Nature Moncton Nature News: January 18 2015

** Bev Christie has had a PINE WARBLER [Paruline des pins] coming to her suet and feeders since early December on the Isaiah Road, near Magnetic Hill. Besides it, Bev’s regulars have included BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire], a pair of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES [Sittelle à poitrine rousse], AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune], PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins], EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant], DARK-EYED JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé], HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] and DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur], COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé], BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu], and the occasional EUROPEAN STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet]. The past few days, a PINE GROSBEAK [Durbec des sapins] sometimes shows up with the Evening Grosbeaks, but it is very skittish.

** Gabriel Gallant now has SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] as regular patrons of his Saint-Marie-de-Kent feeder yard.

For a few weeks he had approximately 20 but now the group has swollen to about 80, foraging on black oil sunflower seed scattered on the ground.

** Jeanette and Roger Gaudet paid a visit to the Tantramar Marsh area on Saturday to appreciate a mixed flock of SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] and HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col] near the Prescott Farm, and later, came across a flock of 15 Horned Larks that allowed them to capture excellent photos at roadside. That area has become a reliable place to see these species. LAPLAND LONGSPURS [Bruant lapon] have joined these birds there in the past, but no reports of them yet this year.

They watched the MALLARD [Canard colvert] ducks from the bridge over the stream that stays open all winter there and they also saw RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide].

** Brian Stone again captured a photo of COMET LOVEJOY on Friday night that showed it reasonably close to the Pleiades cluster. Brian comments that it’s too bright in town to see any sign of the comet’s tail.

** COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] seem to be popping out of the woodwork. Bob Blake had 20 arrive on Saturday; before that he had one about ten days ago.

Georges Brun is having Redpolls come to feed on birch catkins in his urban forest lot on Churchill Street in Moncton. He had 60 arrive one day, and 70 on Saturday. Now that the snow is here, Georges is noticing lots of tracks of RED FOX [Renard roux] and RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] on the walking trails along the Petitcodiac River.

** It was a pleasure to be another to welcome COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] on Saturday [in west end Moncton]. Approximately 8 quickly found the sunflower chips. The AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune] and PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins] were not particularly impressed. I’m glad they also went to the nyjer seed, as I was starting to wonder if it had a problem, as the goldfinches and siskins were ignoring it.

My “flock” of COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] has now gone from one to two. They appear to partake of every food source being offered.

[Transcriber’s note: At my Mary's Point feeders, Common Redpolls increased to 50 on Saturday, and 75 or more today; yesterday they nearly emptied one tube of nyjer seed and consumed half the seed in the other one. - DSC]

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca