Nature Moncton Nature News: May 3 2015

** Dave Christie had a first-summer male BLUE GROSBEAK [Guiraca bleu] visit his Mary's Point feeder yard at least four times on Saturday. This is a special visitor to New Brunswick, but does not breed here. Dave also had an influx of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune], seeing 10-15 in a short walk in the area, also 30 SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] were feeding around the interpretive centre, as well as some at the beach and 3 at his feeders.

Dave heard his first SPRING PEEPER [Rainette crucifère] vocalizing four times from some trees by the marsh early Saturday afternoon, and another, calling almost continuously near his yard pond in the evening. He also heard the whistle of migrant BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse noire] on the bay, and occasionally a GREAT HORNED OWL [Grand-duc d'Amérique] in the woods, but no word heard from the local WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois].

** In March and April Richard Blacquiere gets an excellent opportunity to observe SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] coming to seed just metres from the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory. Richard has prepare a beautiful photo collage of the three subspecies represented and where they are headed. Richard’s excellent review follows:

”There are many described subspecies of Savannah Sparrow, but with overlap
and intergradations where the subspecies border each other. Given
the geographic ranges of the various subspecies, I suspect there are three
we could reasonably expect to occur at Point Lepreau during migration.

Attached is a collage of 3 photos which I think represent the subspecies of
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) that stop at Point Lepreau.

The very pale one at the top is P. S. princeps, formerly Ipswich Sparrow,
the Sable Island variety of Savannah Sparrow.

The middle, intermediate in colour, is most likely P. S. savanna, the
summertime breeding Savannah Sparrow of the Maritimes.

The bottom bird, the darkest of all, I think corresponds to the descriptions
of P. s. labradorius, the subspecies that breeds from Newfoundland to
northern Ontario.
Probably not all birds can be assigned a subspecific status with confidence.
A single bird in the field would be tricky. But the feeding aggregations we
see at the Point provide a good opportunity for side-by-side comparisons.”

** John Filliter and Clevie paid a visit to the SKUNK CABBAGE patch in Upper Cape on Saturday. Some of the plants are opening nicely to show the spadix inside. John also got a value-added bonus, capturing a photo of a Greater Yellowlegs

** Oscar LeBlanc has many TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] nest boxes at his ideal swallow site along the Buctouche River at Sainte-Marie-de-Kent. He reports that it was very slow until four appeared on Friday, and 35 on Saturday. He comments that it was like an aerial festival of activity on Saturday. There were many other reports of Tree Swallows, but time does not permit their mention individually.

** There seems to be a lot of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune] dropping by yards, sometimes just paying a visit, some going to suet. Susan Richards had a bright male in her Taylor Village yard on Saturday and a I had a brief visit from a colourful male on Saturday afternoon as well.

** Clarence Cormier had a real spike in activity at his Grande-Digue site on Saturday, with swelling numbers of the expected regulars, and new arrivals being a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic maculé] male, and special was a tame PINE WARBLER [Paruline des pins] at the suet block, and male and female RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS [Roitelet à couronne rubis] at the suet as well. Clarence was surprised at the raptor activity in the area, that included adult and immature NORTHERN GOSHAWKS [Autour des palombes], NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin] and others that he was not certain of.

** Wendy Sullivan and Elaine Gallant made a birding run on Friday from Riverview to Hopewell Cape to tally 56 bird species, including 12 duck species and one PINE WARBLER [Paruline des pins]. They found lots of activity in the marshes and ponds, including a fox den in the marsh.

** A very big thank-you to Roger LeBlanc for sharing his duck savvy with a keen group of participants at Saturday morning’s workshop, then out in the afternoon to see many of the species reviewed in the morning. Things got off to a very fast start with a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné] in the pond across from the Tankville School.

Some photos from Anna Tucker from the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Friday illustrate some of Roger’s words.

** The SANDHILL CRANE [Grue du Canada] continues in the Bouctouche area. Maria Gauvin spotted the bird at 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening as it flew over her Bouctouche home, hearing it vocalize as well. I flew in the direction of the river.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton