November sightings of interest

Lingering blackbirds: A Red-winged Black-bird and a Brown-headed Cowbird were coming to our feeders in late November but seem to have disappeared. A Common Grackle has also been coming. Here is a picture taken December 1 during the snow storm.  Greg Warner, Cherryhill Road, Peterborough

My grand daughter, Grace Mackie, observed an opossum running along Oriole Blvd during the week of November 16. I knew they had made it to Toronto, but did not know they were in Peterborough. I am intrigued by how they would survive our winters – under decks, garages, wood duck tree nests? Perce Powles

Note: Virginia Opossums are definitely here but still relatively uncommon. They probably do take advantage of all the shelters you mention. I sometimes hear about them coming to feeders where seed has spilled onto the ground. D.M.

Adult Golden Eagle: On November 30, I had just gone up to the north part of the field here to move some rocks. Just as I got there, I looked up at a lovely adult Golden Eagle slowly gliding in overhead! If that wasn’t enough stimulation, it began to soar right above me. High in the background there was an upper-tangent arc caused by the sun lighting up the hexagonal ice crystals of the cirrus cloud deck. Wow. A Golden Eagle with a vivid rainbow backdrop! I just wished I had taken my camera “to work” with me, but instead, I had to settle for burning a mental memory photograph into my head. Tim Dyson, Douro 1st Line near Warsaw

Beavers:  On Tuesday, November 26, I also saw two Beavers along Hooton Drive, just west of Peterborough. Hooton Drive crosses the Cavan Swamp and runs parallel and to the south of the west extension of Sherbrooke Street (County Road 9).   Carl Welbourn

More Snowy Owls:  I was back up to Post Road east of Lindsay last Saturday, November 23, and saw these two Snowy Owls.  Carl Welbourn

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) (100)

– Reported Nov 26, 2019 07:53 by Travis Cameron
– Lakefield – Home, Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:
– Comments: “Fairly accurate estimate count. First heard calls, then located the flock flying slow and low south along otonabee river valley.”

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) (1)
– Reported Nov 23, 2019 21:05 by Steve Paul
– Otonabee – Keene Rd., Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:

Frogs on the move:  On November 21, at around 5:30 pm, I was driving up to Lakefield along Cty Rd 32 from Trent and was surprised to see numerous (dozens at least, perhaps hundreds) of frogs hopping across the road towards the river (the majority were heading in that direction). It was drizzly out and had been raining lightly, and I know that frogs often move on nights like that, however given that it was only 3 degrees C (according to my car thermometer) and the 21st of November (after a period of cold weather) I was quite surprised to see frogs out and about in such weather. Is this a common event that I’ve just not noticed before? Unfortunately, it was very difficult to avoid hitting some of the frogs (going as slowly and carefully as I could…but there was other traffic as well) and I believe there were likely lots squished on the road…although it was hard to distinguish leaves/other debris on the road from what may have been frog carcasses in the dark and rainy conditions, and it was not safe enough to pull over and check it out. Anyway, it was an interesting but rather unfortunate event to witness last night.      Carrie Sadowski

Note: I’m not aware of frogs “migrating” towards the river at such a late date and especially not after such a long period of cold, with temperatures as low as -20C. I imagine most of them were leopard and green frogs, which overwinter on the bottom of large bodies of water like the Otonabee River. I wonder if they got “caught” by the sudden arrival of cold whether before being able to make it to the river. They do feed in upland locations during the late summer and fall. Certainly the cold we’ve seen this month is unprecedented, so maybe they had to hunker down where they were and simply ride out the cold snap. Maybe they were able to move into small ponds/puddles in the interim. They would not have been able to stay there, however, because eventually the ice would freeze to the bottom and there would be insufficient oxygen. Drew Monkman

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) (1)
– Reported Nov 21, 2019 12:50 by Ben Taylor
– Timberline, Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:
– Comments: “Bright red head with black and white body. Heard and then seen working on a knot in an oak tree about 20 meters from us. Chris has pictures.”

Snowy Owls are back: At least one Snowy Owl returned to the Lindsay area this week. This bird was photographed at the north end of Post Road, just east of Lindsay. Carl Welbourn,
Kawartha Camera Club

 

Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) (1)
– Reported Nov 19, 2019 12:54 by C Douglas
– Peterborough–Auburn Reach Park, Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:
– Comments: “Small diving duck. Dark bill, top of head black, cheeks, breast and sides greyish, dark back, belly (seen when stretching wings) reddish, tail held erect”

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) (1)
– Reported Nov 15, 2019 15:46 by Iain Rayner
– Rice Lake–Pengelly Landing, Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:
– Comments: “Swimming way out with 4 scaup directly out from point in the middle of the lake. Honestly at the edge of ideable range and too far for photo. Female type. I first noted the long sloping forehead and light brown head and was thinking eider…but then it turned showing pale flanks and back. It briefly showed the high crown and sloping beak but promptly went too sleep. Was noticeably larger compared with scaup and goldeneye.”

Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) (2)
– Reported Nov 08, 2019 08:07 by Daniel Williams
– Peterborough—Maria St. to Water St., Peterborough, Ontario
– Map:
– Checklist:
– Comments: “Stubby bills, short necks. Noticeably smaller than CANG.”

The lady who reported the black cat – about 8 feet long – was Brenda Higgins, according to my brief notes.  She saw it cross Mississagua Dam Road.  (Trent Lakes). She also as you noted reported that a dead deer was seen hanging in a tree. If the cat was black it was probably a released animal as black versions of large cats are from South America

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At the November Peterborough Field Naturalist meeting, Brenda Higgins reported seeing an Eastern Cougar (she said “panther”) run across the road in front of her on Mississagua Dam Road (Trent Lakes). It was sometime in October or November. The animal was about eight-feet long and black. She also mentioned a “dead deer hanging in a tree”. It may be possible to get further details on this sighting by contacting Martin Parker at the Peterborough Field Naturalists. Drew Monkman