Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 3 2019

Nature Moncton Information Line, 3 February 2019 (Sunday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>
Transcript by: David Christie <maryspt@mac.com>
Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Last week, Louise Nichols noted some apparent woodpecker excavations very low at the base of a tree. She left a trail camera aimed at it for several days and got some photos of a HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] back at it, to identify the excavator. Trail cameras can catch surprising things in the dark of night. One exposure shows what is very suggestive of the hind end of a BOBCAT [Lynx roux] going around the same tree. The bob tail is obvious and the short, ‘spaniel-like’ legs and smaller footpads suggest Bobcat over the less likely Lynx.

That was not all of Louise's surprises of the day, when a lone WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL [Bec-croisé biffascié] showed up at her Sackville feeder on Saturday and provided some great close-up photos. The paleness of the bird, striping on the back, and yellow rump suggest this is a male moulting into adult plumage, not in fully adult plumage, basically a first-year male. Gilles Belliveau suggests that moult timing might not be that clear-cut in crossbills because they tend to breed at any time of year, based on the abundance of food. "Birds of North America" does indicate that birds that breed in winter, and those hatched in winter, probably go through moults at different times than birds breeding in summer. We may be in for more White-winged Crossbill observations, as I have seen reports of groups being seen in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia recently. Most areas don't seem to have a big cone crop to welcome them.

** Jane LeBlanc shares a photo of a single male COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin flammé] that visited her feeder yard. It is one of few she has seen in the St. Martins area this year. It is also interesting that Jane noted two PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] in her feeder yard on Saturday. It seems that most Purple Finches tend to move away from us for two to three months, and then re-appear about this time of year.

** We got a reply back from BugGuide about the spiders that Jamie Burris recently photographed at the Riverview Marsh. They agree with Calum Ewing's earlier suggestion that they appear to be FUNNEL-WEB WEAVERS [agélénidés], so it's now safe to address them by name. I'm attaching a photo taken from the Bug Guide site of the type of web we can expect to see from this genus.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton