NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
March 6, 2024
Nature Moncton members as well as
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descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition
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Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**On Monday Dale Pugh travelled with fellow birders to Landry Office to see
the Townsend’s Solitaire first reported on February 11th. The
thrush was cooperative and perched on various trees. At one point they watched
it sample a berry from the bush where it perched for a while. The thrush has been
feeding on bugs from the roof and gutters of the home where it is regularly
spotted.
They then traveled to Grande-Anse and were delighted to spot a male
Eastern Towhee which has recently been visiting a local feeder. They
heard the towhee before they saw it. A very distinct call and very vocal.
At one point they saw the bird briefly fan its impressive tail feathers.
Before heading home they stopped at Pokeshaw Rock, a unique coastal site
along NB’s northern shore, where a colony of Double-crested Cormorants nest in
the spring. Seabirds such as the Razorbill, Black-legged Kittiwake, and
Black Guillemot are also often seen foraging there.
(Editor’s note: the Pokeshaw-Grande Anse area of New Brunswick is a very
special area where Razorbill and Black Guillemot nest on the sea stack and a colony
of Black-legged Kittiwake nest nearby.)
Dale's video
capture of the Pokeshaw sea stack is special and can be viewed at the link below:
**Louise
Nichols visited Port Elgin in the nice weather on Monday. All was mostly
quiet, but she did see 6 Red-breasted Mergansers on the Gaspereau River
close to the Pedestrian Bridge that allowed for some photographs.
Afterward, she visited Lake Rd. which passes through the Jolicure Lakes, and she
checked out the Sackville Retention Pond. Very few birds were seen, but Louise
was surprised to find a couple of Nature Moncton swallow boxes in a field off
Lake Rd, next to one of the Jolicure Lakes. They were among several other
swallow boxes that had been erected in the area.
**On Tuesday Gordon Rattray had a visit from a 1st-spring male Red-winged Blackbird.
With the weather so spring-like, Gordon’s bird visitors have dropped in number.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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