Nature Moncton Nature News: March 26 2015

** Louise Nichols got some very up close photos of one of her resident RUFFED GROUSE that elected to forage on the buds of a near deck cherry tree on Wednesday. Also Louise got a striking photo of a BOHEMIAN WAXWING, however it looks like it has picked its larder very clean.

** Marlene Hickman was longing to get to see BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS after all the photos and reports recently. Her reward for patience arrived on Wednesday morning when she caught view of a BOHEMIAN WAXWING chowing down on a clinging apple in her Dorchester yard to soon have kin arrive to have six contentedly foraging.

**The photo group that Dave Miller and I met at the Cardwell Farm site have shared several EAGLE photos. We are in the process of assigning suggested age classes to them and will share them in a few days. There was no GOLDEN EAGLE among their photos so far but one photographer who said she was very familiar with GOLDEN EAGLES felt very strongly that she saw one that would not cooperate for photographic proof.

** After hearing Dave Christie's sighting of RED CROSSBILLS on Caledonia Mtn. Brian Stone and I headed out on a quick sleuthing mission on Wednesday afternoon to be very rewarded by spotting 35-40 with several stops. With the warm temperatures we found it easiest to drive slowly along the road and listen for some vocalizing. When heard some would drop-down onto the road and take grit. It was interesting to watch how they would often lay their beaks sideways on the roadway to pick up bits of gravel. There seemed to be a predominance of males. I'm not sure if it's the case but the beaks of the females seemed notably larger than the males. Yes we went overboard with pictures but the experience with this not often seen bird almost seeming happy to see us was hard not to overdo.

>> Nelson Poirier,

>> Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca