Nature Moncton Nature News: March 21 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, March 21, 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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**Lynda Leclerc reports one of her resident CHIPMUNKS was out to celebrate the first day of spring. It actually appeared a few days ago and was obviously very happy to find a fresh stash of sunflower seed in its favourite spot.

**Ron Arsenault offers an explanation why the Codfish may have appeared on the Cassie Cape wharf that was mentioned yesterday. Ron worked checking lobster traps at one time and says small cod would sometimes get in the trap which were then used as lobster bait. Ron wonders if maybe a lobster fisherman was readying his traps to find the cod in one and toss it on the wharf to share with the gulls.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a PURPLE FINCH feeding on tree buds in Neguac on Tuesday. Tree buds are powerful nutrient packets this time of year. Aldo also noted a lone PINE SISKIN in Neguac.

**Brian Stone and I did a run from Moncton to Plaster Rock on Tuesday to experience the Renous highway, route 108 in winter. We spotted a flock of birds of interest on Highway 118 (Barnaby Rd) on route to realize they were EVENINGS GROSBEAKS, so backed up to recheck to find them landing in the yard of Wayne Corcoran who invited us in. We were taken back by the sheer size of the grosbeak flock, being very reminiscent of the 80s when they were so prevalent. Wayne said he had as high as 230 one day but said numbers have decreased but it surely did not appear that way on Tuesday. It is by far the largest flock we have seen in recent times.

We saw many PINE SISKINS on the road both on route 118 and 108 but oddly none were at Wayne's feeder, even though all the other regulars were. It's the most pine siskins that we have seen in one day all winter but none at feeders suggests there must be a lot of their favourite wild food available to them this winter.

On route 108 there were many WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS on the road with pine siskins appearing to be after grit and melt water. The cone crop on Rte 108 was vary abundant. BOREAL CHICKADEES where encountered at three stops on Rte 108 and several PURPLE FINCH with some actively feeding on tree buds. A GREY JAY also appeared cooperatively at one spot. A track in the snow that was very suggestive of the landing imprint or sitzmark of a FLYING SQUIRREL was noted.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton