NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
Dec 17, 2024
Nature
Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and
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**Andrew Darcy shares an excellent roundup of
what he and Jessica Belanger-Mainville encountered as they scoured zone E for
the Moncton Christmas Bird Count.
Andrew comments, “The wind was brisk, but lack of snow on the ground made for great conditions to participate in the recent Moncton Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 14th. Jessica Belanger-Mainville and I did zone E, which includes Wilson's marsh and the area east of it. We tallied 24 species total and the highlight was definitely a Barred Owl that we stumbled across while attempting to drive down DeLong Drive. This is apparently the 4th time this species has been tallied on a Moncton CBC and the only one this count, so I was very happy to get that bird! The boisterous and aggressive mobbing of the local Bluejays and Black-capped Chickadees alerted us to the owl's presence. Sadly, no photographs were taken as it was only a brief encounter, but one that will leave lasting memories indeed.
Birds seemed to be well dispersed in general, and it didn't seem like the diversity was as high as in previous years from zone E anyhow; the cumulative count numbers say otherwise, though. May have just been that I missed some usual suspects. Other highlight birds include several White-breasted Nuthatch (4), American Robin (1 of only 2 from the count), and a gorgeous Pine Warbler that appears to be staying in the same location for the past 3 years."
Andrew also attaches photographs of the latest
celebrity bird in our area which is a Harris's Sparrow that was found in Westcock during the Sackville Christmas Bird Count. The last time this species was
reported in NB was in 2018 in Saint George and in 2017 in Paquetville.
Andrew went to look for the bird for about an
hour before sunset on Saturday with several other birders but had no luck. The
next morning, Burke Korol reported that he had seen the sparrow in the rose
bush behind the feeders after about an hour of waiting and that the bird was
fairly shy. After that report, many local birders flocked to the location, and
after an hour or two of diligently searching and waiting, the bird was spotted
in some bushes across the road from where it was being seen at the feeders. Eventually
the bird did come back to the feeders and put on a brief show for some happy
birders. What a beautiful bird, indeed. It was also Andrew’s 295th species for NB!
Several birders searched for it today, Monday,
December 16th, with no luck sadly. Not to say it isn't still around somewhere
but with the lack of snow cover and generally warmer temperatures and mild
weather, it may have moved on. The bird was loosely associating with some
American Tree Sparrows and was coming to ground feed at some feeders behind civic
#484 New Brunswick route 935.
(Editor's note: lots of photos, but we just don't get the opportunity to enjoy this sparrow species very often!)
**Georges Brun was near the train trestle at
Salisbury on Sunday, observing 32 Common Mergansers, 42 Canada Geese, and 30+ Mallard Ducks enjoying the open water. One Bald Eagle was monitoring
the action. Four Crows were enjoying bathing themselves in the
partly fresh water. There were a dozen+ other birds in the area, but
Georges was not certain of the species, creating a very active area of bird
activity.
Georges also photographed a juvenile and an adult
Bald Eagle just past the eagle nest at Llangollen Road (across
from the mouth of Turtle Creek).
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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