NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
April 24, 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
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respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line
editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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Louise Nichols at Nicholsl@eastlink.ca if
any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
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Proofreading
courtesy of Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
To
view the live feed of the Peregrine Falcon nest cam on the summit of Assumption
Place in Moncton, go to:
**Deana and Peter Gadd, along with Sonya Hinds, spent a
couple of hours at Miramichi Marsh on Wednesday. Notable returned birds
included a palm warbler, a yellow-rumped warbler, and about 18 tree swallows,
all to be expected, as were a pied-billed grebe and a “calling” American bittern.
What was not expected was the soon-to-be-departing Bohemian waxwings having
a communal bath, perhaps in preparation for travelling.
Back at home, Deana and Peter received a visit from four chipping sparrows, which was interesting as they are presently also hosting three American
tree sparrows. The two sparrow species did not seem to want to share
a feeder, but eventually one of each species was at the same feeder for a few
moments; perhaps, being on opposite sides, they were not aware of each other.
The resulting photo allows for a good comparison of their similar appearance.
Some of the other feeder birds at the Gadd's include a group of brown-headed cowbirds,
a white-throated Sparrow, and seed-sharing courting northern cardinals.
**Elden Cormier in Dorchester got a surprise
on Wednesday when he looked out and found a turkey vulture roosting on his
Nature Moncton nest box. Not an expected cavity nester and suspect it would
have been sent on its way quickly had any tree swallows been in the area!
**Norbert Dupuis shares more of the special moments with
his yard bird patrons as they interact.
He captured a male downy woodpecker and song
sparrow in an apparent deep discussion, as well as two male evening
grosbeaks. A white throated sparrow was at full attention, and a mourning
dove was puffed out, giving its ‘mourning’ vocalization.
**As Brian Coyle was cooking his supper at a cottage in Cape Breton, he witnessed a pair of common loons come in
for a landing on the river, opposite his location.
They landed about 100 meters apart and about 75 meters
from Brian. He quickly grabbed his feeble "bridge" camera and went
out to take some photos.
The loon in the lead began to preen immediately. It was
interesting to observe that it would dip its beak in the water repeatedly and
clearly use this water to aid in its preening, behaviour that Brian had never
witnessed before.
The loon in the rear was using its downward-facing
"periscope" to look for fish before diving.
**Brian Stone shares more photos taken on Tuesday from the Hampton lagoons and surrounding areas. More tree swallows posed for the
camera, as well as a pied-billed grebe and a song sparrow. A
spikey bristle fly (tachinid fly) was exploring a small patch of
coltsfoot flowers and seemed content to stay in that spot as long as Brian
watched.
An active brown creeper was creeping up rough tree
trunks quickly searching for treats. Along Norton Shore Road, a pair of common
mergansers rested on a rock near the shore. Downy woodpeckers and eastern
phoebes were foraging in pairs and performing noisy mating rituals in the
trees. A northern harrier hawk flew overhead at one spot and hovered
long enough for a distant photo.
Also at the lagoons, Brian got photos of a male and female pair of American
wigeons, a male and female pair of bufflehead ducks, a few photos of
some of the many yellow-rumped warblers now foraging around the ponds,
and his first photos of ruby-crowned kinglets that he found this season.
Also, photos of one of the commonly present muskrats that favour living
in the ponds.
**One of Nelson Poirier’s Nature Moncton nest boxes shares
its site on a utility pole to accommodate the upcoming national election. It
could mean unwanted attention to the nest site for upcoming patrons, but expect
the shared exposure to be temporary!
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
