Ernest Thompson Seton Medal recipient 1991
Peter joined the Manitoba Rare Bird Alert in 1976 and was one of the founding members of the Manitoba Avian Research Committee, continuing to be one of its most active members. He is a keen and observant field man in several facets of nature and, besides establishing many bird records for southeastern Manitoba, has discovered an orchid new to Manitoba. He has kept a daily diary with copious and detailed notes of butterfly, plant and bird sightings since coming to Manitoba. It was from the latter sightings that he painstakingly compiled the basis for his monumental “Wings Along the Winnipeg” published by the MNS in 1983.
Besides the foregoing works, Peter contributed considerably to the 16 page ‘’Field Checklist of the Birds of Manitoba” and the revised issue of the “Birder’s Guide to Southeastern Manitoba” published in 1988, as well as numerous articles to the “Blue Jay”, the official organ of the Saskatchewan Natural History Society. Further, together with Rudolf Koes, he is regional editor for “American Birds”, having assumed the onerous responsibility of submitting edited bird sightings reported from 3 prairie provinces to this publication on a quarterly basis.
Peter has organized and coordinated the annual Christmas Bird Count in Pinawa since 1976 and writes a regular nature column to the local Pinawa newspaper. Further, he continues to lead several birding outings annually in the southeast of Manitoba. And moreover, he has graciously accepted the chair for the Butterfly Interest Group, writing a monthly column for the Bulletin.