Nature Moncton Nature News: April 4 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 4, 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 the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com 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

****Aldo Dorio sends some photos of a male Ring-necked Duck on the Tabusintac River.

Aldo’s photo clearly shows the two white rings on the bill of the male whereas the female only has one white bill ring. The distinctive vertical white bar on the front side (arrowed) is another signature mark of the male. The cinnamon lower neck collar of the male, from which it gets its name, is not often a prominent feature.

Aldo also photographed a White-tailed Deer looking in excellent spring condition after an easy winter.

**Brian Stone had an outing in Fundy National Park on Monday and took a few photos of some of the life he saw there. Not many birds have returned to our natural areas yet, but Brian did photograph one of the returned American Robins working hard to extract a tasty earthworm from the lawn area around the main visitor centre at the park. Many lawns and fields passed along the way to the park were crowded with robins just back from their southerly vacation. Brian also shows one of the park Song Sparrows singing its introduction to any and all others that might be nearby.

Canada Geese were in McLaren Pond and a male Pileated Woodpecker was testing all the trees in the area for snacks. Also in the trees were a couple of Downy Woodpeckers doing the same while enjoying the clear weather. Some lichens and Pussy Willows were noted, along with a precariously balanced beaver-chewed tree. A Woolly Bear Caterpillar gave the impression that it had just thawed out of the ice on one of the trails.

At Waterside Brian photographed a couple of the 6 Great Blue Herons he saw in the marsh.

At Highland Park in Salisbury the day before, he took pictures of a Muskrat happily chewing on some fresh-looking green plant stems.

(Editor’s note: the clear white portion of the claws of the muskrat shows nicely in one of Brian’s photos.)

** There are 2 events planned for this coming Saturday, April 6.

The group walk along the Riverfront Trail in Moncton to look for signs of spring and do an inspection and clean out the bird boxes placed there last spring will begin at 10 o’clock.

On the same day, the popular BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS event will take place at the Harvey Hall.

The write-up and poster for these events are at the end of this edition.

If the weather holds out as it is now forecast for Monday, April 8, Nature Moncton will gather in the yard of Nelson Poirier’s camp near Miramichi which happens to be in the path of solar eclipse totality. The write-up and directions are on the website at www.naturemoncton.com under upcoming events and will be on Nature News later in the week when weather predictions are closer.

Riverfront Trail and Nest Box Cleaning Outing

Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 9:45 AM

Press Club parking lot, 160 Assomption Blvd

Leader: Fred Richards

We are inviting you to join us for a walk along the Riverfront trail in Moncton. Weather permitting, the event will take place on April 6, 2024, starting at 10:00 a.m. The trail is well maintained and is easy walking with only a couple of hills. It will be about three kilometers one way but we will park at both ends so we do not need to walk back. Last year we were quite impressed with the number of interesting things we saw, and expect this year to be no different.

Last April, Nature Moncton installed 25 nesting boxes along the Riverfront trail and now these boxes will need to be inspected and cleaned out. We will be doing this as we go along. Footwear will be weather dependent but if you are planning to assist with the nest boxes you will want it to be waterproof.

We will meet at the Press Club parking lot, 160 Assomption Blvd, Moncton, at 9:45 am. We will take a few minutes before the walk to coordinate our efforts. All ages are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not. We hope to see you there!