Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 24 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 24, 2018 (Wednesday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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

Transcript by: Catherine Johnson johnson2@xplornet.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
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**Feeder yards are definitely becoming more active to patrons, at least up to today's weather change. Ray Gauvin comments he is getting a nice selection of expected regulars with a regular NORTHERN FLICKER.

I also have a regular Northern Flicker and am attaching a photo of an upside down feeder that does seem to deter STARLINGS but yet allows BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEES, SPARROWS and other small birds to go inside and small WOODPECKERS prefer to feed from underneath readily. The centre has a block of peanut butter in it.

**Brian Stone has scanned some photos John Inman shares. One shows an awesome spread wing and tail photo of a NORTHERN GOSHAWK. John comments that he has seen the goshawk do this spread wing scenario after a rain. Another shows a RED-TAILED HAWK enjoying a shrew prey. John has a Red-tailed Hawk that comes to his yard to take raw meat that he puts out for it. This would sound like learned behaviour as the Red-tailed Hawk usually prefer their prey freshly dispatched and do prefer small rodents but as the Nature Moncton's field trip saw on Saturday, they will take duck or gull. I have received reports and photos of them on roadkill but rarely.

John also got several photos of a COOPER'S HAWK very aggressively protecting a PHEASANT prey from some RAVENS that felt it should be shared. The hawk reacted very aggressively and advised them to go elsewhere by mantling over the prey as photos show.

Note that these are scanned photos and colours may be not exact and dates are not added as we did not have them but are relatively recent photos.

** Dwaine Oakley from PEI took note of Brian Stone’s photo of a HORNED GREBE with a fish in its bill. Dwaine suspects it is an immature ROCK GUNNEL, which has to be a strong possibility. Am reattaching that photo today.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton