Nature Moncton Nature News: 2015-02-01

Saturday, 7 February 2015

February 7 2015

**Louise Nichols had a lone PINE GROSBEAK [Durbec des sapins] visit

her Sackville feeder yard on Friday. We have had a good number of

photos submitted so far of Pine Grosbeaks but all have been female or

immature male. I have seen some striking mature males in photos

elsewhere, so we should have one soon.

**Rhianna Edwards suspects she was visited by a MERLIN [Faucon

émerillon] to her busy Sackville feeder yard on Friday. The large

contingent of the triple-Finch [Fringillidés] blend so many of us are

enjoying at the moment made a very rapid exit. The Merlin appears to

be getting more commonly seen in winter in our area in the last

several years. Rhi also comments she has been using the heated dog

dish water mentioned recently and finds it very attractive as well to

her clientele.

**Carmella Melanson made a very rewarding visit to Kathleen Spicer's

yard in Apple River, Nova Scotia on Friday to get excellent

observations and photos of the FIELDFARE [Grive litorne] still

faithfully there. She also saw two CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique]

in Kathleen's yard, which is the first time that they had appeared

there this winter, but she had been having Bohemian Waxwing [Jaseur

boréal] visits earlier. Carmella also captured a photo of a Cedar

Waxwing. Carmella comments Kathleen has a great setup for birds, and

the birds seem to agree.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

AMERICAN TREE SPARROW.FEB 6, 2015..CARMELLA MELANSON

CEDAR WAXWING.FEB 6, 2015..CARMELLA MELANSON

FIELDFARE.FEB 6, 2015..CARMELLA MELANSON

PINE GROSBEAK. LOUISE NICHOLS. FEB. 6, 2015

Friday, 6 February 2015

** Jack Perry asks what the bright object in the western sky was at 6:00 am on recent mornings. Curt Nason points out that this would be JUPITER setting. SATURN is appearing much dimmer than Jupiter in the southern sky at approximately 6:00 am as well. Saturn is only slightly brighter than the orange super giant star ANTARES below. Curt also points out that Jupiter will be in opposition to the sun on Friday, meaning that Jupiter will rise at sunset and set at sunrise.

** I was by Princess Auto on Thursday and stopped to look at the heated dog dishes Myrna Lamoreau mentioned she found very good as a winter bird waterer. They looked very interesting and the stainless steel would be very easy to clean, and the price is right. They come in several sizes. I would think something placed in the centre might be a good idea so birds could stand there as well. A photo is attached.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

DOG WATERER (HEATED).FEB 6, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (4)

DOG WATERER (HEATED)UNDER VIEW.FEB 6, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (4)

PINE SISKINS QUARRELING.GOLDFINCH FEEDING. FEB. 05, 2015. BRIAN STONE

VOCAL DUCK TROOP AT MAPLETON PARK. FEB. 05, 2015. BRIAN STONE

Thursday, 5 February 2015

February 5 2015

** Brian Stone maintains a trapline for DEER MICE [Souris sylvestre] to keep them at bay however a SHREW got into one of his traps. We usually don’t see SHREWS inside homes as DEER MICE tend to do. This one was actually caught just outside the door. We have several SHREW species in NB, this one would appear to be one of our more common ones, the MASKED SHREW. Some species are much smaller and some have shorter tails. They are classed as insectivores however they are often around bird-feeder areas after seed. They are nocturnal and we seldom see them although we often see their tunnels under the snow when the snow melts. Brian’s photo shows the features of this animal.

**Gabrielle Gallant and Tanya Carrier were watching their ground-feeding SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] and COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé on Wednesday when suddenly a snow-white WEASEL with black tail tip zipped from behind a vehicle after the birds. It was not successful, but the flock went into the air very quickly.

** Myrna Lamoreau is having a banner year at her feeder yard in Boundary Creek. She has 22 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal working a yard crab-apple tree and notes a few EUROPEAN STARLINGS [Étourneau sansonnet travelling with them, along with approximately 50 COMMON REDPOLLS[Sizerin flammé, approximately 50 SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges are intermittant, 20 to 25 DARK-EYED JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé], EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] and a faithful AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d’Amérique] along with 10 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] and the expected regulars. All that action attracts a few HAWKS as well. Myrna also comments she is very pleased with a heated dog dish she uses as a bird waterer, finding it very attractive to the birds and easy to keep clean. She purchased this unit at Princess Auto.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

MASKED SHREW . FEB. 03, 2015. BRIAN STONE

Wednesday, 4 February 2015

February 4 2015

** Louise Nichols got a surprise when she was refueling feeders on Tuesday morning after the storm to see the REDPOLLS so anxious they lit on her outstretched mitten to get the booty.

