Nature Moncton Nature News: 2024-04-14

Saturday, 20 April 2024

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

INDIGO BUNTING. APRIL 19, 2024. DALE PUGH

EASTERN PHOEBE. APRIL 19, 2024. DALE PUGH

SCARLET TANAGER (MALE) APRIL 19, 2024. DALE PUGH.

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. APRIL 19, 2024. SYBIL WENTZELL

NORTHERN CARDINALS (PAIR COURTING). APRIL 19, 2024. JANE LEBLANC

NORTHERN CARDINAL (FEMALE) APRIL 19, 2024. JANE LEBLANC

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (MALE). APRIL 19, 2024. JANE LEBLANC

PURPLE FINCH (possibly 1st spring male). APRIL 19, 2024. SYBIL WENTZELL

TRAILING ARBUTUS (MAYFLOWER). APRIL 18, 2024. DALE PUGH

CRISPED PINCUSHION MOSS (ULOTA CRISPULA). APRIL 19, 2024. LANCE HARRIS

Friday, 19 April 2024

April 19 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 19, 2024

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

**Frank branch in Paquetville was pleased to host a male Indigo Bunting at his feeders on Thursday that stayed with him all day and made many alerted birders very happy.

The Indigo Bunting is an uncommon breeder in New Brunswick. The breeding bird atlas has several squares as probable and confirmed.

(Editor’s note: the editor stands to be corrected on confirmed breeding status. The Indigo Bunting has pleasingly become an uncommon but regular New Brunswick visitor.)

** Moira Lawrence has a surprising number of the ephemeral plant Bloodroot ready to burst into their temporary above-ground bloom for the spring show.

(Editor’s note: Bloodroot is often found in woodland riverine locations making Moira’s yard display special. The above-ground floral beauty of Bloodroot will suddenly disappear as fast as it came, to leave an underground rhizome and leaves with all the information to reappear next spring.)

Moira also has Daphne bursting into bloom in her yard. The Daphne is very old having been present for a long time to make its colourful early spring appearance.

**Susan and Fred Richards are having a very lively few days with birds arriving to their Taylor Village property.

The double rainbow that Memramcook Valley enjoyed on the evening of April 15 gave a beautiful backdrop.

Some of their bird visitors included the beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak that joined a pair of Northern Cardinals that have been present since last fall. A male Evening Grosbeak dropped by to make it known it was another colourful grosbeak species. The sunflower feeder has became a hotspot for Purple Finches, American Goldfinch, and Black-capped Chickadees.

At their yard pond are a pair of Canada Geese with a pair of American Wigeons dropping in every few days. They have been hearing Spring Peepers every night for about 3 days now.

Spring has arrived at Taylor Village!

**Norbert Dupuis in Memramcook has been hosting a duo of female Northern Cardinals for 155 consecutive days up to April 15.

On Thursday morning, Norbert was bringing one of the feeders inside until next winter, and he threw some remaining safflower and sunflower seeds on his walkway to be very pleased to have a male Northern Cardinal arrive to join a female for the first time to make family-planning nearby a possibility.

**When Barb Curlew went to visit her friend in Dennis Beach, Albert County she was very surprised to see a Wild Turkey walking around her friend's yard. No one was home at that time and they were not able to relocate it later.

(Editors’ note: labelling turkeys as wild and not feral escapees in areas outside of Sussex or the border with Maine is still controversial, but I suspect it’s going to happen sooner or later if it hasn’t already.)

**Jane LeBlanc had a White-breasted Nuthatch in her St. Martins yard on Thursday. She doesn't have them nearly as often as the Red-breasted Nuthatch.

**Aldo Dorio was surprised to photograph a late remaining Snow Bunting at Hay Island on Thursday showing its breeding plumage. We don’t often get to see the Snow Bunting in full breeding plumage still present in New Brunswick at this time of year.

Aldo also noticed a pair of Osprey are making reparations to their nest to get family planning underway at Hay Island.

**Friday has arrived already and it's our day to review what next week’s night sky may have in store for us, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 April 20 – April 27
When people see a telescope that doesn’t look like it came from a department store, they often ask how far you can see with it. The answer is difficult to explain and even more difficult to comprehend. Sometimes I just say “way far” and hope they don’t press for details.

This weekend the brightest object in the evening sky is the Moon, near its farthest at about 400,000 kilometres. The next brightest object is Jupiter, currently at 888 million kilometres and receding. Uranus, possibly visible in binoculars nearby, will be 3 billion km away. Light travels at 300,000 km per second, so at 150 million km the Sun is a distance of 500 light seconds away. The Moon is a tad more than one light second away, Jupiter is 49 light minutes, and Uranus about 170 light minutes.

The brightest star we see in the evening now is still Sirius, the closest star we can see from New Brunswick at 8.6 light years (ly). The next brightest is Arcturus and it is 37 ly or 350 trillion kilometres. Polaris, the North Star, is about 400 ly away; and Alnilam, the middle star of Orion’s belt, is 2000 light years. If you are under a dark sky well before morning twilight you might get a naked eye glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy at a distance of 2.5 million light years. Binoculars will reveal galaxies even more distant, but at what point do these distances become incomprehensible and “way far” is a reasonable answer?

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:23 and sunset will occur at 8:13, giving 13 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (6:29 and 8:17 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:11 and set at 8:22, giving 14 hours, 11 minutes of daylight (6:18 and 8:26 in Saint John).

The Moon is near Spica in Virgo on Monday, it is full on Tuesday, and is seen near Antares in Scorpius on Friday. Saturn rises around 4:50 midweek, an hour before Mercury but just 20 minutes before Mars. Jupiter is low in the west in evening twilight and binoculars might reveal Uranus within the same binocular view to its right. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Monday morning, with shooting stars emanating from near the bright star Vega high in the southeast.

On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton

INDIGO BUNTING (MALE). APRIL 18, 2024. FRANK BRANCH

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. APR. 18, 2024. SUSAN RICHARDS

SNOW BUNTING. APRIL 18, 2024. ALDO DORIO

NORTHERN CARDINAL (PAIR). APRIL 18. 2024. NORBERT DUPUIS

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). APRIL 18. 2024. NORBERT DUPUIS

EVENING GROSBEAK (MALE). APR. 18, 2024. SUSAN RICHARDS

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. APRIL 18, 2024. JANE LEBLANC

WILD TURKEY. APRIL 17, 2024. BARB CURLEW

PURPLE FINCH (MALE AND FEMALE) AND AMERICAN GOLDFINCH AT FEEDER. APRIL 14, 2024. SUSAN RICHARDS

OSPREY. APRIL 18, 2024. ALDO DORIO

BLOODROOT. APRIL 18, 2024. MOIRA LAWRENCE

DAPHNE, APRIL 18, 2024. MOIRA LAWRENCE

Sunday at 9 pm

Thursday, 18 April 2024

April 18 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 18, 2024

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

**Lance Harris visited Highland Park in Salisbury and noted a community of Muskrats very actively foraging on what appeared to be old-growth cattails but one can be assured that the emerging roots were fresh and very delectable to muskrats.

(Editor's note: the cattail root/shoot is a popular spring edible with some folks, often compared to asparagus. The editor has sampled this in restaurants but asparagus wins the contest in his opinion!)

** Shannon Inman's photo of a Red-belted Polypore mushroom did not insert in the photo lineup in yesterday’s edition. I am adding it today as it is an excellent photo to recognize this mushroom species.

**The very pleasant Bloodroot plant is one of our spring ephemeral plants that are suddenly starting to burst into beautiful bloom at the moment and will soon disappear completely above ground level and not be seen until this time next spring.

Gart Bishop shares a photo of a Bloodroot he noted on the banks of the Kennebecasis River just below their house in Apohaqui. He had searched the day before and could find no evidence of them, so the photo indicates one day's growth, which is notably impressive.

The Bloodroot leaves will fold over the flower on cool nights and cloudy days to protect it, bursting forth when the Sun shines.

**On Wednesday, after a photo shoot with a mosquito on his back deck, Brian Stone drove to Memramcook to check out the Arthur St./Grand Pre St. lagoon for any new arrivals. He found it to still be populated by mainly large numbers of Ring-necked Ducks with some scaup (too distant to ID), a couple of Gadwall Ducks, one pair of Northern Pintail Ducks, and several Black Scoters.

After Memramcook, Brian stopped in at Mapleton Park and increased his photo numbers with Canada Geese, Black-capped Chickadees, and Song Sparrows.

Brian had a tie for "bird of the day" with a colourful male Wood Duck and a curious male Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the main pond. We don't often get to see that small patch of red on the crown of the male bird.

Also at the main pond, Brian noticed the large, bright pink flowering Daphne shrub (Daphne mezereum).

(Editor’s note: this plant was brought from Europe by early settlers due to the brilliant floral show it produces in very early spring and is therefore sometimes found around old homesteads. It produces a bright red cluster of berries. Unfortunately, both the flowers and berries are toxic to humans.)

Brian shares a link below on this plant that is not cultivated today due to its toxic principles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_mezereum

Also at Mapleton Park, Brian photographed the newly opening buds of the Red Elderberry plant and saw that the Beaver dam on Hall's Creek near the Gorge Rd entrance had a breached section that was causing a strong rush of water that was eroding a large scoop out of the side of the bank beside it.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton