Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 4 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, February 04, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Jim Carroll got some stunning photos of a one day visit of a handsome, male WOOD DUCK [Canard branchu] to Saint John’s Rockwood Park duck pond to fuel up on the provided duck vittles before taking flight. It was first discovered there by Ian Stead. Jim comments that it looked like a jewel among the larger MALLARD DUCKS [Canard colvert] reminding him of the Wood Duck that made himself at home among Mapleton Park’s Mallards in Moncton last year. One wonders if it may not be en route there! If so, Brian Stone’s camera will soon find it.

** Jamie and Karen Burris captured a nice photo of a NORTHERN SHRIKE [Pie-grièche grise] in Upper Coverdale on Monday afternoon. Note the barred chest that shows so well to indicate that it is an immature bird. Northern Shrike numbers do not seem to have been in high numbers this season. Maybe there are ample food resources to the north of us.

** Gordon Rattray paid a noon hour visit to take a chance on a CAROLINA WREN [Troglodyte de Caroline] audience in Riverview. He was able to find one to get a quick flight photo and after it settled down briefly for a few more photos. They are covering a wide area in the Court St. area and are becoming very vocal and are out at variable times of the day now other than the early morning and late afternoon routine of earlier. Jamie Burris comments that it was actually 9 Nature Moncton nest boxes that we put up last week, not 8. They are certain to see them so it will be interesting to see if one of them could be a real estate possibility. Gordon also got the BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] pair in their Court St. area “eagle tree”.

** Clarence Cormier comments that he had 5 CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] arrive to his Mountain Ash berry crop on Monday, as well as 5 AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique]. 1 BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] did a fly over to survey the activity. His feeders are very active with lots of the regularly expected species to include 9 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] and 8 to 12 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] that are notable along with up to a dozen BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire]. There are many SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d’Amérique] tracks and WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] tracks around his land along with many others that he is not sure of. It has been an incredible few weeks for tracks in these snow conditions.

** Dale Gaskin reports that he was in the woods near his Dawson Settlement home again on Monday and the CROSSBILL activity was even more exuberant than it was on Sunday. The sound of feeding Crossbills was as awesome as he has ever heard. He was also pleased to see lots more SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d’Amérique] tracks, wondering where they were earlier in the season with such perfect snow conditions to leave tracks, however they’re back in that area and he is glad to see their sign. Also one lone COYOTE [Coyote] track was noted.

** Brian Stone and I made a round of Hampton and Lorneville on Monday. We had to convince ourselves that we saw the THICK-BILLED MURRES [Guillemot de Brünnich]. They were at a great distance but they surely looked suspicious. There was also RED-THROATED LOONS [Plongeon catmarin], MERGANSERS, SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc] and BUFFLEHEADS [Petit Garrot] that chose to stay at sometimes frustrating distances even with a scope. TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] were in surprising numbers for February in the Hampton area.

The day ended at the Hampton Nature Club meeting at St. Paul’s Church in Hampton where recently arrived to the New Brunswick Museum mycologist Alfredo Justo gave a great presentation on mushrooms and fungi in general and the very important role they play in our natural world.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton