Nature Moncton Nature News: April 30 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 30, 2020 (Thursday)

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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)

** Jane Leblanc got some nice photos of an EASTERN PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] that dropped by her St. Martins yard on Wednesday. It was flicking its tail constantly in true Eastern Phoebe fashion. Also the lack of clear white wing bars.

** Rheal Vienneau has had a second GROUNDHOG [Marmotte commune] come by his Dieppe yard and it fed on sunflower seeds that Rheal had put out for the Pheasants. Groundhogs are herbivores but I expect the seeds may taste good with no green vegetation to feed on as yet. This is one time of year that we sometimes see groundhogs climbing trees to get the just opening leaves.

** Another early spring bloomer reporting in. Lynda Leclerc came across a patch of TRAILING ARBUTUS, aka MAYFLOWER, on the Humphrey Brook Trail on Wednesday. The blooms are just starting to break open and have a pleasant scent. The leaves are evergreen and so have been green all winter.

**Jan Tingley was in the TAYLOR Road area on Wednesday to be able to see and spend 45 minutes with a male Spruce Grouse with several other folk. Females are very likely incubating eggs in a ground nest at the moment. This may be the same individual Paul and Rhonda Langelaan saw recently or another as there is Jack Pine in that area that attracts them. This grouse species can be quite bold and tends to show little fear of people. Jan comments it seems interested in the click of the cameras.

** Daryl Doucet and his family were in the lower Albert Co. area on Wednesday. Daryl got a photo of the two BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] keeping a close watch on the Shepody Dam area and Gail Mills got a photo from the rear of an AMERICAN KESTREL [Crécerelle d'Amérique] in flight and Breann Ouellet got a nice panoramic photo of Dennis Beach.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton