Nature Moncton Nature News: April 18 2016

** Tomorrow evening, April 19, is Nature Moncton’s meeting night, starting at 7 o’clock at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge, across from Cabela’s. We are fortunate to have Mac Dunfield, past president of DUCKS UNLIMITED. We will soon be appreciating the many duck species arriving to spend the season with us. All waterfowl species that breed in freshwater habitat have experienced population increases at a time when other species have been declining. It has undoubtedly been the efforts of Ducks Unlimited (DU) that have have orchestrated that, and DU is now partnering with Bird Studies Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and more, to make the conservation success even better. Mac Dunfield will have the inside story of DU and their projects in our area, how they do their work, and the results so far, and lots of information about many local DU impoundments.

There has been a move to have the second part of our meetings, after the break, to concentrate more on sightings, activities, and events of interest in the community and any other ideas that the group may wish to share. Please bring any photos or videos on a flash drive to share with the group.

Some business items will be discussed briefly but the plan now is to leave most business to the board of directors.

** It seems that folks who regularly get TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] are finding that they are arriving in the past few days. Margaret Murray and Jim Johnson in Scotch Settlement had their first arrivals on Sunday, as did Jean-Paul and Stella LeBlanc in Bouctouche.

NORTHERN FLICKERS [Pic flamboyant] also seem to be more actively vocalizing. Margaret Murray has been hearing them for a few days now, and Brian Stone got some nice photos of one hammering near his family home in Dartmouth.

Brian also shares some photos of ducks we will be seeing in numbers, including AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d’Amérique], also a hybrid male MALLARD [Canard colvert], which is becoming more common. I suspect that Mac Dunfield will mention that at this month’s meeting.

Brian also got photos of the MOON and JUPITER in conjunction Sunday night, meaning the two bodies that appear together in the sky at the same time. Some cloud did appear with the bright planet Jupiter, which is the brightest object in the sky at the moment other than the Moon, which is right beside it. Smaller appearing Jupiter is of course much larger but is much farther away than the moon.

** Clarence Cormier gives an update on birds around his Grand-Digue site, including 30 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH [Chardonneret jaune], 20 PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] equal in gender, 10 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] still present, numerous SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], 2 DARK-EYED JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé] and one AMERICAN WOODCOCK [Bécasse d’Amérique] that has been present for a week.

** Grandson Matt and I paid a visit to the Jones farm in Upper Coverdale, with LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun] in mind, after Ron Steeves’ report there. We found a group of approximately 50 gulls. Unfortunately, they were at a distance and not impressed with our very gradual approach across an open field, but we did get the chance to see 5 adult Lesser Blacks and strongly suspect 3 first-winter and one second-winter-plumaged bird. Gulls at this time of year are moulting into their summer plumage so the bird we felt to be a second-winter is moulting into second-summer-plumage.

Gilles Belliveau gave helpful comments to agree. Gilles says that the young gull with rich brown tones on the wings, pale head and neck, black bill and very minor eye arcs is a good candidate for a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gilles points out that the eye arcs are not a feature of this species he is aware of, but has noticed them in many first-winter Lesser Black-backs that he has seen. At this point, Lesser Black-backed Gull is considered to be a European bird, not a North American gull, so information on them in North America is minimal.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton