Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 29 2016

** Glen Nichols heard a group of AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] making a major ruckus in the woods behind their Sackville home on Sunday. Louise followed the sound to the area. She heard a GREAT HORNED OWL [Grand-duc d'Amérique] hooting. As she slowly searched for it, it suddenly flew from a tree right beside her to another where she was able to get a few nice photos. The Crow group moved off while Louise was present but she heard them right back at the owl after she left.

Like many, Louise says her feeder yard has been rather quiet in the last couple of weeks. However, things picked up recently with the arrival of a flock of 20-25 PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins]. She also saw a NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL [Grand Polatouche] at their bird feeders a few nights ago, the first that she has seen this year.

** Jamie Burris was surely in the right area at the right time with his camera, to spot a male RUFFED GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] putting on a display for a nearby female. Its stance shows clearly how this grouse got its name, with ruffs on full display. Jamie says it reminded him of a lion with the neck plumage so puffed out. I suspect the grouse was feeling the stature of a lion as well, from the nice action photos!

** John Inman at 225 Mary's Point Road had a male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] appear at his bird feeder on Sunday. Dave Christie suggests that it may be an early migrant, as he has noted several reports in Maine of newly spotted Red-winged Blackbirds. [Transcriber’s note: While I was typing the following report from Clarence, my phone rang and it was John reporting that a second male Red-winged Blackbird appeared this morning and joined yesterday's male, and a female which John suspects had overwintered locally.]

** Clarence Cormier reports that he is seeing some LADY BEETLES [coccinelles] becoming active around his home, as well as a few FLIES [mouches]. His resident SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique] that had adopted the area under his shed and patio is looking a dirty white, possibly a very lucky thing for a mammal that turns white in winter to camouflage itself, but now has little snow as a backdrop.

Approximately 80 AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] and 120 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] in two flocks are continuing to glean berries around his home, many of which are now on the ground. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] was seen hunting over an exposed ditch.

** Brian Stone shares a few more gull photos, to show an adult and first-winter HERRING GULL [Goéland argenté] in one photo, a trio with an an adult Herring Gull, nicely showing the window locations on its P-9 and P-10 primaries, beside two other HERRING GULLS and also a well-dressed male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé].

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton