Nature Moncton Nature
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**Karen
Burris awakened husband, Jamie, at 1:00 am recently and said, “Jamie, there is an owl
in the backyard!” Jamie got up, went for the camera, and quickly shot through
the back patio door. It must have seen him through the window as it took to the
wing in a southerly direction. This is the second great horned owl they have
seen around their Riverview yard, the other in Dec, 2022, and the 3rd owl they have seen there. There was a northern saw-whet owl in Jamie’s yard in 2023.
On
Jan 4th, Jamie looked out the front window at sundown and saw a flock of Bohemian
waxwings in the fading light, about 400 m to the SW. They flew down to a tree
he could not see and then back up to the large maple they were perched in. I
assume the lower tree had some fruit of their liking. Well, didn't they
show up in their front yard mountain ash tree the very next day! Jamie got a
few nice photos out of the picture window.
It
seems the American goldfinches like the sumac berries
as well, as Jamie observed a flock of six enjoying the seeds.
Also,
they still have northern cardinals roaming along the park fence line of the
property, along with all the other common patrons.
**On Monday, Brian Stone went to Walker Rd. (near
Sackville) and walked two trails there. He didn't see any wildlife to
photograph, but he did find a relatively large, 8-inch hole dug in the ice-covered
snow beside one trail that indicates some predator was searching for its prey.
The ice-crusted surface of the snow held no tracks or wing imprints, so the identity of the
digger is uncertain.
After walking the trails, Brian drove around
the Tantramar Marsh, where he managed to photograph a female northern
harrier hunting, and saw a distant rough-legged hawk hovering while also hunting
and saw a few common ravens but nothing more.
The Sun was setting before he left the marsh, and the
formations of clouds along the horizon and the haze of tiny ice crystals in the
air resulted in the appearance of a tall sun pillar (or light pillar)
that stretched up into the sky above the Sun.
Before
Brian left home in the morning, he was treated to a visit from a group of at
least 80 bohemian waxwings that had stopped for a rest in his large
maple tree. Brian has been driving around Moncton and the surrounding areas
several times in the last few weeks searching for the often-reported flock
of waxwings, but did not expect to finally find them in his own yard as he was
getting into his car to go out on another search. Always look up!
**Brian
Stone recently photographed a tree where a section of the bark appeared aged, with the rest of the tree bark looking normal. Several other trees in the area, appearing to be maple species, had the same anomaly.
Doug Hiltz at the Maritime College of Forest Technology identified it as a burl and gave the excellent explanation quoted below:
“
It is either the beginnings of a burl (essentially a tree tumour), usually
caused by a bacterial infection, or some type of swollen canker (bark wound)
caused by a fungal infection. In either case, cell growth accelerates, causing
increased layers of tissue build up and/or cells swell so bark thickens and starts
to get cracks and furrows because the inner tissues are getting bigger and the
outer layers of bark (dead phloem tissue) don’t have the ability to expand to
accommodate them (think of a sausage on a barbecue). It is indeed essentially
the same thing that happens as the tree ages and grows, so burls and cankers
often have the appearance of more mature trees.”
**Lisa
Morris has encountered a raven numerous times on her walks. On Monday morning,
it landed 10 ft from them (including our dog). Coincidentally, every
time I said hello, it opened its beak a bit and made this sound and slightly
expanded its wings. Lisa thought she had recorded several repetitions on video,
but obviously hit the wrong button and only had the one recording (note to
self, check video before leaving the scene!) As they continued their walk, they
could hear the bird continue to vocalize for at least a block away. Lisa was
curious as to what it may have been communicating. Would this be a mating
ritual (or too early)?
(Editor’s
note: Ravens will soon start to pair bond by doing noticeable flight
maneuvers. I doubt this would be associated with a mating ritual, as no mate
is involved, but only the raven knows for sure!
The
video is short but very worth taking note of. Ravens are considered very
intelligent birds, and one could be certain there is a good reason for this
activity.
Ravens
croak and crows caw!)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
