Nature Moncton Nature News: April 28 2016

** A big thank you to Norm Belliveau for leading the Nature Moncton field trip to Albert County on Wednesday. Louise Nichols reports that it was very windy out there but still the day was enjoyed by all. Lots of species of waterfowl were seen. Highlights included a very cooperative YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic maculé] who flew to a post and posed in a very nice light for photos. They saw lots of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS [Roitelet à couronne rubis] during the course of the day but noted a scarcity of warblers and only a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune] were spotted. An interesting moment occurred when thirty GREAT BLUE HERONS [Grand Héron] lifted off from the marsh down the road from John Inman's. They saw some GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier] at Waterside, but unfortunately no Little Blue Heron.

** The Yellow-belied Sapsucker and Northern Flicker are busy hammering on often metal objects. Mac Wilmot got a photo of a male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic maculé] hammering on a pot lid atop a clothesline pole on Wednesday.

** Karen and Jamie Burris got a nice photo of the BLACK-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge noire] in Aulac beside a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] and a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés] to nicely show the size differential. The White-throated Sparrow is large compared to the Black-throated Sparrow, but guides call them them the same size as the Savannah Sparrow but it did seem smaller.

** Gordon Rattray comments that the Red Maple trees are nicely in blossom in the Hillsborough area. With Red Maples the flowers come on before the leaves, not so with Sugar Maples. There are male and female flowers on a Red Maple often on the same tree on different branches. The photo Gordon shares appears to be a Red female blossom.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of a BONAPARTE'S GULLS [Mouette de Bonaparte] in breeding plumage off Hay Island on Wednesday.

** While on the field trip on Wednesday leader Norm Belliveau spotted a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] land on the Bell Aliant tower in Moncton while they were on the Riverview Marsh, a very long way off. Brian Stone put zoom to the test to identify the spot on the tower as a Peregrine Falcon. Brian also shares a SWAMP SPARROW [Bruant des marais] from Wednesday's field trip, and Louise Nichols sends a photo of the many RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS [Roitelet à couronne rubis] seen. Others Brian got arrived late and are attached.

** Penny Clark reports the BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] nest at Camp Wildwood on the Little Bouctouche River is occupied again this year, with an adult deep in the bowl of the nest constantly. That nest was productive last year.

** Wendy Sullivan also reported on Wednesday that the BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] nests at Weldon Creek and Demoiselle Creek in Albert County are both occupied. We certainly seem to blessed with active Bald Eagle nests in the area, especially when they had almost gone extinct in the 1970's.

** I was away the past several days so was pleased to get to Aulac late Wednesday afternoon to find the BLACK-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge noire]and several sparrow kin waiting under the spruce tree just to the left of the parking lot as I drove in to get photos from the truck window which served as a great blind. The head of this sparrow surely is a flag of field marks. As others have mentioned, I did note the smaller size, making it easy to pick out among its sparrow kin.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca