Nature Moncton Nature News: May 17 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 17, 2018 ( Thursday )

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Rhonda and Paul Langelaan took a walk along the old rail lines at Hillsborough near the lagoon on Wednesday night and they saw a number of CHIMNEY SWIFTS [Martinet ramoneur] in flight and also a few WILSON'S WARBLERS [Paruline à calotte noire].

** Doreen Rossiter comments that she gets INDIGO BUNTINGS [Passerin indigo] dropping by her Alma yard each spring and fall. Her first one this spring arrived on Wednesday showing a different plumage from what she has usually seen. From Sibley's guide a good match for a first summer male bird illustrated there showing a lot of dark brown on the mantle and some brown on the wing yet the tail, head and sides are a bright blue. Doreen also notes that a family of RED SQUIRRELS [Ecureuil roux) are emerging from a Tree Swallow box their mother chose to nest in and they are popping out of the hole and crawling a bit on the side of the box. The box is 12 feet high on a pipe pole and Doreen wonders how they are going to get down, but as mother made it up there so she will probably get them down.

** Karen and Jamie Burris got their first spring sighting of a YELLOW WARBLER [Paruline jaune] at the Hillsborough wetlands park on May 14. Jamie was able to catch this beautiful warbler just opening its wings and breaking into flight. He also took photos of a male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic maculé] hammering on an Aspen tree commenting that it does indeed look like they are closing their eyes when drilling.

** Jim Johnson reports that he as well has seen his first BOBOLINKS [Goglu des prés] of the season around his Scotch Settlement home. TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] don't seem to mind kin as fairly close neighbors in his yard as they sometimes do. He has eleven nest boxes up and ten, and possibly the eleventh, are showing active nest building activity.

** The LEAST SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau minuscule] have arrived at Hay Island. Aldo Dorio got a nice photo of one looking at its reflection in the water on Wednesday. He also got a NORTHERN PARULA [Paruline à collier] and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] having a meeting.