NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
March 6 2025
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 and proofreader Louise Nichols at 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
**The write-up on the bird feeder tour scheduled
for this Saturday is at the end of this message and upfront on Friday.
On a recent visit to Kent County, Dale Pugh, Judy Cairns, and Marbeth Wilson watched a northern shrike surveying for food from the tops of tall trees. There were bird feeders in the vicinity. A flock of snow buntings foraged in the snow nearby.
In Bouctouche, they came upon an immature red-tailed hawk perched
low next to a pond frequented by ducks.
The hawk was wet, and the pond was empty of ducks, so they assumed it
made an unsuccessful attempt to capture a meal. Once the hawk left, the ducks returned to
the pond.
(Editor's note: it will soon be time to listen for the
spring vocalization of the northern shrike in the short time frame it can be
heard in New Brunswick. It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right
time. The vocalization is not harmonious but very distinct.)
**John Inman’s resident barred owl was sitting in
the cedars and quickly turned to hunt, which made the photos a little blurry,
but you can see the legs, which John (and the rest of us) do not often get to see
as they are usually sitting. They look
large, able, and booted.
**Three hikers, Jim Johnson, Bill McBeath, and Don Ervin,
hiked into the Parlee Brook Amphitheatre Trail, getting some
photographic memories of their visit. Directions are available at https://www.hikingnb.ca/Trails/FundyEast/Amphitheatre.html.
Jim strongly recommends it. It is 6 km. in and out and can easily be missed.
Jim comments that the last half km. is icy and proper footwear is indicated.
(Editor’s note: this trail is in the Sussex area.)
This message is repeated today and removed from
yesterday’s edition as the format of the photos has been converted to attach in the photo line-up today.
**Brian Stone visited his daughter again on Wednesday
evening to attempt to help her with her American crow roosting problem.
He downloaded a file of a crow distress warning calls, and when the hundreds of
crows returned to their trees, he went outside and played it loud through an
external speaker. After just one short 3-second play, the crows fled the scene
and moved away to a wooded area nearby. They did not return as of the writing
of this post.
(Editor’s note: Brian’s wisdom in solving the problem
will be recommended to the Academy!)
**Nature Moncton has some feeders and Mason bee houses
for sale. (Photos below)
Fred and Lynn Dube have been busy this winter and have
made some wonderful feeders and mason bee houses. They are very well made and
quite attractive. These items are for sale, and all the proceeds go to Nature
Moncton. The seed feeders are $35.00 for members and $40.00 for
non-members. The suet feeders are $20.00 each, and the mason bee
houses are $10.00. To purchase any of these items, please contact Nelson
Poirier at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Thank you to Fred and Lynn Dube for these wonderful items.
**NATURE MONCTON BIRD FEEDER TOUR
Saturday, March 8, 2025 (with a weather date of Saturday, March 15, 2025)
Nature Moncton’s annual bird feeder tour will take place on Saturday, March 8th.
Participants are asked to meet at 8:30 AM at the Superstore on
Main Street near the Dollarama. Carpooling can be discussed at that time.
The first stop will be the Richards in Taylor Village to see the many birds in
their well-stocked feeder yard while socializing over a delicious pot-luck
breakfast. Participants are asked to bring food contributions, and if your
contribution is not fully consumed, please take the leftovers on to the final
stop, and if still leftovers, take them home with you. After leaving
the Richards’, the group will travel to Memramcook and the home of Yolande and
Eudor Leblanc and hopefully see some of the great assortment of patrons that
regularly hang out there. Next, we go on to Fred and Lynn Dube’s in Lower
Coverdale. We will end the afternoon at
Nelson Poirier’s back in Moncton for further socializing over coffee/tea and
snacks. Come and enjoy a day with fellow birding enthusiasts along with the
excitement of seeing what turns up at the visited feeders.
Due to space restrictions, we will
have to limit the number of people attending so please contact Fred Richards at
506-334-0100 or email fred.j.richards@gmail.com to reserve a spot.
(Use this
number any time during the day to find out where the group is and join in)
There is now
room for members and non-members to register.
A map of the
itinerary of feeder yards to be visited is at the link below:
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
