Drew Monkman

  On September 12, an uncommon Four-toed Salamander was found near the large erratic on the “range” section of our property  (east of Birchview Road) at Camp Kawartha.  It was found by students from Lakefield College School and identified by Jake Fell. Jacob Rodenburg, Executive Director, Camp Kawartha

Today’s cool 13 C temperatures seem to have really stirred up bird migration and feeder activity. This morning I had two dozen Common Grackles at my feeder. This afternoon, while walking the Trans-Canada Trail near Lily Lake, there were at least a dozen migrant warblers in the cedars that responded Read more…

– Peregrine Falcon – Magnolia Warbler  – Bay-breasted Warbler Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) (1) – Reported Sep 11, 2013 08:15 by Greg Samson-Strecker – Peterborough–Trent Rotary Rail Trail, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.362531,-78.2885554&ll=44.362531,-78.2885554 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15166063 – Comments: “Flew SSW from Rotary Rail Trail @ ~8:30am” Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) Read more…

Yesterday, I was provided with an intriguing glimpse into the lives of ants. So-called “flying ants” were milling about on our front steps and flying  overhead in the backyard. Ants only have wings during the mating phase of their life cycle. Mating takes place over the course of just one Read more…

We were out in our backyard yesterday watching the three Sandhill Cranes when we heard another crane calling from just beyond. It definitely didn’t come from any of the three in front of us. Their beaks were closed and they were all looking towards the source of the calls. This Read more…

Origin of fish species found in Jack Lake, Peterborough County (south of Apsley) Native Species Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) Brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) Common white sucker (Catastomus commersoni) Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) Johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum) Lake herring (Coregonus artedii) Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Muskellunge (Esox Read more…

Yesterday afternoon, a Giant Swallowtail visited our backyard garden.  This was the first time I’ve seen the species actually nectaring in the garden. I’ve had them land on one of our maple trees before. The butterfly fed by hovering at the flowers (especially the Buddleia and phlox) but proved very Read more…

*** Species Summary: – Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1 report) – Least Flycatcher (2 reports) – Great Crested Flycatcher (2 reports) – Orange-crowned Warbler (1 report) – Bobolink (4 reports) ——————————————— The report below shows observations of rare birds in Peterborough.  View this alert on the web at http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN36363 NOTE: all sightings Read more…

Just thought that you would like to know that the three Sandhill Cranes are still here, adjacent to the Miller Creek Conservation Area on the 7th Line of Selwyn Township. In previous years they were gone by the end of July. Having the cranes here this late has given us Read more…

  Walking the rail-trail in the Lily Lake area the other day, I couldn’t help notice how quickly the asters are taking over as the dominant wildflowers on the landscape. Already, some of the goldenrods – which still provide most of the colour – are beginning to fade. I was Read more…

I live on a farm in Omemee, near Emily Park. Growing up in this area, I have observed a lot of nature. However, in just the last few weeks I seem to have seen more variety that I have ever noticed. My sightings include a Hummingbird Clearwing moth, a giant Read more…

Yesterday, I set up a new birdbath in my backyard. Instead of using the pedestal,  I placed the bowl directly on the ground, partly beneath some cedars. I then installed a 1/4″ diameter plastic tube above the bath, hooking the tube up to my garden hose (using some parts I Read more…

Semipalmated Plover – Lesser Yellowlegs – Least Sandpiper – Baird’s Sandpiper – Pectoral Sandpiper – Philadelphia Vireo – Tennessee Warbler – Cape May Warbler – Magnolia Warbler – Bay-breasted Warbler – Lincoln’s Sparrow ____________________________________________________ Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) (2) – Reported Sep 02, 2013 14:10 by Chris Risley – Moncrief Read more…

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of talking with Don Davis who does a Monarch butterfly tagging demonstration each Labour Day Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. With a lot of hard work, he was able to find enough of these insects in order to show the public how the Read more…

I stumbled upon this plant in the bush north of Highway 118 near Bancroft today.  At first, I thought it was a blackberry “on steroids” but, by doing a little research, I found out that it is a Spikenard.  I had never seen that one before. Ulrike Kullik, Marmora   Read more…

*** Species Summary: – Tennessee Warbler (2 reports) – Magnolia Warbler (2 reports) – Bay-breasted Warbler (2 reports) – Black-throated Blue Warbler (2 reports) ——————————————— The report below shows observations of species you have not seen in Peterborough, based on your eBird observations.  View this alert on the web at Read more…

What a nice surprise to find this Giant Swallowtail in our garden this afternoon.  This one one would not settle down though.  The forewings hardly ever stopped beating. I took lots of images just to get these.               Also, while on a recent local Read more…

Here is a quick description of some common backyard insect sounds of rural, suburban and sometimes urban central Ontario.  By clicking on the name of the insect, you can hear a recording of its “song.” How are the sounds produced? Crickets and katydids use stridulation to produce their song. They Read more…

This afternoon, I walked the Trans-Canada Trail west from the steep footpath leading down to the trail from the end of Wallis Drive, past the  blue bridge to Ackison Road. A number of wildflowers continue to bloom and most of the shrubs are heavily laden with fruit. Here are some Read more…

– Peregrine Falcon (1 report) – Western Kingbird (1 report) ——————————————— Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Needs Alert for Peterborough. The report below shows observations of species you have not seen in Peterborough, based on your eBird observations.  View this alert on the web at http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN34560 NOTE: all Read more…

This afternoon, I walked the Trans-Canada Trail west from the steep footpath leading down to the trail from the end of Wallis Drive, past the  blue bridge (near the pumping station entrance point on Parkhill Road at Ravenwood) to Ackison Road. A number of wildflowers continue to bloom and most Read more…

This afternoon, two Monarch butterflies were feeding on the Butterfly Bush blossoms (Buddlia) in my garden. Later, a Great Spangled Fritillary showed up, as well. Drew Monkman, Maple Cres., Peterborough

I was able to photograph this female or young male dragonfly yesterday in the garden of a neighbour’s house on Amundsen Ave. The owner of this house is a real gardener and this dragonfly was resting on a lovely orange Tuberous Begonia. Margo Hughes, Peterborough N.B. The species is probably Read more…

Walking to the forest on Saturday (August 24), I saw this late Monarch caterpillar instar as well as an empty chrysalis attached to a stem of grass. Hope these are good signs and not simply mementos of this lovely creature. Jane Zednik, Millbrook

Sitting outside in our backyard on Friday evening (Aug. 23), I heard my first nocturnal flight calls of the “fall migration” as migrants were streaming southward overhead. I am not able to identify the birds to the species level – other than the thrushes, which tend to migrate in late Read more…

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) (1) – Reported Aug 24, 2013 08:48 by Chris Risley – Peterborough–Meadowvale Park, Peterborough, Ontario – Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=44.3342704,-78.3128536&ll=44.3342704,-78.3128536 – Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15001488 – Comments: “adult, standing on log in marsh (edge of river) next to willows”