Nature Moncton Nature News: May 3 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 3, 2020 (Sunday)

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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)

** Some weeks ago, Dale and Helen Halfpenny photographed a COMMON RAVEN [Grand Corbeau] nest that appeared to be incubating. They checked it again a week ago and all seemed quiet, but a check on April 28 was very different, with lots of vocalizing and a family of 4 young ravens being tended. There appeared to be a discarded pigeon at the edge of this nest that seemed to be lined with some kind of fur. This nest is in a very protected site in the Fundy National Park area. Dale took the photos from 100 yards away with a 400 mm lens and they are heavily cropped. The nest is approximately 150 feet up the cliff and can only be viewed at low tide. It was a very wise nest site planning!

** Dave Cannon uncovered their swimming pool on Friday and confirmed that it was clean and empty underneath. The word sure spread quickly. They rescued 11 salamanders from it on Saturday, 3 YELLOW-SPOTTED [Salamandre maculée] and 8 RED-BACKED SALAMANDERS [Salamandre ¡a dos rayé] and they got some excellent photos. All wandered off into the woods after their release.

** Jamie Burris attaches some recent photos that he and Karin took while they walked the Hillsborough wetlands on April 29. When they arrived, they witnessed a RED-WINGED BLACKBRD [Carouge à épaulettes] harassing a COMMON RAVEN [Grand Corbeau].

Further down the trail they watched a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d’Amérique] eating PUSSY WILLOWS [Saule discolore] that were in bloom. I think that many of us were not aware that this is a Cedar Waxwing food item. An EASTERN PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] perched nicely on a small spruce and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis] gave them a nice display of its red head patch.

They then saw a group of HONEY BEES [l’Abeille] enjoying a corn and wheat gathering and they noted a patch of the BRITISH SOLDIER lichen, very colourful.

Also included are a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] and a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne dorée] that were taken a week earlier.

** Jean-Paul LeBlanc reports that the TUFTED DUCK [Fuligule morillon] he photographed at the Bouctouche Lagoon earlier in the week was still present on Saturday.

** Ray Gauvin got some photos of the Moon {Lune] as it appeared on April 29. Brian Stone comments that the moon is waxing at the moment, essentially meaning that it is glowing with full light until the full moon is reached.

** Jane LeBlanc photographed some GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier] strolling the shoreline of St. Martins Harbour park on Saturday afternoon.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton