Nature Moncton Nature News: March 12 2016

**Bob Childs had a visit from another newcomer to his Riverview feeder yard: a male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] on Friday. Bob had a female come a few times earlier in the winter, but this is the first male. Hopefully there is indeed a lady in waiting. Bob also comments his regular ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER [Paruline verdâtre] was feeding almost continuously on Friday. Could it be considering a fuel-up for a flight plan north? It does sound rather early.

**Some new arrivals for Dave Christie on Friday in the early morning: the SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] troop went from one that had been present since January to three, to suggest two new migrants. Later in the afternoon a FOX SPARROW [Bruant fauve] joined the visiting Sparrow, also a new addition. Also, in the afternoon, Dave spotted his first AMERICAN WOODCOCK [Bécasse d'Amérique] of the season near the cottage area. Dave comments the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] and COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] are around, but not in large numbers as of Friday, but AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] seem to be very present, spread out, suggesting that they may be establishing territories.

**Doreen Rossiter reports from her bellwether Alma feeder yard as to the week’s action. On Monday, March 7^th, a few COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] arrived; on Tuesday, March 8^th, 35 male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes]; on Wednesday, March 9^th, the flock of 200 BLACKBIRDS [Carouges] were present, about half of each species represented, and vigorously gleaning the dropped seeds of winter. On Thursday, March 10^th, 25+ SONG

SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur] arrived, plus several AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique]. A male RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] and five to seven females are in breeding mode. The older male seems to have the two younger males seen recently at bay. Last season, two female Ring-necked Pheasants fledged 24 young.

**It was a bit of a surprise to hear the gobbling of TURKEYS [Dindon] left on the Information Line recording on Saturday morning; however, what I thought was someone playing a joke was not. It was Jean Renton, who was at their Canaan Forks camp recording a group of Turkeys waltzing up the driveway of the camp in full vocalization mode. It’s the first time in 23 years I’ve had a live bird leave a report!

**Rhéal Vienneau got a documentary photo of a WASP [Guêpe] he recently found in his basement near some cocoons of POLYPHEMUS [Polyphème d’Amérique] and CECROPIA [Saturnie cécropia] MOTHS he was overwintering. The BugGuide service has identified it as a THREAD-WAISTED WASP [famille: Sphecidae], but the jury is out on what it was up to around the cocoons, as this is not its normal prey. The additional photo provided by BugGuide for comparison makes it quite convincing as to its identity.

**Anna Tucker shares a few photos of the activity at Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary she commented on yesterday, including many BURLS [Broussin] on a tree there.

**Marlene Hickman comments COYOTES [Coyote] were howling in the backwoods near Dorchester on Friday night, possibly feeling the effects of an PERIGEE MOON . Marlene comments she could definitely understand how their vocalization would be inspiration for a scary movie. She says the sound make the hair raise on the back of her neck, and convinced her that her home was a very cosy place to be.

Dave Christie adds comments on coyote vocalization behavior

”In connection with the report of howling Coyotes on today’s info lineResearch in Saskatchewan has shown that group-howling and group yip-howling by Coyotes is longer on dark nights at and near new moon (which was on Tuesday I think) and we have had relatively dark nights recently.

Info from that study can be seen at — http://www.uregina.ca/science/biology/people/faculty-research/brigham-mark/files/Bender_etal_1996.pdf”.

**Aldo Dorio photographed an assumed bonded pair of BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] at Malpeque on March 10^th.

**Brian Stone came across a 3-mm SPIDER [Araignée] in his home recently. There surely are a lot of Spider species out there, but this one appears to be the colourful BARK CRAB SPIDER (Bassaniana versicolor). Brian also came across the flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] on Briardale Drive near Mapleton Park. With the rapid depleting of the fruit on the tree, the birds were foraging on the ground fruit. Both RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] and COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] were there as well.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton