Nature Moncton Nature News: April 20 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 20 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

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

The live feed to the Peregrine Falcon nest box camera can be accessed at https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Earth Day cleanup of the Riverfront Trail is happening tomorrow. Details at the end of this edition,

**This week while walking in Irishtown Park, Dale Pugh spotted several Eastern Phoebes and witnessed one checking out a hole in an old tree. She also found a small patch of Mayflowers (Trailing Arbutus) along the side of the road near the park.
(Editor’s note: the beautiful flowers of this early spring plant were once often gathered as floral bouquets and often appeared in outdoor markets. This practice is discouraged today as it has led to the once common plant being much less commonly encountered.)

On Thursday Dale travelled to Cap-Lumiere with some fellow birders and had the pleasure of seeing a male Indigo Bunting recently spotted by a birder in the area. They observed the bird feeding in grass along the side of the road, as well as perching in bushes.

On Friday Dale had the opportunity to see a male Summer Tanager which has been visiting the suet feeder at a home outside of Amherst. In speaking with the homeowner, Dale learned that the tanager is a frequent visitor and believed to have come up the coast during a recent wind storm.

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins was sitting by her pond, getting photos of the American Goldfinches who were bathing in the streambed, when a bigger bird flew into her view which was a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The female was there earlier in the week. Also, while sitting out, she watched 5 Turkey Vultures fly by.

She was also able to see the Northern Cardinal pair in some mating behavior (the male was feeding the female).

** Lance Harris took note of and photographed a different-looking moss while on a walk in Dieppe that was unfamiliar to Lance. The editor called for a consultation with our New Brunswick bryophyte guru Bruce Bagnall. Bruce’s Interesting reply is quoted below:

“This one is quite different, and it grows on the trunks and branches of mainly hardwood trees, although if the humidity is high enough, also on some spruce or fir trees. The leaves are curled or twisted and the sporophytes barely rise above the plants. This moss is Ulota crispula. Not long ago this was known as Ulota crispa, but that species only occurs in Europe, and what was called Ulota crispa in eastern North America is now divided into two species, U. crispula and U. intermedia.”
(Editor’s note: we like to put common names on items to make them more naturalist-friendly. The only common name I could locate was Crisped Pincushion which will be used in this instance.)

**Brian Coyle managed to get out to a couple of trail cameras on Saturday and has 2 videos to share. The first video shows a Beaver bringing mud up onto the dam and then stomping on it to pack it. In the second video, about 20 minutes later, the Beaver raises its tail to deposit castor to the scent mound. Brian walked by this scent mound while checking another camera and the odour was unmistakable.

(Editors note: some guides refer to this distinct castor odour which is emitted from anal glands as resembling that of a horse barn.)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7bwgtco6jn7tkprr3hwy5/IMG_0001-Copy-8.MP4?rlkey=elfw9c87ypl18rwbk08l8bla4&st=j0lrciey&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8lsbbys53nw8a933rdovo/IMG_0002-Copy-6.MP4?rlkey=0hy0diheoxlmkz13db1a8rd1r&st=fhbie1gq&dl=0

**Brian Coyle also got a very interesting video of a Pileated Woodpecker drumming in his backyard. The woodpecker has chosen this hollow tree with an opening right beside where he is drumming. This makes it a very effective drum!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1om1nt7n4ylnzazgd9yo5/DSCN1977.MOV?rlkey=apd2rbjafwwlk5cztggon1rsm&st=60zm6gnu&dl=0

**Theresa McCready and Don Lutes have been seeing a very dark-plumaged Red Fox near their Cambridge Narrows site. Don was able to get a video of the animal which he shares at the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fla0jng3cetevon7wgnxt/Black-Fox-Don-Lutes.AVI?rlkey=bf8qdbuxhlnhc5h1omyjuwg7h&st=xjhe2fbw&dl=0

(Editor’s note: this is assumed to be an escapee from a domestic fox ranch where interbreeding with the Red Fox and the Black Red Fox produced what was known as the Silver Fox. The animal in Don’s video could be a direct escapee or an animal that received the recessive gene from a Red Fox x Silver Fox wild cross. These dark foxes are rarely seen in New Brunswick now but are much more commonly seen in Prince Edward Island. Editor’s comments stand to be corrected.)

**Earth Day Riverfront Cleanup

Sunday, April 21, from 2-4 pm

Meeting place: Moncton’s Riverfront trail at the Moncton Press Club, 160 Assumption Blvd.
Leader: Conservation Action Committee's
A few Nature Moncton members were recently on Moncton’s Riverfront trail to clean out nest boxes and noticed a lot of garbage. So, we’re going to take action to help clean up the environment and habitat for trail users, marsh wildlife, and our beloved downtown Peregrine Falcons!
You are invited to a Riverfront cleanup on Sunday, April 21, from 2-4 pm. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and footwear, your Nature Moncton name tag, and bring work gloves. This initiative is in conjunction with the City of Moncton’s Earth week cleanup. The City will provide garbage bags and non-latex gloves to wear over our work gloves.
All ages are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton