Nature Moncton Nature News: February 10, 2015

** Claude and Judy Léger at 36 Portage Vale Road have had the return of a BROWN THRASHER [Moqueur roux] to Judy’s home-made suet, seed, peanut butter and oatmeal blend. They are also getting an excellent turnout of other species, including WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine blanche] and PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré].

** At 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Louise Richard noted 300-400 AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] flying from the Petitcodiac River to the area around the subway on Main Street, appearing that they would roost there for the night.

** Brian Stone got an excellent photo of wing imprints of a probable hawk on the snow near his yard bird feeder.

** Louise Nichols came across a group of SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique] tracks in the snow on Sunday that at one point shows what appeared to be a double wing imprint that suggests that a large raptor or owl may have preyed upon a hare. Louise also got a nice photo of her NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic flamboyant] that shows the striking yellow undertail.

** On Sunday three of us made a pilgrimage to Kathleen Spicer’s in Apple River, Nova Scotia, to be rewarded immediately with the FIELDFARE [Grive litorne] in its favourite apple tree, very much enjoying its private apple supply. This bird has had a lot of visitors from New Brunswick.

A stop at the Tantramar Marsh found a mixed flock of predominantly HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col] with some SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] and at least four LAPLAND LONGSPURS [Bruant lapon]. The High Marsh Road was not ploughed on Sunday and was impassable to vehicles.

A farm in the Maccan area [near Amherst] had a group of gulls very attracted to silage; they included ICELAND GULLS [Goéland arctique], HERRING GULLS [Goéland argenté], and GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland marin] in different year classes. That farm also had HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col] present. Some photos are attached.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca