Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 6 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 6, 2019 (Sunday)

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Editor: Nelson Poirier

Transcript by: David Christie

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

** Fred and Lynn Dubé have been seeing a WEASEL [belette] that appears to be living under their garage. They have been noting different tracks around their yard and suspect that the attached photo is of the weasel tracks. Note the four paw imprints, with all feet coming down in one group, and tend to equidistant in stride. (distance from print to print)

Fred also attaches a photo of a BARRED OWL [Chouette rayée] that he got on Dec. 26 on the Mary’s Point Road. It nicely shows the dark eye of this owl species. [Transcriber’s note: There have been several recent reports of Barred Owl being seen in early morning or late afternoon in the Harvey area. One I saw on Jan. 4 appeared to be somewhat smaller and more brownish than a grayer owl the previous day.)

** Jane LeBlanc visited the Mapleton Park WOOD DUCK [Canard branchu] on Saturday and got some nice photos of it out of the water, to show the legs and the dark foot-webbing of this species, as well as a facial view showing its brilliant head-dress.

** During the cold snap, Jamie Colpitts got a photo of a HOUSE FINCH that stays with us for the winter. Its insulating, fluffed-out feathers probably have it safely warm.

** Ron Arsenault leaves some explanatory comments on the very dark, BLACK DUCK X MALLARD cross [Canard noir x Canard colvert] that Brian Stone photographed at Mapleton Park. Ron feels that the bird is a male due to the green on its head, and the bill colour. However, the lack of the curly male Mallard tail suggests it to be past an F1 hybrid, that is to say past the first generation cross, and suggests more Black Duck ancestry than Mallard. It is significant to remember that Black Duck-Mallard crosses are fertile, able to produce another generation, while most other hybrid crosses are not fertile. The photo is re-attached today, for those that wish to review those comments.

** Brian Stone and I made a round of Shediac to Cape Tormentine via Murray Corner, and back Route 960 to the Tantramar Marsh and back to Moncton with a stop at Chateau Moncton parking lot to survey the Riverview Marsh, on Saturday. The whole run was quiet of unexpected sightings. Several RED-TAILED HAWKS [Buse à queue rousse] were seen, mostly at a great distance, however, one was observed hunting the Riverview Marsh. There was a large number of AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] there, which must make it problematic for raptors. BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] were seen at various sites.

A young-of-the-year PORCUPINE [Porc-épic d'Amérique] gave us opportunities to see its fresh trail, in the recent light snowfall, which is seen as waddling as would be expected. They often use the same trails in winter, from feeding sites to denning areas; the denning site was a culvert in this case. Repeatedly used Porcupine trails often show reddish staining, as their urine deposits contain a red component (porphyrin) and they pee as they go to leave that reddish trail.

A brief pass by the Tantramar Marsh showed a trio of healthy looking WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] grazing and two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue], both light morph. The melanistic female RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] were re-photographed to note that some of the trio had a reddish tinge to the head.

Brian also includes a painting his daughter did for him of one of his WOOD DUCK [Canard branchu] photos, which now has a special spot on his home wall.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton