Nature Moncton Nature News: April 23 2016

**Friday obviously was a good day for SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] to have moved in. Gabriel Gallant saw his first of the season in a field near his Sainte-Marie-de-Kent home, and then flushed five more as he walked into the field.

**Jamie and Karen Burris visited the Hillsborough wetland area on Friday morning. The star of the visit was a male RUDDY DUCK [Érismature rousse] in breeding plumage. The photo was a long way off but very documentary. It is beside a RING-NECKED DUCK [Fuligule à collier]. Jamie got a nice flight photo of NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] and BLUE-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle à ailes bleues] together. Note the position of the blue patch on the wing of the Teal to give it its common name, where it is placed in front of the speculum. They saw several PALM [Paruline à couronne rousse] and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune], RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis], and SPARROWS [Bruant] that included SAVANNAH [Bruant des prés] and CHIPPING SPARROW [Bruant familier]. Other than the above-mentioned ducks, there were NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet], NORTHERN SHOVELERS [Canard souchet], BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir], MALLARDS [Canard colvert], and both GREEN-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver] and BLUE-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle à ailes bleues].

**Louise Nichols got a photo of a HARBOUR SEAL [Phoque commun] as it tossed a flipper in the air, as they visited the Cape Jourimain area on Friday. Louise heard LEOPARD FROGS [Grenouille léopard] vocalizing on the side of the Sackville Waterfowl Park farthest from the tourist centre on Friday. Louise comments it’s the first time she recalls hearing them there.

**Clarence Cormier is getting a nice selection of expected regulars to his Grande Digue feeder yard, with PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] at ten that make a blend of seven females to three males. Ten AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] are still present, and others, but he was pleased to have two PILEATED WOODPECKERS [Grand Pic] on Friday.

**Brian Stone and I made a quick afternoon visit to the Hillsborough wetland area on Friday afternoon. We did not see the WARBLERS [Paruline] seen earlier in the day by Jamie and Karen Burris, and we missed the RUDDY DUCK [Érismature rousse]. We did see several SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés]. A few LEOPARD FROGS [Grenouille léopard] were heard and got some documentary photos. A nice variety of expected ducks were present, and it was interesting to note the different species of insects on the pollen catkins of the male WILLOW [Saule] trees. Brian got an excellent BEE [Abeille] photo whose identity will be searched out. It was HOUSE FLY [Mouche domestique] size. Lots of MUSKRAT [Rat musqué] were active; however, one was prey to a RAVEN [Grand Corbeau]. The two large abandoned silos seemed to have a lot of Raven activity within them. We wondered about nesting.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton