Peterborough Public Library and Bird Friendly Peterborough To Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day May 13

The Peterborough Public Library and Bird Friendly Peterborough will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in the FOL Community Room at the library on May 13.

photo courtesy of the peterborough public library.

Local environmental and wildlife groups will be on hand to help you with ideas and projects for making your gardens, yards and buildings more bird-friendly.

Learn about Peterborough's new Bird-Friendly City certification, actions the library is taking, and how you can help make our communities more bird-friendly. This event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. will also feature door prizes, a live bird demo by a falconry expert, a family-friendly bird origami craft drop-in by library staff and a bird ID scavenger hunt.

“With our Native Plant Garden creating bird habitat in Library Commons, our new Birdwatching Kits, and bird-safe window treatments, the Library is proud to be a part of this Bird-Friendly City,” says Mark Stewart, Library Services Manager.

The Library will be launching its new collection of Birdwatching Kits that will be available to borrow with your library card. The kits have been made possible through generous donations from Peterborough Field Naturalists and Bird Friendly Peterborough. The kits come in a backpack and contain binoculars, bird identification guides and activities for adults and families.

The grand reveal of the Library's bird-safe window decal installation will be at 2 p.m., making it the first City building to do so in collaboration with BFP. Peterborough’s Bird Friendly City certification will be officially presented to Mayor Jeff Leal. City Councillors, City staff, First Nations representatives and BFP funders, along with the general public are invited to celebrate the day.  

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Fleming’s Bid to Host Ontario’s First Bird Friendly College Campus Takes Flight

Inspired by the Conservation Biology program at Fleming College’s Frost Campus and motivated by an international effort to save native bird populations in North America, Fleming is working towards becoming Ontario’s first official bird-friendly college campus.

stock photo.

It is estimated that up to one million birds die in North America each year due to window collisions, making it one of the leading causes of bird population decline in Canada and around the world. Finding a way to address this issue is a big part of avian conservation.  

With the help of Conservation Biology students, the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences launched a pilot program aimed at bird conservation. That program evolved into the Fleming Bird Conservation Committee (FBCC).   

Composed of students, faculty and college representatives, the FBCC’s goal is to transform the Frost Campus into Ontario’s first Bird Friendly college campus. While many Canadian universities have embraced becoming bird-friendly campuses, Fleming says that few colleges have followed the same route. 

There is a specific certification process for a bird-friendly designation. Administered through FLAP Canada, it involves threat reduction, habitat generation and the implementation of policy that mitigates harm to birds.   

The FBCC is already hard at work, installing Feather Friendly window protection and protecting and enhancing the natural habitat around Frost Campus.  

In November the Frost Student Association was awarded a plaque from Feather Friendly, recognizing the efforts it and the FCBB have done to make the Frost Campus Auk’s Lodge Frost’s first bird-friendly building.  

Conservation Biology students have also embarked on a multi-year research project at the campus, with the help of Feather Friendly. Students are currently designing a research program which will monitor the effectiveness of bird-deterrent decals, comparing treated and untreated windows. The project will help accomplish the FBCC’s goal of making Frost Campus windows bird friendly, while providing an amazing research opportunity for students.  

The FBCC is also actively involved in conducting education outreach through the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. It has already hosted two highly successful community public awareness events focusing on what can be done to mitigate bird window collisions.  

For more information, check out the Fleming College website.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Peterborough Utilities Crews Just Built An Osprey Nest At London Street Dam

There used to be an osprey nest on the London Street Generating Station dam that was removed for a dam project.

So on Wednesday (March 21st), a Peterborough Utilities crew installed a fancy new nest (including a perch for great views) in the park adjacent to the London Street footbridge.

Photo via Peterborough Utilities Group Facebook page

A second nest and platform will be installed on the North side of the dam in a couple of weeks by PUG crews.

Ospreys are a welcome sight for bird lovers, and these nests help prevent the osprey and their chicks from nesting on transformers and utility poles, and being electrocuted. Not to mention they prevent transformer fires and outages.

The construction of the nest drew rave reviews on Peterborough Utilities Group Facebook page post: "I was walking by as they started," said one commenter. "So glad they are replacing the one taken down for the dam construction. The osprey have been a wonderful sight for the past years. Thanks!"

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

12 Mallards In Peterborough Died Suddenly On Sunday

Local naturalist/writer Drew Monkman has posted on his blog "Our Changing Seasons" about the sudden, mysterious death of 12 Mallards in the North End of Peterborough on Sunday (September 3rd).

Photo by Barb Evett

Monkman writes on his blog that, "At around 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 3, residents in the Tobin Court and Evans Dr area in the north end of the city, reported the sudden death of 12 Mallard ducks. Earlier a group of 14 ducks was observed walking up Tobin from a local pond just south of that location, munching on grass. They did not display any distress at the time. Moments later 12 of these ducks lay dead on residents’ lawns and driveways."

The police were called as well as the MNR, Humane Society and the City of Peterborough, and an investigation has begun. As for the two surviving ducks, they are now being treated at a wildlife rescue hospital.

Monkman tells PTBOCanada he hopes we can get to the bottom of what caused the deaths: "Although we don't yet know for certain, I suspect some kind of pesticide explains the deaths."

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Meet The Duck Family Living In The Courtyard At PRHC That Entertains Patients & Visitors

UPDATE (June 14th): Nine of the 11 baby ducks, including their mom, have been relocated. Two babies still remain in the courtyard but will be relocated soon. Mom and her babies were relocated to a nearby pond and have since made their way back up toward the hospital, waiting for baby ducks No. 10 and No. 11 to be taken out to meet them.

--------------

ORIGINAL POST

There is a Mama Duck at PRHC again this year, and she’s raising 11 (yes 11!) ducklings inside of the enclosed courtyard at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

No one is quite sure if this is the same mama who has come back year after year or if the courtyard is first come first serve? It’s apparently a preferred destination and they’re well looked after.

The courtyard provides great cover from the elements and potential predators. A beautiful courtyard full of vegetation and lush greenery, it's an awesome spot for the ducklings to play—all the while providing a closer look for patients, visitors and staff at their day to day life as they grow.

PRHC reminds visitors to the courtyard to give the ducks their space and not feed them...
 

Eventually the family is taken by crate outside to the nearby pond area to continue their lives until they’re able to fly away to wherever it is they eventually go.

Here is the pond area on PRHC grounds where they are taken...

Then, next year, more ducklings will be born and the courtyard will be full of quacking again as life begins anew.

—By Aaron Elliott

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Family Of Geese Enjoy Fireworks At Del Crary Park Last Night

PTBOCanada.com Snapchat reporter Jeremy Biden and his wife, Debbie, were at Del Crary Park catching the fireworks over Little Lake on Saturday night, and Jeremy caught these great photos of a family of geese along the banks of the water checking out the action.

The goslings appear to be enthralled with the scenery...

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Peafowl Can Now Roam The Grounds At Riverview Park & Zoo

The Riverview Park & Zoo put out a message on Facebook about peafowl now being allowed to roam the grounds that is getting great response—with people fondly recalling when the peafowl used to be able to do this or excited to see it for the first time through their kid's eyes.

"We saw them today!! My daughter was SO excited when we found them!!" one mother posted on the zoo's Facebook page, along with this photo below.

"Last Wednesday we released several of our Common Peafowl on the zoo grounds," Jim Moloney, the zoo's Manager & Curator, tells PTBOCanada. "We have done this with the intent of allowing these birds to roam the property. The objective of the release was to allow more room for the birds to explore, providing them with additional enrichment in their lives and to allow an unobstructed view of the Peafowl by our guests."

Peafowl chillin' out

"We are asking that our guests respect the birds by not approaching them too closely, not feeding them and by not chasing them," Moloney tells PTBOCanada.

Great idea zoo! Well played.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Here's A Woodpecker In Bridgenorth Dealing With Its Youngster Having A Temper Tantrum

All parents out there have to contend with children who sometimes lose their cool and have temper tantrums—especially around meal times.

Well the same thing happens in the bird world, gauging from video Barry Mortin shot of Pileated Woodpeckers on his balcony in Bridgenorth, Ont., near Peterborough.

"We love watching these pileated woodpeckers come to feed," Mortin tells PTBOCanada. "They are quite comical to watch—especially when this giant bird mounts our small suet feeder. The parent started bringing the youngster a couple of weeks ago and I became a little obsessed with getting some decent footage of the feedings. I set up a blind that allowed me to get up close and personal with the birds without scaring them off. They come several times a day and the baby always whines impatiently while the parent loads its beak."

There is a lot of pecking between parent and child in the video and the delinquent pecker also vandalizes Mortin's deck, but "fortunately the youngster has left the rail of our deck alone since when this was shot" Mortin tells PTBOCanada.

Watch the amazing footage for yourself of the tantrum....

Pileated Woodpecker feeds an impatient youngster. Delinquent pecker bides his time vandalizing my deck.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

A Parakeet Named Blue That Says "I'm A Pretty Bird" Is Missing In Peterborough

Let's get this guy home safe, and hope he can survive these frigid temperatures...

Anyone missing a blue Budgie bird in @Ptbo_Canada? Tried to capture one in distress but it kept flying away. Please RT

— Lisa MacDonald (@Lisa_Mac_D) February 18, 2015

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.