Nature Moncton Nature News: April 2 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 02, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Karen and Jamie Burris share some nice spring activity. They visited the Hillsborough area on Sunday to see two male HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné] showing their spring wares to a single female. They also came across a herd of 15 to 20 WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie], happy to see the bare ground despite the weathered forage.

It is great to see the first bee photo of the season from the last day of March, when one of the very early members of the Andrena group of bees was fooled by an artificial flower but provided an excellent photo. This group of bees very much welcomes the early, bold cultivars that seem to burst into bloom by early April as well as Coltsfoot and Willows that are soon to burst into bloom to provide pollen for these early emerging, solitary bees.

Jamie also sends a photo of a COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] doing its puff and squawk routine as well as a first summer, male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] who was not amused with the Rock Pigeons.

It’s that time of year when many birds will take note of their image in mirrors and a ROCK PIGEON [Pigeon biset] did for Jamie. Karen captured a photo of a CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada] seemingly overjoyed with spring and ready to rock.

** I spotted some spring cultivars bursting just inside a snow line on Monday. What a rite of spring. They surely are ephemeral but so pleasant to see. I suspect that they may not be impressed with Wednesday’s predicted weather forecast.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton