Nature Moncton Nature News: May 11 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 11, 2021 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by Susan Richards susan_richards@rogers.com

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

**Aldo Dorio again located the Garganey still at Hay Island on Monday, to make its stay, a week so far. It is tending to move around a bit more but still present on Monday. Peter Gadd saw it as late as 8:00 PM Monday evening. Rumours of a second one there have not been verified.

Aldo also got a nice photo of a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé].

**Yvette Richard got a photo of a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche] in her Cocagne yard. This sparrow with its florescent white headbands passes through each spring stopping to fuel up at bird feeders as it migrates to breed to the north of us. It tends to go through a bit later than the Fox Sparrow that does the same scenario.

**Louise Nichols visited Petit-Cap beach on Monday. She was greeted by a BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] sitting atop a Spruce Tree that did not move as she walked right past the tree, so she took a couple of portrait photos that are not cropped, commenting that we just do not get so close very often. There were a dozen to a couple dozen Greater Yellow Legs in various places around the beach. Louise also saw a couple of WILLET [Chevalier semipalmé], 3 CASPIAN TERN [Sterne caspienne] were present although it was difficult to get a clear photo with all the heat waves rising from the ground. She did see and hear SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés]. Louise was surprised at how big a part of the dune has been completely striped of vegetation after the storm Dorian a couple of years ago.

Bird action in their yard picked up on Monday morning with probably a dozen or so YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] in the trees at the front of the house. She attached one photo with the yellow rump showing and matching the blurry yellow daffodils in the background. The photographic word for this type of background is termed ‘bokeh’.

**Gordon Rattray reports the last few days have been very active at his Weldon feeder yard and actually putting out an extra sunflower feeder for the overload. Yellow-rumped Warblers at 10 to 12 have been at the suet feeders for the 2 days, PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] number in excess of 12, but it’s hard to be accurate because of the movement. Also, lots of sparrows, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] CHIPPING SPARROW [Bruant familier] and SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] but the DARK-EYED JUNCO [Junco ardoisé] have left. The Woodpeckers are really active with several DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur] and HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] and 1 male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic maculé]. Gordon as well had his first Ruby-Throated Hummingbird [HUMMINGBIRD À GORGE RUBIS] Monday, a male.

Gordon took a trip to White Rock Recreational Area on Monday seeing very few birds and no migrants. Ferns of all types were coming up, also Fly Honeysuckle was in blossom along with Yellow Birch catkins swelling.

**Cynthia MacKenzie adds to the discussion of the vixen calls from the Monday edition. She would be very confident in saying that was indeed a vixen Red Fox in the recording from Lynda’s family. In the attached video Cynthia was able to record a vixen’s similar calls last summer. She had eyes on the fox as it was going along the forest edge and eventually further off. She is uncertain whether she is actually visible in any portion of the video but she knows that she was around and doubts any other animals were nearby when she started the ruckus. Check out the link below to Cynthia’s recorded video with clear audio:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t5y635dw2uds4ta/IMG_4169.MOV?dl=0

**John Massey also leaves a comment on the vocalization agreeing the vocalization is a vixen Red Fox and that Great-Horned Owls can make similar sounds later in the season.

John got a great photo of a Mourning Cloak Butterfly [Papillon de la cape de deuil] enjoying freshly opened blossoms. I find it surprising the large numbers of Mourning Cloak Butterflies flying this year. I wonder if the mild winter could be a reason.

**Maureen Girvan visited the Mary’s Point area on Monday to get a pleasant view of Mary’s Point with Grindstone Island just out from it. Maureen also got great photos of a SAVANNAH SPARROW, and a nice gender comparison of a pair of RING-NECKED DUCKS and NORTHERN SHOVELER as well as the males individually. Nice eye candy!

**Lois Budd came across a beautiful large patch of blooming Trout Lilies on Monday welcoming the sun. This early plant is an ephemeral and will seemingly completely disappear in a few weeks leaving an energy-stored underground corm, to come up in the same area next spring.

**The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds do seem to be arriving early for many folk.

Bob Blake had his first one arrive on Monday, seven days earlier than last year.

**Annette and Brian Stone did a loop through Memramcook, Johnson’s Mills

and Sackville on Monday. At its regular spot in Memramcook west on the

Old Shediac Road, an AMERICAN KESTREL [Crécerelle d'Amérique] was

perched on its high wire surveying its territory. At Johnson’s Mills a Song

Sparrow posed along at the edge of the beach. At a stream running under

the road and out into the Bay he found a large carcass, maybe a well decayed

Moose.

On Route 935 just above Upper Rockport they noticed a large fresh new

BEAVER [Castor] dam and pond. There were lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers

flying about catching insects and he tried to get a distant video of the action.

They could see lots of big ripples in the pond maybe from underwater Beaver

action.

A little farther from the point on Route 935 Annette spotted a male RUFFED

GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] on the side of the road displaying for a female.

(Editor's note: note the prominent black neck 'ruff' in the display that gives this

species its name)

As Brian was shooting the male’s action, he managed to spot the female

hiding in plain sight behind her excellent camouflage, which Brian comments

was just plain luck as he would never have spotted her if the male had not

been approaching her. A couple of TURKEY VULTURE [Urubu à tête rouge] flew

overhead.

Also, a bit later at a roadside pond, a Kingfisher [le martin-pêcheur]

managed to stunt fly its way past the camera lens in a loop that left Brian nearly spinning himself.

And as usual, the day began with a solar halo.

Take a look at Brian’s video of the abundant Yellow-rumped Warblers flycatching at the pond:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ogmnxfoh1rtzedk/Yellow-rumped%20Warblers%20at%20beaver%20dam%201.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qbc56niy6qn7bjd/Yellow-rumped%20Warblers%20at%20beaver%20dam%202.MOV?dl=0

**Two Nature Moncton swallow nest boxes have appeared and looking for homes. They are in the Moncton area and are free to be picked up. Shoot a note to nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and they are yours to give a potentially new family a designer home.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton