Nature Moncton Nature News: April 20 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 20 April 2019 (Saturday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

To respond by email, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling. Note that corrections, deletions, or delayed additions may not always appear on the info line and email transcript but will always appear on the BlogSpot. For this reason, it is recommended that those wishing to look at historical records use the BlogSpot rather than the email transcript. The BlogSpot can always be accessed from the website.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

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

Brian Coyle was able to spot a pair of SANDHILL CRANES in a corn stubble field off the Homestead Road not far from his Lower Mountain Road home on Friday. It takes the Sandhill Crane 2 to 5 years to mature to breeding plumage but these two do appear to have reached breeding plumage to make a breeding pair a possibility. Brian was able to get distant photos but comments the birds appear to be quite wary and saw them move to a nearby field making their rattling vocalization as they did.

Brian also spotted his FOY SAVANNAH SPARROW and FOY male AMERICAN KESTREL on Friday.

**Jim Wilson points out the photo of the male REDHEAD DUCK [Fuligule à tête rouge] by Peter Gadd at the Newcastle water treatment plant in the April 18th edition has a female with it that I had labelled RING-NECKED DUCK [Fuligule à collier]. There is a male Ring-necked Duck in the background, but the bird near the male Redhead is actually a female. I stopped there briefly on Friday. The male Redhead was still there, and very probably the female was as well, but weather conditions did not allow good observations. The leucistic NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] was not present at the time I visited. Thank you, Jim Wilson, for pointing out that error.

**Verica LeBlanc paid a visit to Escuminac and Pointe-Sapin on Wednesday. The wharf area in Escuminac was still firmly frozen; however, she was able to enjoy watching the BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse à bec jaune] seemingly enjoying the very high surf that day, diving down into the waves as the waves would approach and resurface. She caught some photographs that show the strength and beauty of the surf. Verica then went to Pointe-Sapin, where the harbour was ice-free and more calm, to find Black Scoters again and more cooperative for photos. She was able to get a distant photo of a male SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] out in the surf away from the harbour.

**The warm wet weather is bringing out our early amphibians. Gabriel Gallant stepped out of his Sainte-Marie-de-Kent home at 10:00 p.m. on Friday night to hear a full chorus of WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] coming from shallow wet areas around his home. He comments that if he listened carefully he could sometimes hear a few SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette crucifère] calling as well. Gabriel sends a few photos of each species that he captured five years ago as a reminder of what to see when lucky enough to spot one of these, even as numerous as they are in the vernal ponds.

**Jan Tingley sends a photo of a DARK-EYED JUNCO [Junco ardoisé] Oregon subspecies she photographed in March on Vancouver Island. The Dark-eyed Junco has several subspecies, some of which have very different plumage from the Dark-eyed Junco we are used to seeing in New Brunswick. The Oregon subspecies is a bird of the West, and would create a rare bird alert if it strayed to New Brunswick.

**When the sun was out for a short time on Thursday, Lisa Morris was able to capture a few photos of Bees [Abeille] taking advantage of those early-emerging and ephemeral Crocus flowers for their pollen fix. They appeared to be Bees in the Andrena group that are all early emergers.

**Kevin Balmer shares another of his portrait-quality photos he took of a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE [Mésange à tête noire] enjoying a sunflower seed at Mapleton Park.

**Aldo Dorio captured a photo of a male AMERICAN KESTREL [Crécerelle d'Amérique] around the Neguac wharf on Friday. Kestrels usually start arriving by mid-April, and the odd one earlier than that.

**Brian Stone got a photo of a Bagworm Moth [Psyché] emerging from its pupal case as it crawled up the window of his back door. This moth’s lifestyle is very similar to the Caddisfly [trichoptère] species that build their similar pupal case underwater. Brian got a short video of it emerging. Take a look at the attached link to see the real-time action.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a6og01ye8fgt7hm/Bagworm%20Moth%20Larva.MOV?dl=0

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton