Nature Moncton Nature News: March 16 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 16, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

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Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Pierre Vautour photographed a Harp Seal in Bouctouche about 13 km out on the dunes. It was by itself, and it was on the ice. As far as pups, Pierre saw four that were dead on the side of the beach at different locations. It was the first time Pierre had seen a seal like this so close.

(Editor’s note: this is the pupping season of the Harp seal which is normally somewhat to the north of us with some pupping occurring on the North Shore of Prince Edward Island. The Harp Seal bears its pups on ice flows only, not on shore so it would seem odd that pupping observations are being made this year this far south with the relative reduction in sea ice this season. Some queries have been sent out to experts in this field and comments will appear in an upcoming edition.

The Harp Seal was the subject of the controversial hunt in the past that was stopped. It may be a case of simply more animals that are causing them to appear this far south. Hopefully an answer soon.

It is very important to not go near these animals or let dogs go near them as bites from them can cause serious mycoplasma infections which lead to the condition that was referred to as ‘sealers finger’ infection when the hunt was active.)

**Louise Nichols was driving into her Aulac laneway on Thursday morning and noticed a Bald Eagle flying low into the yard in front of her. It looked as though it was going to land in a tree with legs and talons extended, but then it veered off and flew out of the yard. Louise continued up the drive and parked the car. When she got out, the eagle flew back into the yard. It went over their yard pond toward a dead tamarack tree. Without stopping, it grabbed the top of the tree and snapped off about two or three feet of it, then holding its prize in its talons, it continued on toward the marsh. It was obviously looking for nest-building material, and the tamarack tree is a few feet shorter!

Louise comments “It was interesting to see how easily it snapped off the top of that tree!”

**Lynn and Fred Dube have had Coyote appear on trail cameras in their Lower Coverdale yard which is a subdivision area. They recently noticed tracks in the soft snow substrate that were suggestive of Coyote. Urban Coyote travels may be getting more common which can be problematic.

**On Friday afternoon Georges Brun saw a female Northern Harrier Hawk being harassed by a Crow on the Riverview marsh to get an action photograph.

**Spring is definitely on the way according to the bird action around the home of Sue and Fred Richards in Taylor Village. They are getting lots of Red-winged Blackbirds as well as three, sometimes four, Northern Cardinals! There are lots of American Goldfinch as well as the rest of the usual suspects. They have had a few Purple Finches arrive and Sue captured a photo of a female Ring-necked Pheasant slyly checking out the menu.

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins has the cultivar Johnny Jump Ups flowering in her yard. They really enjoyed the sun and warmth on Thursday.

(Editor’s note: with the unseasonably warm weather, many of our garden cultivars will be popping up much sooner than expected with bright floral displays. Nelson Poirier is also noting the cultivar snowdrops popping up in his yard.)

Also, on a hike near her home on Friday, Jane came across a Snowshoe Hare still in mostly winter white.

(Editor’s note: mammals like the Snowshoe Hare and the weasel will be at a disadvantage this year with the snow that normally provides them camouflage disappearing so early. I believe it is the day length that causes this pelage change which does not work for them this year.)

Jane also had a FOY Song Sparrow and Fox Sparrow in her yard today, but neither stopped for photos.

**Brian Stone and Nelson Poirier were elated to see the Sun and great weather on Thursday and they took the opportunity to go on a nature search through Baie Verte, Port Elgin, Upper Cape, and Cape Tormentine followed by a tour through the Tantramar Marsh and they share some of the images they managed to collect along the way. In three different areas, they found Red-tailed Hawks perched that offered different levels of photo clarity. A few American Crows and Common Ravens seemed to display brighter than usual areas on their wings but possibly the unusual amount of sunlight was just causing an illusion.

A very impressively plumaged rooster was noted guarding its harem of females. Note the impressive spur (arrowed) ready to discourage interlopers.

The egg mass of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar was photographed on the branch of a shrub. The egg mass of the Forest Tent Caterpillar is similar but the end of the egg mass is much more sharply tapered. The Eastern Tent Caterpillar constructs web nests; however, the Forest Tent Caterpillar does not.

Canada Geese, Common Mergansers and the ever-present Black-capped Chickadees were present in several areas, and a lawn displayed the tailings of Star-nosed Moles that were busy under the snow during the winter.

(Editor's note: these excavations were made last fall as the Star-nosed Mole 'bulldozed' back tailings of earth as it dug below the frost level to spend the winter foraging on grubs and insects.)

On a trail in Baie Verte, a small group of 3 White-tailed Deer posed for a 5-minute photo shoot as they stared curiously at the two humans that were so interested in them.

While unsuccessfully searching for Skunk Cabbage (too early), Nelson spotted an Usnea species lichen he was unfamiliar with that led to consultation with Kendra Driscoll at the New Brunswick Museum. It turned out to be the uncommon to New Brunswick Bushy Beard Lichen (Usnea strigosa). The huge apothecia (plates) with fibrils on the rim make it attractive and easy to identify. The inner core of Usnea is normally white but this species supports a red medulla that the arrow on the photo points to.

Many animal tracks were quite clear in the soft snow substrate; however, the sun was melting the edges to make them look much larger.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton