Nature Moncton Nature News: April 23 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Apr. 23, 2018 (Monday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Please advise if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com

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

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Brian Coyle came across some very interesting BEAVER [Castor] sign that we would actually very seldom see, as Brian’s photos show. Beavers have two sacs located under the skin between the pelvis and the base of the tail in both genders; they release a substance called castoreum, which they mix with mud and debris to mark territory. It has an odour similar to a horse barn but is not unpleasant. These sacs are not the anal sacs that many other animals have. Brian has trapped beaver in the past and is very familiar with the scent of castoreum blended with debris but has never before seen it deposited as a naked paste like this, so possibly the beavers were interrupted before they did the mixing. Brian probed the castoreum with a stick to find it the consistency of peanut butter. I suspect that very of us have seen or will see castoreum as it "comes from the plant” like this. Some very special photos. Brian found the castoreum while he was checking his trail camera that was placed on top of a beaver lodge, and shares a nice photo of a MINK [Vison d'Amérique] that his camera captured. Check it out at the attached link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n3tlivdsnoty090/MINK%20.AVI?dl=0

Brian also got photos of some RACCOON [Raton laveur] tracks in his yard Friday night and Saturday morning. The conditions were perfect for track imprints. Notice the skilful finger-like toe pads so well adapted to having their way with our bird feeders.

** Louise Nichols shares some interesting signs of spring. BACKSWIMMERS [notonecte] are now active in her backyard pond. It is mostly still frozen over but thawing along the edges. Backswimmers are capable of fairly innocent nips to humans, who need to be corrected for being too curious. Louise noticed a good number of bees around blooming crocus plants. The visitor she photographed is a domestic HONEYBEE [Abeille à miel]. A neighbour of Louise and Glen’s have honeybees, and Glen noted lots of activity around the hives recently. It would appear as if they found the crocuses in bloom and it must be manna from heaven for them to find these early blooming plants.

On Sunday evening, Louise was down the trail near her home and found an AM. WOODCOCK [Bécasse d'Amérique] making its ground “peent” call followed by its flight display. However, Louise says it could barely be heard because of the loud symphony of SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette crucifère]. WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] were heard among the loud peepers as well. Spring may have been slow but is sure coming on strong!

** Nature Moncton had a booth at the Dieppe Market on Saturday for EARTH DAY. President Susan Atkinson reports it got lots of attention and many folks dropped by for a visit.

** Jan Tingley says that all the ice is now out on the pond in Hillsborough and the mergansers have moved to the home of their choice as of Saturday. The area was alive with SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], some MALLARD [Canard colvert] ducks, CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada] and AM. CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] but not a lot else while she was there.

** I joined some members of the Miramichi Naturalists' Club on Sunday heading for a perusal of sea ducks at Escuminac wharf. However, it was 95% iced in, but that could change in very short order with a wind change. We thought the day was over but it turned out to be the beginning of a great day.

We stopped at the Point Sapin wharf, found the wharf cells open, and a few normally distant birds foraging in close. A LONG-TAILED DUCK [Harelde kakawi] put on an impressive display close up. It was in winter, adult male plumage. However, it did have a lot of dark in the mantle area to suggest ongoing change to breeding plumage. It made a call unfamiliar to us from winter Long-tailed Ducks and we wondered if spring males make a different vocalization. Some BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse à bec jaune] were more interested in fishing at a distance, and the males’ brilliant orange knob on the bill blazed in the bright sun. A lone adult male SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] was not shy about showing off its huge head of solid field marks.

En route back, a female BELTED KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique] cooperated for observations as it was very intent on whatever it was foraging on in an open ditch. It was clearly a female, with its reddish chest band that her male counterparts lack.

Scanning CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada] groups for interesting tagalongs produced a quick turn-around when a white one was spotted. But something wasn’t right, as it was larger than a SNOW GOOSE [Oie des neiges], with some mottling and had a differently marked goose at its side that it was protecting. Fortunately, the owner of the property, Russell Robert, spotted my interest and came over to explain that he has had permits from the Canadian Wildlife Service, over the years, to keep Snow Geese and Canada Geese. Several years ago he had a couple of pairs of Snow Geese, one pair of white morph and one pair of blue morph, along with a number of Canada Geese. The blue morph pair kept to themselves, however, one Snow Goose gander chose a Canada Goose female as a mate and apparently genetically able to cross, as the hatch resulted in white males and grey-brown females, and it was a pair of that cross that I saw. I neglected to ask him whether this pair has ever produced progeny. This encounter was in Baie Ste. Anne.

A bit farther down the road, while checking Canada geese, a RED FOX [Renard roux] was near some and I can assure they were not amused, honking and trying to send the fox on its way. It totally ignored them and finally they tried to escort the fox away, which did not work either. Possibly the greatest insult to them was when it decided to have a poop in their midst, before it continued to rummage for lunch. The great advantage of long-distance optics and zoom cameras that can allow for undisturbed observation of a situation like that. I always feel that the stress test has been passed when wildlife ignores your presence.

An evening check of my Nature Moncton swallow boxes produced another big surprise. A male EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] was spotted around one box on Saturday night, but on Sunday night four bluebirds were spotted, close to a second box, but not actually investigating it. They were very busy moving about the area, foraging. It appeared that at least three of them were males.

The last excitement of the night was a distant NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL [Petite Nyctale] heard from the camp. Some running water was partly drowning it out, but a search tonight may get closer. Its monotonous, “truck-backing-up signal” was nearly continuous.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton