Nature Moncton Nature News: March 1 2015

** Attila Fust has had a RUSTY BLACKBIRD [Quiscale rouilleux] dropping by his Saint-Marie-de-Kent feeder yard intermittently for some time now. He got documentary photos on Saturday, and from reviewing the Sibley Guide he feels it most closely resembles an adult female in winter, non-breeding plumage. There have been a few reports of Rusty Blackbirds this winter.

** Anne Marsch had a pleasant visit of 5 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] to her Lower Coverdale yard on Saturday morning. They were foraging on Winterberry [Houx verticillé] fruit and drank from the heated bird waterer. On Friday, Anne had 4 EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant], 3 males and a female, make a brief stop.

** Nancy Haney shares a photo of a NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL [Grand Polatouche] that struck the house window with a very loud thud. It nicely shows how the patagium, the loose skin that allows the squirrel to glide, is attached to the leg just behind the paw.

Paul LeBlanc also got some nice close-up photos of flying squirrels that come to his camp, every night that he is there, for peanut butter and sunflower seeds put out especially for them. They arrive just as dusk is complete. Note the large eyes, small ears and the broad tail in Paul’s photos.

** Brian Stone leaves some photos from the past few days, including a male HOUSE SPARROW [Moineau domestique] spotted along Main Street [Moncton]. Fortunately for our native species, this sparrow is low in numbers in the area.

Brian photographed the huge snow piles near the Via Rail station in Moncton, as several others were also doing on Saturday. The ducks are still very much waiting for handouts at Mapleton Park.

Brian also shares a link to a site that is issuing an alert that a display of northern lights that may occur from this weekend up to Tuesday.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/heads-up-canada-northern-lights-will-take-over-the-skies-this-weekend/46322/.

** Brian Coyle and I spent an afternoon snowshoeing a woodlot and woodland edge off Lower Mountain Road on Saturday. There were lots of signs of activity in the soft snow. Many RUFFED GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] holes in the snow showed their exit and entrance routes. We were hoping to see some making dramatic exits, as Brian had seen a few days before. Some well-travelled COYOTE [Coyote] trails were noted, also weasel [belette] trails and grouse trails, but no sign of SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique] or WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie].

A very interesting cedar bog is in the area, that needs to be explored for orchids in June. JACK PINE [Pin gris] seeds were noted in the snow at one location. A mystery, a two and a half foot mark in the snow that was not associated with any burrow and was fairly shallow. Any comments on that photo would be appreciated.

A mature RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à queue rousse] was spotted, effortlessly circling high over a field on thermals. It was very cold, but the brilliant seasonal sun was awesome.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca