Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 18 2016

** Brian and Valerie Bauld visited the Tantramar Marsh on Sunday and got photos of a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK [Buse pattue] in flight, that nicely show this hawk’s wing plumage. They also saw a MUSKRAT [Rat musqué] on the snow, as well as a GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron] in a stream there, seemingly quite content for mid-January in New Brunswick.

** On Sunday, Brian Stone and I made a run to the Tantramar, via Memramcook and Dorchester. It was one of those days when everything seemed to fall in place. We were fortunate to spot the LARK SPARROW [Bruant à joues marron] that Alain Clavette found on the Memramcook Christmas Bird Count. We saw it at roadside in the area of 1260 Taylor Village Road. Both Alain Clavette and Susan and Fred Richards have excellent feeder yards nearby. It is surprising it hasn’t gone to those feeders yet but possibly will.

In Dorchester, approximately 20 PINE GROSBEAKS [Durbec des sapins] were berry feeding on School Street, as Marlene Hickman had reported yesterday. Note how one of Brian’s photos shows how they dig out seeds from the berries.

On the Tantramar Marsh, several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue] were seen, most of them from the Anderson Marsh Road. A RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à queue rousse] was briefly seen at a farmyard. A very large flock of SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] was moving about. We could not definitely identify one dark bird that was with them but suspect it was a LAPLAND LONGSPUR [Bruant lapon]. RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] were very abundant, and it was a surprise to find a flock of approximately 15 SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] near the large red Prescott barn.

** I know there are parts of New Brunswick where EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS [Écureuil gris] can be pesky because there are too many. However, we only have one coming to our Moncton feeders, just enough to enjoy its antics. It has developed a special taste for sunflower chips, for which it will wrap around a feeder, getting the full attention of our two dogs that suspect it may be a dreaded cat at the feeders. We have named it Happy Jack after the tales of Thornton W. Burgess.

** A reminder again that tomorrow is Members Night at Nature Moncton’s January meeting, 7 p.m. at Mapleton Rotary Lodge. If you have something to present, contact John Foster at 384-7212 or email him at fosterjs@nb.sympatico.ca Contact him right away so he can plan the program for tomorrow night.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton