Imagine a bowl of trail mix in front of you. Assuming no nut allergies, you may be faced with peanuts, cashews, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and M&Ms. Many people “high-grade,” sifting through and picking out favourites and leaving the rest behind. I know I end up eating a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds if […]
Author: Andrew Jobes
Helping birds with the challenges of migration
The birds continue their southward movement for the winter. Some have already finished, others are passing through, and still others are yet to come. Migration’s a tough slog filled with risks, including window strikes, cats, and starvation. Window strikes are a bigger issue with high-rise office and apartment buildings. Most passerines migrate at night, using […]
Oh, the birds! The birds’ fall movements have begun
Fall means lots of birds passing through our area as they leave their warm, food-rich northern breeding areas to spend their winters in warm, food-rich, southern climes. These movements have begun. I’ve written blog posts the past two Septembers about migration and how you can support birds as they make these incredibly exhausting and dangerous […]
What’s up with all the Red-winged Blackbirds this year?
We’ve been hearing a LOT of reports of high numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds (RWBL) in the area, even in places where there aren’t any wetlands. So what’s up? Science nerd here. Bear with me… I don’t know what’s up! So, the first thing I wanted to do was find out if there are, in fact, […]
GARDEN GATE: Episode 267 – Protecting Birds From Hitting Your Windows (May 26, 2023)
Millions of birds are killed each year flying into windows. This time of year, the birds are migrating and generally much busier. They are seeing reflections of trees in glass which makes them think they can fly through. We have options to protect them! There are the basic black bird stickers. With these, the more […]
Garden Tips: Avian Influenza (a.k.a. Bird Flu or H5N1)
Well, Avian Influenza is back in the news. Here, I try to provide some insight that might help answer the question… “Should I keep feeding birds or shut down my feeder?” The quick takeaway? It seems to be ok to keep your feeders running as long as you: aren’t on or near a farm with […]
Garden Tips: Woodpeckers and other cavity nesters
Our year-round resident cavity nesters are getting busy with courtship and breeding behaviours, well ahead of the migrants, most of whom start returning from their southern breeding grounds in late-April. Behaviours to watch and listen for include calling/singing (nuthatches & chickadees), drumming (woodpeckers), ritualized displays (keep an eye open for dance-like movements between birds), and […]
Garden Tips: Attracting birds to your yard in the winter
People often ask why they don’t have many backyard birds in the winter. Here, we explore some of the many reasons why this might be. Birds need food, water, and suitable habitat year-round. The more of these available in your yard, and the better quality they are, the more likely you are to attract more […]
Evening Grosbeak & Purple Finch irruption 2022
A Spruce Budworm outbreak in northern areas meant a lot of food for Evening Grosbeaks and Purple Finches this year. That, coupled with a smaller mast (seed and nut) crop, means there are more individuals of these species than there is food to support them, so many will move father south than usual this winter […]
That’s great!
Did you know that Peterborough was certified by Nature Canada as a bird-friendly city last year? Bird Friendly Peterborough worked hard for this and provides resources to support us in supporting birds. Bird Friendly Peterborough recently held a contest to select Peterborough’s first official city bird, and the winner was recently announced… The Great Blue […]