Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 13 2015

** Another PINE WARBLER has surfaced. Dave Miller had a visit from one to his Salisbury suet feeder on Tuesday. Dave got a few photos out the house window.

** Louise Nichols shares some nice findings from the Tantramar marsh. “The advantage of other eyes on the watch”. She came across Paul and Rhonda Langelaan watching something. On stopping to check what they had found, it was a PEREGRINE FALCON in a field near Donald Harper Rd.

Louise also shares a photo of a distant SNOWY OWL she saw on a pylon on the marsh on Sunday. Also on Sunday Louise saw 5 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS.

** Julie Pellerin also made a run to Richibucto Village on Tuesday to look for the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE that had been seen there again. They were not able to relocate this hard to get individual. They routed back home via Caissie Cape to see two different groups of people watching a SNOWY OWL to confirm 2 are in that immediate area. When she arrived home a message was waiting that Leonce Cormier had spotted a SNOWY OWL off Breau Rd., near the cemetery in Shediac. So now at least 3 known in the area between Shediac and Caissie Cape.

Julie also comments on a GROUSE she saw that seemed smaller and darker that normal but it did have that very distinct crest of a RUFFED GROUSE.

** Clarence Cormier heard an owl hooting on Tuesday evening near his Grand Digue site, wondering if it may be the same pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS that nested near his home a few years ago.

He also had AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS arrive to his newly minted feeder yard and pleased to see a SNOWSHOE HARE using a pile of wood that he had arranged for it to use as cover.

** Brian Stone and I used the pleasant day of Tuesday to make a run to Cap Lumiere to check out a report of an EASTERN TOWHEE he felt he had coming to his yard. After a lengthy wait a female EASTERN TOWHEE briefly did give us a nice audience. It is a very wary bird.

We checked the area where the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE had been seen in Richbucto-Village but did not see it but rather suspect it saw us. A stop for the TUFTED TITMOUSE in Bouctouche was lucky timing as it appeared promptly to provide some nice photos. One side by side with a BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE to show its notably larger size when seen side by side.

** Am adding a photo of a heavy crop of bayberries on the female bushes along the coast at Cap Lumiere. They are simply dripping with their blue-grey fruit.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton