Nature Moncton Nature News: April 22 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 22, 2020 (Wednesday)

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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)

** David Christie comments that other people have been reporting warblers this spring and he has found none until Tuesday afternoon when he saw 3 PALM WARBLERS [Paruline à couronne rousse] and 3 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune] in deciduous shrubbery and taller spruces near his cottage at Mary’s Point. All these were bright males and in addition he could hear a few more Yellow-rumped Warblers singing occasionally farther away than the ones he was watching. He checked a spot where Pitcher Plants grow at Mary’s Point and found a cluster of 6 spathes and 4 young leaves emerging at the traditionally best spot. Flowers inside the spathes were not yet visible.

** Louise Nichols reports that the WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] in her smaller pond were very quiet on Tuesday but they obviously accomplished their mission as she was able to photograph some very freshly laid clusters of eggs. Glen Nichols pointed out a fly he has been seeing around his honeybee hives that very much resembles the Bristle Fly that Brian Stone photographed recently.

** The SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] are moving in nicely. They don’t tend to come to feeder yards frequently but Clarence Cormier had one drop by on Tuesday for a mixed seed breakfast. Clarence still has 8 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] which is starting to get late for that species to be still around in numbers. He has numerous SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur] now and 5 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS [Vacher à tête brune], 3 females and 1 male.

** Roger LeBlanc was very pleased to join the welcome wagon for EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on Tuesday when a lone male arrived to his Notre-Dame yard and immediately started to check out the 20+ nest boxes Roger has on his property for real estate possibilities. So great to hear all the early bluebird reports!

Roger also reports he is enjoying the now nightly AMERICAN WOODCOCK activity around his property.

** It is not unusual for a PURPLE GALLINULE to join us in NB for an occasional visit in spring and they usually seem to do fine, however when one drops by in winter by accident; things do usually not go well. Jim and Therese Carroll were walking the St. George Marsh on Tuesday; Therese spotted something she at first thought was a child’s toy on the trail. It turned out to be the remains of a Purple Gallinule that must have found its way to the marsh over the winter.

** Eric Wilson had a FOX SPARROW [Bruant fauve] drop by his Moncton yard on Tuesday. We normally only have a short window of time to see this sparrow as they migrate to the north of us to their summer breeding territory. We can soon expect White-crowned Sparrows to be moving through with the same plan in mind.

Eric had a GARTER SNAKE appear in his drive way on Tuesday. It didn’t seem to want to move much but was chilly at the time but getting some nice warm sun. It well may have been its first venture out of the season and letting the sun rev up its motors.

** Jane Leblanc captured a photo of a male COMMON MERGANSER [Grand Harle] in flight to nicely show its breeding plumage markings. She saw a dozen flying by St. Martins on Tuesday.

** Daryl Doucet got a photo of a contented looking pair of NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] ducks on the small pond on the Anderson Rd., Route 380, running from Sackville to Aboujagane on Tuesday. It appears that nesting may be under way. Daryl also photographed a MOURNING CLOAK [Morio] butterfly showing the dull back side of the wing and some of the bright features of the top side.

** Lynda LeClerc has had a SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] in her Moncton yard that seemed to be sounding so unfamiliar that she was wondering if it may be some other species. I was able to join Lynda, with physical distancing, to be able to see and hear the bird. It does seem paler than most individuals and the vocalisation does sound different from what we may feel is normal. This species is very variable in both plumage and vocalization and Lynda appears to have identified one of these. Giles Belliveau comments how very variable the Song Sparrow can be and says how it is not unusual to come across atypical songs that just have a different flair or style while keeping that Song Sparrow ‘essence’.

Lynda also comments that TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] are checking out her freshly minted Swallow nest box on Meadow Lake, a small water body on the Humphrey Brook Trail. Humphrey Brook Trail is one that many of us may have not explored yet. It is a very pleasant trail with lots of nature activity.

** Brian Stone had a few CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] searching out the final remnants of Mountain Ash berries in his Moncton Yard on Tuesday, and a STONEFLY was also sunning itself on a maple tree for a photo op.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton