NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, November
26, 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)
** Louise Nichols took a drive out to
Johnson’s Mills and then back around the loop along route 935 to Sackville on
Wednesday. It was pretty quiet (and gray) overall but she had a couple of close
sightings. A RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à queue rousse] was perched in a tree on
route 935 and she had a close encounter with a NORTHERN SHRIKE [Pie-grièche
grise] on the Westcock Marsh. Louise comments that she has had few good
sightings of shrikes but this is the second shrike she has seen within a week.
The first was last Friday in the Hillsborough area. Louise got excellent photos
of a young-of-the-year shrike being in the right place at the right time for a
photo op. Note the barring and the brown tones of immaturity.
**Elaine Gallant got a photo of
immature GREAT CORMORANT drying its wings at the Pointe-du-Chene wharf on Wednesday.
Note the white patch behind the yellowish throat and the complete
dark neck comparing to the Double-crested Cormorant.
** Clarence Cormier had a young of the
year WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche] drop by his Grande Digue
site on Wednesday. Note the dark brown band on the head vs. the fluorescent white
of the adult plumage.
** Even with the difficulty
differentiating female Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks it is suggested
from captured photos that are coming in that there is an increased number of
Cooper’s Hawks around birdfeeders. Daryl Doucet had a raptor arrive that
appeared larger and went for a Red Squirrel. The gray nape with the crest and
black capped crown are COOPER'S HAWK [Épervier de Cooper] field marks. Gilles
Belliveau also points out the small eye in relation to the size of the head and
the bill looking somewhat substantial also suggests a Cooper’s Hawk. The body
photo also shows the rounded tail with central rectrices longer than outer rectrices
to give it a rounded look and the sharp white tail apex band.
** Wayne Corcoran from the Chelmsford
area who often hosts significant numbers of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant]
really had them arrive in numbers on Wednesday with 100 to 120. Wayne comments
that they seemed to be everywhere and also the high winds of Tuesday had the
feeder area quiet as others have noted. Wayne also noted that his high BLUE JAY [Geai bleu] numbers were
reduced by 50%.
** Brian Stone got a photo of a soccer
ball sized nest approximately 20 feet up in a tree in Mapleton Park on Monday.
Scott Makepeace looked at the photos and felt that it was a drey, a new
word to many of us I expect, which is a term for a squirrel’s nest. Scott
comments that it would appear to be a drey due its position (height and
location in the tree), spherical shape, and not appearing to be woven together.
The nest could either be that of a Red or a Flying Squirrel.
Brian went for a drive ending up in the
Cocagne and Pointe-du-Chene areas on Wednesday and also got some mergansers at
the Cormierville Wharf. At the Pointe-du-Chene Wharf there were some LONG-TAILED
DUCKS [Harelde kakawi] in the boat docking marina area and also a BALD EAGLE
[Pygargue à tête blanche] was in its favorite tree beside Rue Acadie (a section
of route 134) in Bouctouche near the Visitor Information Center. Some of
Brian’s waterfowl pictures will need more study before putting them out as we are
in that awkward stage of young-of-the-year birds and first winter birds.
** Tuesday was Bob Blake’s turn for a NORTHERN
CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] visit. It was checking out the feeders and it came
back later to the birdbath. Bob comments that it was more of a deep orange
colour than a strong red. I am wondering if this could potentially be a young
of the year male.
** Wednesday was finally my day to spot
NORTHERN CARDINALS [Cardinal rouge] in my own yard. A pair arrived and came and
went all day seemingly comfortable with the layout so they may have been here
earlier and not been detected. I noted the female first and she was instantly
dived by 2 BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu] but she soon returned with a male. Wednesday
was also a different day for sparrows at the feeder area. AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS
[Bruant hudsonien] suddenly went to 6+ from 1 occasional one earlier and 2 plus
DARK-EYED JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé] came
with them.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
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