** Georges Brun captured an incredible photo of a COMMON MERGANSER [Grand
Harle] surfing the tidal bore as it came in on Thursday morning. Georges took
the photo from the Chocolate River Station and saw the bird ride the wave right
to the pool in front of the control structure.
** With COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flame] now joining us in greater numbers
at feeder yards, the potential for the more uncommon HOARY REDPOLL [Sizerin
blanchâtre] among them is increasing. On Thursday morning, Dave Christie
spotted a male HOARY REDPOLL [Sizerin blanchâtre] on a nyger feeder at about 4
meters away at his Mary's Point feeder yard. Overall, it was markedly paler
than the other Redpolls, less distinctly marked on its flanks with a broad,
unstreaked white rump and a pale pink wash across its upper breast. He was able
to reach his binoculars and see that its beak seemed shorter than on the Common
Redpolls, but the bird flew away before he could study that feature or see its
undertail coverts. And then later, he photographed an apparent female Hoary
Redpoll in the bush near the feeders. Similarly pale and grayish, it had a
rather short beak, some streaking on its flanks and a less large unstreaked area
on the rump. He was unable to get a good view of the undertail coverts. In the
photo, a few very pale pink spots are noticeable on the upper breast.
** Anne Marsch paid a visit to the MALLARD [Canard colvert] flock that
comes to the corner of Hawthorne and Emery streets in the Point Park subdivision
in Riverview. No other species were noted accompanying them as yet. Anne had a
first visit of COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flame] to her Lower Coverdale feeder on
Thursday, and an AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique] dropped by the heated water
for refreshment. The female NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] continues to be
a patron.
** Brain Stone got some action in Mapleton Park on Thursday -- a feeding
frenzy of very predominantly MALLARD [Canard colvert] ducks when someone was
there with food for them, and also photos of hybrids and a male AMERICAN BLACK
DUCK [Canard noir]. The blend of genes appearing in these two species can make
identification more of a challenge to separate them.
To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to
http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca/.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
BLACK DUCK (MALE) IN CENTER, MALLARD DUCK (MALE) TO LEFT. JAN. 22, 2015. BRIAN STONE
BLACK DUCK (MALE). JAN. 22, 2015. BRIAN STONE
COMMON MERGANSER JAN 22 2015 GEORGES BRUN
DUCK FEEDING FRENZY. JAN. 22, 2015. BRIAN STONE
DUCK FEEDING FRENZY. JAN. 22, 2015. BRIAN STONE
HOARY REDPOLL.JAN 22, 2015.DAVE CHRISTIE
MALLARD DUCKS JAN. 22, 2015 ANNE MARSCH
MALLARD DUCKS JAN. 22, 2015 ANNE MARSCH
MALLARD-BLACK DUCK HYBRID. JAN. 22, 2015. BRIAN STONE