Nature Moncton Nature News: March 1 2016

** Mark Lloyd an area organist has prepared 2 excellent Youtube videos using photos from Anna Tucker as visuals. Check out the attached links to listen and watch the Sackville Waterfowl Park photos of Anna’s.

https://youtu.be/YJwcNX04VUE and https://youtu.be/HZcqUFULs4w

** John Inman had 2 COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] arrive at his 225 Mary’s Point feeder yard on Monday to join the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes]. The advance guard is obviously arriving.

** This encouraged Dave Christie to take a drive to Waterside and Cape Enrage to see if any spring duck migration may be beginning. He encountered very heavy winds and high waves that made it impossible to make observations, but did encounter one male COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet] flying in front of his car at low altitude into the wind which is a species he has not seen in that part of the bay since December. The expected AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir], MALLARDS [Canard colvert], and COMMON GOLDENEYES [Garrot à oil d'or] were seen in protected areas. A flock of 35 AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d’Amérique] was feeding in the marsh by Lars Larsen Marsh and Dave expected some of them may be new; he has not seen a group of that number over the winter in that area.

** Brian Stone visited Sullivan's Pond in Dartmouth on Monday, a birding hotspot within HRM. Brian saw 3 AMERICAN COOTS [Foulque d’Amérique] getting one photo of the unique arrangement of the foot digits of a Coot. He also got photos of Hybrid Ducks that suggest Mallard genes by the curled up tail feathers at the tail; interpretations are welcome especially of the one without any green in the plumage.

** A correction of a labelling error on yesterday’s Gull photos: The trio of gulls with the one showing the open wing so nicely should be all HERRING GULLS [Goéland argenté]. Thank you to those who pointed out that correction. The photo is relabelled and reattached today. The Herring Gull on the left of the photo is a 3rd Winter bird showing only remnants of brown on the grey mantle and the black-bill smudge.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton