryck, Rice Lake (Note: The Virginia Opossum has been expanding its range northward into the Kawarthas Read more…
Golden Eagle (2) (Aquila chrysaetos) – Reported Jan 02, 2014 05:30 by Iain Rayner – Sandy Lake Pine barrens/Sedge marshes, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.659557,-77.8931522&ll=44.659557,-77.8931522 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16227700 – Comments: “Juvenile male at feeder, first seen at 730 am and seen three more times. Adult female seen north of Sandy Read more…
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) (1) – Reported Dec 27, 2013 12:30 by Tara Harrington – Chemong Road, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.3380418,-78.3509731&ll=44.3380418,-78.3509731 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16101909 – Comments: “This owl has been staying in one area (a farmer’s filed along side a busy road) for some time now. I first saw Read more…
We had a juvenile Northern Shrike in our backyard in town at Lock 19 this afternoon. Interestingly I also spotted one just west of the Tanney cabin on the Kawartha Nordic ski trails at Haultain yesterday. Peter Beales, River Road South, Peterborough
It has been so busy in my yard since the storm! The usual pair of cardinals has been joined by 4 more males and another female. They are so pretty in the ice and snow covered crabapple trees. I have had almost constant activity averaging a couple dozen birds Read more…
A trip to Algonquin Park makes for a great winter outing! The Visitor Centre is open daily, 9 am to 5 pm, from December 27 to January 5. Opeongo Road is open and plowed right to the lake. A half dozen Wild Turkeys continue to come to get seed below Read more…
I received a report today that a Snowy Owl was sited off Hwy 35 at Ballyduff Rd. Ken Branscombe also reported seeing a white owl in the vicinity of Hwy 7A & Pit Rd last week. Jane Zednik, Millbrook
How do you like this little visitor to our bird feeder this afternoon? This Porcupine is the first one we’ve ever seen on our lot. At certain moments, it was right under the window and TOO CLOSE for pictures. It was not that big and we could see very little Read more…
I remember feeling sad That miracles don’t happen still Now I can’t keep track Because everything’s a miracle. From “Holy Now” by Peter Mayer The great wheel of the year has once again brought us to the end of December. At this time of reflection, we have much Read more…
Here’s a picture of the bad boy that gave me a 4 woodpecker morning for Christmas! Merry, merry… Michael Gillespie, Keene
Hi Everyone The Snowy Owl southward irruption continues in eastern Ontario. Since early December the numbers have been slowly increasing with a noticeable movement on December 8th when a combined total of 25 individuals were observed in the Richmond and Casselman-Hawkesbury areas. Sightings continue to be reported all over eastern Read more…
This Ruffed Grouse was in our ice-encrusted tree eating small apples late this afternoon. Sabine Overink, County Road 6, Douro-Dummer (Note: Grouse will often fly up into trees late in the day to feed on the buds. Trembling Aspen is a favourite. D.M.)
Hello, Yesterday we had the largest woodpecker, the Pileated, and the smallest, the Downy, together at our bird feeders. The size difference is amazing. We have six types of woodpeckers visit our yard throughout the year: Downy , Hairy, Red-bellied , Northern Flicker , Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Pileated. I Read more…
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) – Reported Dec 22, 2013 13:54 by Donald Sutherland – Otonabee River–between Lock 25 and Lakefield, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.4132687,-78.2625462&ll=44.4132687,-78.2625462 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16044516 – Comments: “female, just W CR33 along S shore” Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) – Reported Dec 21, 2013 13:00 by Scott McKinlay – Read more…
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) – Reported Dec 19, 2013 14:45 by Daniel Williams – Peterborough–Little Lake, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.2965341,-78.3105472&ll=44.2965341,-78.3105472 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16028458 – Comments: “Mixed in with Hegu and rbgu. Dark back standing out against other gulls. Yellowish legs seen briefly as it found a spot Read more…
We saw this big Bald Eagle today south of Young’s Point lock. It was finding food in the ice. Laurie McLaughlin-Maveal
The Snowy Owl is still in the Chemong Road/County Road 19 (Line Road 3) area. It was sitting on a bale of hay beside McLeod’s water treatment today, December 19. I got some nice pictures! At 2:30 p.m. the bird flew down towards the farm across from Subaru/Hyundai. Jeff Keller Read more…
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) (2) – Reported Dec 15, 2013 06:00 by Matthew Tobey – Peterborough CBC Area 7, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.2386484,-78.3948326&ll=44.2386484,-78.3948326 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15982062 – Comments: “responding to recordings, then to one another on Mervin Line” Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) (1) – Reported Dec 16, 2013 12:05 Read more…
There was a Snowy Owl this morning (~0800h) on the Rotary Greenway Trail north of Trent. It was in a dead elm, 300-400m east of the trail, on the hilltop in the open fields – opposite south entrance to Promise Rock Trail. Don Sutherland, Peterborough
Today, at the west end of Boshing Narrows on the north shore of Stony Lake, two Bald Eagles were present. There was one adult and one immature. They were feeding on a Deer carcass (wolf kill). Note: The ice is problematic in this area. It is unsafe in places and Read more…
These are pictures of an animal that got caught in a mousetrap that I had set in our porch. I have seen many mole-like animals, but never before one with this colouring. Is it an anomaly or a different species or subspecies? Paul J. Costello, County Rd. 4, Douro-Dummer NOTE Read more…
Today at noon the Snowy Owl was perched atop the tallest hydro tower between the barn across from the Hyundai/Subaru dealershipand Line 3 Road, just west of Chemong rd. She’s visible from a km away, at least. Walter Wehtje
Moose hunt postmortem – Bull with the heart of lion enters hunt camp lore; why hunters aren’t engaged in climate change battle One of my reasons for taking part in a Moose hunt in northern Quebec this fall was to better understand why my friend, Raynald Pilon, has an Read more…
At noon today an adult Yellow-bellied Sapsucker fed on fermented apples on a tree behind house # 2137 at the foot of Smith 6th Line, off County Road29 between Lakefield and Peterborough, and just south of County Road 23, which goes up to Buckhorn. Opposite the house, a yard had 3 Read more…
I saw a Snowy Owl yesterday afternoon, both on the way home for lunch, and way back to work. It was in the field opposite the Subaru dealership on Chemong Road. Wasyl Bakowsky, Peterborough (Note: The bird was still present today, Dec. 11. It was in the back field, Read more…
An American Coot was swimming along the shore of the island just off the Lakefield Beach (opposite the arena) on the west side this morning. Watch for it possibly moving down river. Tony Bigg, Lakefield
Peterborough Christmas Bird Count – Sunday, December 15 Participants should let Tony Bigg know as soon as possible if they are available for this count. The compilation will be at Kelsey’s, opposite the Canadian Tire plaza on Lansdowne St. at 5:00 p.m. Newcomers to the area, and newcomers to birding, Read more…