Nature Moncton Nature News: April 19 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 12, 2019 (Friday)

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Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

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** Louise Nichols was able to catch the PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] nest on the summit of Assumption Place in the right light on Thursday to very nicely show one of the Peregrine Falcon inhabitants. It seems to have the stance of incubating a clutch of eggs.

** Lois Budd came across some surprise sea duck visitors in the upper pond of the Salisbury Wastewater Treatment Plant when she saw a pair of SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] there on Thursday. One would assume they stopped off for a rest in the pond during migration as it would be an unexpected spot to see this sea duck species. Lois also had a visit to her home feeder yard brush pile and millet of two FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] on Thursday.

** Gordon Rattray visited Gray Brook marsh on Thursday to see an increasing diversity of waterfowl, including a pair of BUFFLEHEAD [Petit Garrot] that posed very nicely, a HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné] pair, 5 GREEN-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver], 7 RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier], 2 GADWALL [Canard chipeau], 5, MALLARDS [Canard colvert] 6 pairs of CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada], and one BELTED KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique].

** Always nice to feature mammals on the Info Line, but Georges Brun spotted a very special one motoring across the bridge over Hall’s Creek by Chateau Moncton on Monday. The Easter Bunny is definitely in town!

** Jim Johnson in Scotch Settlement reports that his first TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] arrived around his home on Thursday. With 14 nest boxes up, cleaned and ready, there will be a lot of housing opportunities for it and its kin no doubt soon to follow. Jim also noted a NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin] floating about in a field beside his home on Thursday.

** Jean-Paul and Stella Leblanc also had their first TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] arrive to their Bouctouche yard on Thursday.

Dave Christie also had his first 2 TREE SWALLOWS of the season flying over the beach area at Mary’s Point on Thursday. There was also a sudden arrival of NORTERN FLICKERS in the Mary’s Point area on Thursday. Dave comments he saw 15-20 Northern Flickers as he travelled the area. Also John Inman at 225 Mary’s Point Road had his FOY YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER drop by his yard on Thursday.

** Kevin Balmer got a nice photo of a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK [Buse à épaulettes] in Florida a few months ago. We get the odd Red-Shouldered Hawk coming to New Brunswick at this time of year, and there are now confirmed breeding records of the Red-shouldered Hawk in New Brunswick. I’m attaching Kevin’s photo today, so we may be better prepared when a potential sighting of one may occur. The bird that has spent time in Saint John this past winter will also help many when that special moment presents itself.

** Sarah Chouinard-Horne shares some yard activity from her Willow Grove home near Saint John. She still has a large flock of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] in her yard. She feels it’s a little late for them, but lo and behold, they are still there. She just fed about 40 of them in about 4 different feeders on Thursday morning. As recently as last week, her xanthrochromic Evening Grosbeak is still there as well. There are up to 30 species in her yard now, including 5 FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve], 20+ SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], CANADA JAYS [Mésangeai du Canada], COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé], a huge flock of 100+ COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes], and EUROPEAN STARLINGS [Étourneau sansonnet], along with 3 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD [Vacher à tête brune]. She has had a couple of yard lifers in the last two days: a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine blanche] and a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés]. Both of these are first-of-the-year which from now we’ll start calling FOYs. She also had a pair of PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] on Thursday and a pair of WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche] returned Tuesday. She’s enjoying her resident pair of MALLARDS [Canard colvert]. They nest on a nearby lake every year and last year successfully had 9 young. They visit their yard frequently, so they started to buy bags of corn to leave down by the dock for them to encourage them to stay close to the water vs. wandering up near the house, which increases their risk of danger. They got so used to them coming that they named them George and Mildred. The lake is still frozen which is making food much more difficult for them, so they had them coming to their yard 3 or 4 times a day. Luckily they had the corn ready to go and they refill it morning, day and night for them. Looks like the lake will open up over the next few days.

** Krista Doyle captured an interesting photo of a 22 degree solar halo with sun dogs off to each side as the sun rose from her Lewis Mountain home on Thursday morning. These events can come and go very quickly. Krysta also got a photo of a DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur] that very nicely shows those spiky tail feathers woodpeckers so effectively use as a prop.

** Brian Stone and I made a late-day visit to Bell Marsh. It was cloudy and not the best for photography, but we were very rewarded with a round of the marsh and streets in the area. In the marsh area, there were not many waterfowl, other than very plentiful CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada]. However, we did see approximately 20 RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier], a few SCAUP [Fuligule], and MALLARDS [Canard colvert]. Male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] were establishing territory. We had a chance to talk to a few folks in the area. One chap said he has been seeing an occasional pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS [Cardinal rouge] in his cedar hedge, and sure enough, we heard a male Cardinal loudly vocalizing to give some nice observations. Also singing loudly were a few male HOUSE FINCH [Roselin familier] with mates. An OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] was seen briefly. However, the highlight of the visit was by sheer luck spotting the adult male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à tête jaune] that had been previously reported in the area. There is a high number of COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] and Red-winged Blackbirds in the area, and after scouring through hundreds of blackbirds, the brilliant yellow head was spotted on one. They seemed to be moving about the whole area. The Yellow-headed Blackbird was not spotted around a feeder site, but simply travelling with its kin. The blooming plants noted were COLTSFOOT, SPECKLED ALDER, RED MAPLE, and TREMBLING ASPEN very near bloom.

A lawn area was noted with the typical freshly dug excavations of a SKUNK foraging for grubs which the owner commented happened the night before.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 April 20 – April 27
One third of the way from Arcturus to Vega is a pretty semicircle of stars that makes up Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. In the middle of the semicircle is the constellation’s brightest star, called Gemma (jewel) or Alphecca (bright star of the broken ring), among other names. A few years ago the International Astronomical Union started approving official names for stars, and Alphecca was chosen over Gemma.

Some ancient societies regarded Corona Borealis as a begging bowl, and in local aboriginal legend it is the cave from which the bear (the bowl of the Big Dipper) emerges in spring. In Greek mythology it was a crown worn by Bacchus, the god of wine, who lived on the island of Naxos. Theseus, an Athenian prince, went to Crete as part of a group of youth who were to be placed in the labyrinth as food for the Minotaur. With the aid of Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of King Minos, Theseus slew the Minotaur and found his way out of the labyrinth. In love with Ariadne, he took her aboard to sail back to Athens. They stopped at Naxos where Bacchus also fell in love with Ariadne, and he made Theseus leave without her. To prove his love and his godliness to the skeptical Ariadne, he tossed the crown into the sky as a symbol of her beauty. Immortality and a lifetime supply of wine, who could pass that up?

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:24 am and sunset will occur at 8:12 pm, giving 13 hours, 48minutes of daylight (6:30 am and 8:16 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:12 am and set at 8:21 pm, giving 14 hours, 9 minutes of daylight (6:19 am and 8:25 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is near Jupiter on Tuesday, Saturn on Thursday, and it is at third quarter on Friday, April 26. Mars and Jupiter are in opposite ends of the sky this week, with Mars setting and Jupiter rising around 1 am. Saturn is a hand span to the left of Jupiter, with both being well-placed for observing as morning twilight begins. Venus and Mercury remain about a binocular width apart, rising less than an hour before sunrise. Uranus is in conjunction on Monday, and on Monday evening or early Tuesday morning you might catch a few extra meteors emanating from near the bright star Vega as the Lyrid meteor shower peaks.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton