Nature Moncton Nature News: May 25 2015

** Donat Robichaud had a very special visitor drop by on Sunday, a beautiful Baltimore Oriole suspected to be a second year female. It was feeding on black oil sunflower seed. Donat lives on the Russellville Road, off Route 8, approximately 10km north of Miramichi. Donat is a brother of Nature Moncton member Marguerite Winsor, and via contact with her and Bill, he shares some great photos.

** Dale Gaskin noted a female duck crossing the street at the Dieppe traffic rotary on Sunday morning, with 7 ducklings in tow. It sounds like a perilous place to cross the road, but they made it. It’s very interesting to note the sheer number of waterfowl that use the wetland in that rotary in the midst of all the traffic. It may be great for birds, but not so great for birders to stop to enjoy them.

Dale also has some ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS [Cardinal à poitrine rose] in attendance [at his Dawson Road home, NW of Hillsborough], with a gender mix of 4 females to one male. I suspect the male is OK with that. He also has 3 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS [Pic maculé], one of which likes to hammer on a metal post to dominate the love triangle.

** Welcome back, CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d’Amérique]. Dave Christie had a flock of 30 arrive in trees at his Mary's Point yard on Sunday, the first that he has seen this year. Dave says that John Inman mentioned seeing some a few days ago. Dave also saw his first RED-EYED VIREO [Viréo aux yeux rouges] of the season, singing and moving about the Mary's Point cottage area.

** Judy and Sterling Marsh have had a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] coming to their shelled peanut feeder the last few days. They live on the Shediac Road.

** David Robinson has a blond-headed BLUE JAY [Geai bleu] attending his Cape Spear feeder yard with the regular Blue Jay troop. I’m not sure whether this bird would be classed as leucistic or partial albino, I suspect leucistic.

** Clarence Cormier had two new arrivals on Sunday to join his very diverse bird group, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH [Grive à dos olive] and a BROWN THRASHER [Moqueur roux]. The thrasher was a first at his site. VEERY [Grive fauve], HERMIT THRUSH [Grive solitaire] and GRAY CATBIRD [Moqueur chat] seem to be all established. Clarence has the opposite to Dale Gaskin with ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK [Cardinal à poitrine rose] genders, with 4 males. Clarence can tell them apart by their plumage, especially with the white markings on the back and the brown tones in some.

** Brian Stone shares nice photo of a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK [Cardinal à poitrine rose] in his Moncton yard, front and rear views to show the sharp features of this species.

** A male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK [Cardinal à poitrine rose] sure surprised me on Sunday when it went up to the grape jelly dish and gobbled it down for a few minutes. I didn’t see it return. Moncton GRAY CATBIRD [Moqueur chat] that has now become a grape jelly junkie.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton