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ifrl p20 weekender january 18 1986 claremont couple among canadas best peggs make bird watching a science by chris shanahan staff reporter lots of feeder stations and an apparently inexhaustible supply of seed combine to make edge and betty peggs claremontarea property a virtual birdwatchers paradise mr pegg has even devised a suspension system out of twine to protect birds from flying into the dining room window of the cou ples ponda nesta homestead itd be appropriate to say the retired dairy farmer is truly a liv ing legend in birding circles hav ing dedicated countless hours to his passion over the past 30 years his name is mentioned in vir- tually every publication that has anything to do with the practice of observing mans fine feathered friends mr pegg ranks 24th on the life- list for canadian sightings with 414species his total has actually increased to 416 since the nov 25 1985 figures were published in the magazine birdfinding in cana da norm chesterfield of wheat- ley ont heads the national poll with 487 as for north american lifetime viewings mr pegg had recorded 590 species at the time of the american bird associations last official count his ontario figure alone stands at 330 a regular contributor to the au dubon societys field guide hes one of many pickering residents who conduct the areas annual boxing day bird count a total of 69 species were spotted there on dec 26 thicksons woods mr pegg does much of his bird- watching at thicksons woods the last of a thick forest of white pines that used to blanket south ern ontario but its natural balance was in recent jeopardy when the proper tyowner ordered many of the tal lest trees cut for timber as chain- saws roared a small group of con cerned citizens decided to act watch the birdie betty pegg strikes a familiar pose as she focuses her camera using husband edges shoulder as a support the rr 2 claremont couple have been avid nature- lovers and birdwatchers for most of their lives rather than sit idly by and com plain about the loss of yet another irreplaceable natural treasure after lengthy negotiations in 1984 they bought the 16acre par cel and formed the thicksons woods heritage foundation to manage the lots plant and animal life it cost 90000 with a third of the purchase price down and an open mortgage for the rest the main concern at present is paying off the remaining 55000 mr pegg and fellow foundation members hope that through the generosity of conservation- minded citizens corporations and organizations the money can be raised id sure like to pay this thing off he says im thinking about the future ive enjoyed it thick- sons woods for 30 years and im sure others have once these places are gone you cant get them back the naturalist adds noting that he feels the future is bright unless someone drops a bomb on us and mbagbaaaimb collision avoidance lights proven to reduce by km 0 dealer installed except hatchback and station wagons guaranteed service guaranteed gm parts guaranteed price 4630 hwy 7 hwy 7 at kennedy bypass chris shanahan that can happen any day other wise it will be there forever one of the groups more novel fundraising ventures was a 1985 birdathon in which five counters mr pegg dr margaret bain dennis barry and margaret car ney all of whitby and oshawas dave calvert earned money by gaining pledges for each species they spotted at thicksons woods although he didnt really get started until march mr pegg still managed to spot 140 species during the year dr bain main tained a heavy birding scheduled in recording 206 the upcoming raffle of two marc barrie wildlife prints is another source of financial sup port for the woodlot the broughambased artist and his mothergallery manager karin- ne barrie are strongly behind such environmental causes according to the peggs the public is welcome at the woods which contain towering white pines that are 150 years old and 100feet high its located next to the corbett creek water pollu tion control plant taxdeductible contributions can be forwarded to thicksons woods heritage foundation inc box 541 whitby ont l1v 5v3 discovery a sparkle comes to mr peggs eye when asked to relate the cir cumstances surrounding what is undoubtedly his most noteworthy bird sighting a painted redstart it was back in midnovember of 1971 that lindsay death con tacted him about a mysterious bird thatd suddenly arrived at her lake ridge road durham region road 23 farm property natural cedarena holds anniversary skate mr pegg knew he was on to something big soon after hed made hasty tracks to the site in true birdlover fashion i was just shaking that after noon the ruddyfaced outdoors- man recalls with a lingering feel ing of excitement i said to my self i know it a painted redstart has never been seen in canada and sure enough subsequent identification revealed mr pegg had recorded the countrys first- ever viewing of that subtropical redbreasted bird only one other documented redstart find has fol lowed mr peggs that being in british columbia the bird is na tive to the southwestern united states specifically arizona and central america you tell someone i just saw a painted redstart he relates and they say ya have you been drinking the north pickering man has his own theory about the events leading up to that highly- publicized discovery the bird being an insect- lover may have hitched a ride in a boxcar carrying fruit into cana da he believes mr peggs painted redstart was kept in captivity for about eight years it finally died and was preserved for permanent dis- play at the royal ontario museum any bird in north america could turn up in canada at any time claims the lifelong area resident it could get blown here by storm you never know what might turn up the peggs both members of the oshawas durham field naturalists and pickering natur alists groups have travelled coast to coast and through parts of the us in search of natural trea sures past fieldtrip destinations include canadas northlands alaska florida arizona texas california and even scotland mr peggs confident hell boost his bird sighting totals in 1986 as they make a march trek to cali fornia and visit newfoundland and labrador in july keen eye betty pegg has earned a place in the familys birder hallof fame with her keen eye as a photo grapher her work has often graced the pages of stouffvilles tribune newspaper and most re cently her painted redstart color exposure was included in j mur ray speirs book birds of ontario some of mrs peggs framed color photos grace the interior of their finely appointed home as do several barrie prints and others by friend and sometimes field- trip companion robert or bob as she prefers to call him bateman a wide selection of nature but tons featuring some of her best shots from thicksons woods make a nice addition to any natur alists jacket the claremontarea couple have obviously passed their lov of the outdoors to future genera tions of peggs a son hal of port perry and a daughter kathy beckett ajax share their pa rents appreciation of all things asimmaiitmx markhams cedarena outdoor skating rink will hold its 59th anniversary skate tuesday jan 28 at 7 pm admission for the adultonly skate is 3 and free coffee and donuts will be served the rink located on the 10th line south of hwy 7 in cedar grove and is open for adult skat ing every tuesday evening from 7 to 10 pm admission is a 175 i the rink is open for public skat ing thursday to saturday 7 to 10 pm and sunday from 2 to 4 pm admission is 175 for adults and 1 for children