Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 23 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 23, 2019 (Monday)

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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)

** There is a tern colony on Portage Island in Miramichi Bay. Over the past week, Phil Riebel has spotted several PARASITIC JAEGERS [Labbe parasite] chasing the terns and BONAPARTE’S GULLS [Mouette de Bonaparte] to steal food from them. Phil has been in that area for the past five years and has never see Parasitic Jaeger there before. He got some great photos of the action.

** Brian Coyle shares several photos of shorebirds he photographed at the Nature Moncton shorebird workshop on August 24. These are nice photos. Keep the date in mind when looking at them. Brian also sends some recent warbler photographs that include COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée], PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse] and a drab fall warbler that is suspected only, to be a juvenile CAPE MAY WARBLER [Paruline tigrée]. Brian also sent a recent male PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] photo that seems to be moving into its adult plumage. The male Purple Finch does not take on its adult reddish plumage until its second fall of life.

** Elaine Gallant got a photo of a tern that she thought might not be of significance on September 13. After study of the photo, it is felt fairly confidently that it was a GULL-BILLED TERN [Sterne hansel]. Elaine got the photo of it on the beach at Cap Brule. A good lesson for us all to get things out quickly even if it may not be what we think. I’m sure that may happen to us all quite frequently.

** Aldo Dorio spotted 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l’East] in the Néguac area on Sunday. Chances are there is a good number in that area, after Bill and Marguerite Winsor’s experience of seeing a flock in nearby Fairisle, expecting up to 24 individuals.

** Dale Gaskin also saw EASTERN BLUEBIRDS flying around his Dawson Settlement yard, checking out bird boxes, on Sunday. Dale also comments that has an over-supply of SKUNKS [Mouffette rayée] and wonders if anyone would like to share!

** Anna Tucker was a bit surprised to see a bright green nice-sized insect land on a window while in a MacDonald’s Restaurant. It turns out to be a KATYDID [Sauterelle], a member of the order Orthoptera as are grasshoppers. Wehave a handful of katydid species in New Brunswick, and their sounding (stridulation) is quite specific to the particular species. There’s not enough detail in Anna’s photo for a specific identification.

Anna also photographed a female BELTED KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d’Amérique] perched on a nest box, surveying her surroundings. The reddish rust on the breast and flanks indicates a female. The young of the year bird just has rust spotting, until its first moult.

** I don’t like to report a bird without better confirmation, but I feel fairly confident that I saw a BLACK SKIMMER [Bec-en-ciseaux noir] flying up Long Marsh Creek, near Cape Enrage, on Saturday. I have only seen them in Florida, but the profile and plumage were right and, briefly at one point, I saw it flying with its long bill skimming the water surface for a brief time.