** Peggy Barnett in Moncton has an AMERICAN ROBIN coming to her backyard that is foraging on hotdog she puts out for a gull. With all the fruit around one would think the wiener may not be the first choice but not for this robin!

** I came across several PINE GROSBEAKS enjoying the seeds of clinging crab apple fruit on a tree near the very busy Mountain Rd./Mapleton Rd. intersection. They sure we're unconcerned about city traffic and people.

** After opinions on Brian Stone's two hybrid ducks we are now ready to label them. One as being a BLACK X MALLARD hybrid duck and the second as a NORTHERN PINTAIL X MALLARD hybrid. There are labelled today and attached to the blogger site and the membership distribution list.

Nelson Poirier,

> Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

ANNETTE STONE MAKING WAY TO BIRD FEEDER.FEB 3, 2015

BLACK-MALLARD HYBRID. FEB. 02, 2015. BRIAN STONE

COMMON REDPOLLS. LOUISE NICHOLS. FEB. 3, 2015

NORTHERN PINTAIL-MALLARD HYBRID. FEB. 02, 2015. BRIAN STONE,

PINE GROSBEAK .FEB 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

February 3 2015

** Susan Richards heard a GREAT HORNED OWL [Grand-duc d’Amérique] calling near their Taylor Village home on Friday evening. It is that time of the year when territories are being staked out. They did not hear a 2nd bird. It was in the area where they saw an adult and a juvenile last year.

** Dave Miller had a visit from an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] on Monday that successfully took a EUROPEAN STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet] as prey. Maybe some of us would like to rent that hawk…

** An update on the FIELDFARE [Grive litorne] in Apple River, NS: Kathleen Spicer reports that it was still there on Monday and when a few AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d’Amérique] arrived to join it, the Fieldfare was not amused and tried to put the run to them.

** Brian Stone came up with 2 individual ducks in Mapleton Park travelling with a large flock that hangs out around the bridge there, and appear to me to be AMERICAN WIDGEON MALLARD HYBRIDS. Dave Christie reviewed them as well and points out the clear possibility of NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet] genes, and I’m going to add Dave’s comments to the transcript and the website url to refer to that makes that duo so interesting.

From Dave Christie

“The bluish-gray beak does suggest a wigeon, either American or Eurasian, but it’s also the colour for a male Pintail — and that species also frequently has a black line along the ridge of the upper mandible, whereas wigeon would be more apt to contribute a black tip that’s more than just the nail. Those tail feathers sticking out rather longish might also indicate Pintail ancestry, as well as the brown influence among the green head feathers

Check the website <http://10000birds.com/hybrid-mallards.htm> and scroll down to the male Pintail which is followed by a photo of a hybrid similar in numerous ways to the bird Brian photographed, although that one has more of a plain Mallard back & scapulars but the lines on the Brian’s bird could easily be inherited from a pintail.”

Brian also got a photo of a SOLAR HALO on Monday giving us signal of the weather that came last night. Today is certainly the calm after the storm.

Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, PINE SISKIN, AND REDPOLL TRIO. FEB. 02, 2015. BRIAN STONE

HYBRID DUCK. FEB. 02, 2015. BRIAN STONE

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK ON STARLING PREY.FEB 2, 2015.DAVID MILLER

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (ADULT).FEB 2, 2015.DAVID MILLER

SOLAR HALO. FEB. 02, 2015. BRIAN STONE

Monday, 2 February 2015

February 2 2015

** Kathleen Spicer, Apple River, Nova Scotia, which is just across the water from Alma, N.B., has had a FIELDFARE [Grive litorne] coming to her yard to forage on clinging apples. Kathleen got some great photos of it on Sunday that she has shared with us. The Fieldfare is a rare bird in the Maritimes from Eurasia. When we occasionally get one it is often travelling with Robin flocks, but this one appears to be alone. It’s a very prized yard bird. It’s always indicated to watch Robin flocks for different tagalongs. The Redwing is another rare Eurasian thrush to watch for that may travel with Robins.

** Fred Dubé was able to get another photo of the suspected HOARY REDPOLL [Sizerin blanchâtre] that he has visiting his Lower Coverdale yard. This photo of the undertail area, shows the coverts as unmarked white. Combined with earlier photos this makes it more certain that it is indeed a Hoary Redpoll.

** Brian Stone is getting lots of great close-up photos of birds coming to his lone feeder.

Some photos were sent out yesterday, in the delayed Jan. 31 edition, with the photographer’s name incorrect. They are now changed to the correct photographer, Marlene Hickman, and the blogspot version has been corrected.

** The Track and Trail workshop finally got off on Sunday afternoon, after a few snow-filled yard hiccups and that it was very cold. There was a smaller turnout than we usually get but enthusiasm and audience participation were excellent, with lots of great thoughts and experiences shared.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca