Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 27 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Nov. 27, 2017 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Great to hear that a GOLDEN EAGLE [Aigle royal] is visiting the Tantramar Marsh. Gilles Belliveau saw it capture a RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] near the covered bridge on the High Marsh Road, and Louise Nichols got a photo of it shortly after, on a tower near the covered bridge. Louise reports that there was also an assortment of BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tote blanche], NORTHERN HARRIERS [Busard Saint-Martin] and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue] there on Sunday morning; she got a nice photo of a light morph Rough-legged Hawk. The juvenile SWAINSON’S HAWK [Buse de Swainson] that Gary Dupuis photographed there on Saturday was not relocated while Louise was there.

** It’s that time of year when the AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] start to gather in night roosts within the city. Georges Brun noted that last winter they seemed to gather near the storage garages near Albert Street extension. This year, he is noting that they seem to have chosen both sides of Jones Lake in the old west end of Moncton, between the new spillway at West Main Street and beyond Mt. Royal Boulevard, next to the fire station. Georges estimated 500+ were gathered there on Sunday evening. They seem to have a penchant for tall trees in the old west end, at the moment.

Georges also noted a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronnée] in the pond between Mount Royal Boulevard and Milner Road. Earlier in the fall, a couple of times he had seen possibly a hundred NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] ducks in this pond. They moved to the east side of Mount Royal Boulevard after freeze-up. A large group of GULLS [goélands] are roosting in the western ball fields at Hal Betts Field, next to Assumption Boulevard and Vaughn Harvey Boulevard at the moment. EUROPEAN STARLINGS [Étourneau sansonnet] have a hide-out under the grandstand at Rocky Stone Sports Field in Centennial Park, and RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] seem to be liking the area on Albert Street Extension, before one crosses over Jonathan Creek.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton