Today, with temperatures approaching 25 C, Forsythias in our neighbour’s yard were at peak bloom, the male catkins were past maturity and already falling from our Trembling Aspen, violets were blooming in the lawn and Tiger Lily leaves were about five inches tall! Weeping Willows are already a pastel green Read more…
On the evening of March 21, several Ameican Toads were calling faintly along Westbrook Drive in the western end of Peterborough. This evening, there was a strong chorus of three individuals calling a the top end of Westbrook Drive. Location: Westbrook Drive Observer: Martin Parker
This evening, Jerry Ball and I spent a few hours looking for amphibians crossing roadways. We cruised Birchview Road east of Highway 28 south of Young’s Point eastward to Camp Road and then south to County Road 6. The diversity of speces was impressive — 4 species of salamanders and Read more…
This afternoon and evening I conducted surveys for calling frogs east of Peterborough and into adjacent Hastings and Northumberland Counties. I was primarily checking known sites for Western Chorus Frog (COSEWIC Threatened) based on records in the Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary database, but generally stopping at wetlands to listen for frogs. Read more…
The pond at Mathers Corners was still interesting today with hundreds of Canada Geese, one Snow Goose, about twenty Northern pintails, a few American Wigeons, and Green-winged Teals, Mallards and American Black Ducks. Driving north on Stony Lake Road, we found a dead mostly-white Snowshoe Hare. Only the hare’s back Read more…
Record temperatures (previous records in brackets) March 11 – 16.2 C (15.8 in 1977), March 16 – 20.2 C (14.5 in 1990), March 18 – 22.6 C (10.7 in 1995), March 19 – 23.4 (14.4 in 1976), March 20 – 23.7 C (13.2 in 1979), March 21 – 25? C Read more…
I saw at least four Great Blue Herons back at the heronry behind the marsh on University Road at noon today. At 6:30 p.m. this evening there were three Turkey Vultures sitting atop a dead tree by the bridge over the canal on Nassau Rd. Location: Trent University area Observer: Read more…
Today I saw my first Cabbage White butterfly. I have never seen one before in March. This species overwinters as a pupa (chrysalis). Location: downtown Peterborough Observer: Drew Monkman
I saw the first Painted Turtle out basking on a log in a wetland on Big Bald Lake this afternoon. The rest of the lake is still covered in ice. Location: Big Bald Lake, NW of Buckhorn Observer: Heather Francis
The pond at Mathers Corners was productive again today with hundreds of Canada Geese, one Snow Goose, about twenty Northern pintails, a few American Wigeons, and Green-winged Teals, Mallards and American Black Ducks. The Northern Shovelers seen by others yesterday were not seen today. The rail trail produced an Eastern Read more…
A Mourning Cloak butterfly was first observed by my wife then by me this morning in our back yard. Location: Peterborough Observer: Don Finigan
Two male Buffleheads having an altercation. In the evening our first choir of Spring Peepers. Location: Indian River on Sawmill Road near the Warsaw Caves Observer: Stephenie Armstrong
On or about March 18 I found an engorged American Dog, or Wood, Tick in about 2 inches of water in my heated birdbath in the backyard. After taking it out, I found it still alive, and when I put it on a flat rock to photograph it, its proboscis Read more…
Chorus Frogs were singing loudly in the pannes of Presqu’ile Provincial Park on Sunday morning. Also noteworthy that day was the first Mourning Cloak butterfly that I’ve seen so far this year. Waterfowl are abundant in Presqu’ile Bay, with Redhead, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye being Read more…
Today, while out and about, Dave and I saw two turtles basking in the sun in a wetland just east and north of the junction of Lakeview Road and Cty Road #2 south of Peterborough. Later in the afternoon we heard two and saw one Eastern Meadowlark. We heard another Read more…
The frog chorus has started on my property. It backs onto a swampy forest and runs to the Pigeon River, west of Ski Hill Road in Omemee. Location: Omemee Observer: Gavin Hunter
Today when I was at my friend Jake’s farm I saw a number of new spring species for Peterborough, at least for me. They included six species of woodpecker (Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, and Red-bellied Woodpecker), Eastern Phoebe, Killdeer and Brown-headed Cowbird. Location: Observer: Read more…
Although many of us have been suspecting this for the last few years, I believe that the Sandhill Cranes are about to nest in the marshes of Rice Lake. Yesterday, I saw a pair
This morning at about 9 a.m. I saw a flock of about 100 Wild Turkeys spread all over a field on the west side of Hwy 28 just south of the junction with Cty Rd 33. This evening I heard my first American Woodcock calling opposite the Camp Kawartha Ecology Read more…
The cornfield south of Mather’s Corners is again water-filled following the heavy rains of Thursday night. Present around 1130h this morning were a couple of hundred ducks, just over half of which were Mallards, but also present were Northern Pintail (16), Green-winged Teal (28), American Black Duck (10), American Wigeon Read more…
Today we saw an amazing 17 butterflies: 1 Compton’s Tortoiseshell, 1 Mourning Cloak and 18 Eastern Comma.Also of note in the area were several Pine Siskin flocks, about a dozen Brown Creepers in full song, and a flock of about a dozen Bohemian Waxwings. Location: Charlie Allen Road and Galway-Cavendish Read more…
An American Robin is busy building a nest above a door on my neighbour’s property. He also reports a Mourning Dove nest with eggs in it. He first discovered the nest and eggs on about March 12. Location: Observer:
Today at Little Lake I saw a male Long-tailed Duck in full winter plumage, 19 Redheads, 4 Buffleheads, 4 Common Merganser, 6 Hooded Merganser, 6 Ring-necked Ducks and 2 Lesser Scaup. On County Road 21 west of County Road 28, I saw the Greater White-fronted Goose. Location: Little Lake and Read more…
Lori and I heard our first Chorus Frogs of the year along the Rotary Rail Trail north of Trent University. There were 2 or 3 calling intermittently from the flooded hayfield opposite (East) the entrance to the Promise Rock Trail, and
Simon Dodsworth and I just found a single Greater White-fronted Goose in the Briar Hill Wetland on the north side of County Road 21 just west of County Road 28. Take the Fowlers Corners exit off Hwy 115 and travel about five minutes south on County Road 28. Location: Junction Read more…
Saw our American Mink, a large male, russet brown. We’ve seen signs of him now and then through the winter. In a previous spring, I saw the male running about with a smaller black female. Also our first Turkey Vulture soaring high above the river. Location: Indian River on Sawmill Read more…
The ice is just going off the Rice Lake and this morning we had at least 20 swans just out from our home at 676 Knott’s Landing, south of Keene.They were their at sunrise but gone by noon. Location: Keene / Rice Lake Observer: Elizabeth Bingham
This morning at about 10:15 a.m. a Red-shouldered Hawk circled over the Lakefield Sewage lagoons being harrassed by a crow. A flock of about 55 Snow Buntings also flew over and two Song Sparrows were singing. On the 3rd Line of Douro at Cedar Crossroad I heard 5 Eastern Meadowlarks Read more…
This morning I saw a flock of 24 Tundra Swans on Brealey Drive just north of the airport. They were flying south. Location: Brealey Drive, Peterborough Observer: Frank Millard