Harper Park Reveals its Autumn Colours as We Search for that 100th Species of Bird

A group of 4, Kim, Scott, Marilyn and I headed into Harper Park on a sunny, crisp Nov. 16th morning.  The eBird list for Harper Park has grown steadily as more Naturalists enjoy a walk through Harper Park identifying and reporting to eBird both resident and migrating birds.  In fact, the eBird list has reached 99 species.  We were in search of that 100th species.  Chickadees, Blue jays, Cardinal, Red-breasted nuthatches, a Golden-crowned kinglet, Downy, Hairy & Pileated woodpeckers and Crows all serenaded us that morning, but we were unsuccessful in sleuthing out that 100th species.

So, Folks!….The challenge is on for someone to report to eBird the 100th species before the end of 2017! To find the list of 99 species, Check out the website, eBird.org.  Scroll down to Explore Hotspots.  Type in Harper Park and ‘enter’ on Peterborough-Harper Park.  You can also print off the list of birds reported so far.

As we continued through Harper Park we turned our focus to the Autumn colour that was surrounding us.  Soon the cameras were clicking followed by ooh and ahhs.  The vibrant green of mosses, blue-grays of lichens, brilliant orange fungus, red branches of the red-osier dogwood, yellow needles on the tamarack, shades of green of the balsam fir, white spruce, and white pine needles, red berries on the highbush cranberry, all stood out for us to appreciate.

So, Folks!….Whether you’re in search of the 100th species of bird or just out to enjoy a hike, be sure to take time to observe the Autumn colour in Harper Park.