**The BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS tend to be the last of the
blackbird clan to arrive back for the season. Susan Richards had her first male
brown-headed cowbird arrive on Tuesday to get a photo that shows clearly how the
male got its name. The female plumage is completely different with no brown head
or shiny black suit being bland pale brown instead.
**Dave Christie leaves observations of interest on
Tuesday. As he was watching the Shepody Bay from his sunroom 2 TURKEY VULTURES
came flying in low over his home again, which is the first times that he has
seen turkey vultures in and around his home, normally seeing them around the
marshes in his immediate area. One stayed in flight while the second perched for
a time. Dave checked a southern facing slope near the lighthouse by the Shepody
River dam to see 5 coltsfoot plants blooming. Coltsfoot is one of our earliest
blooming wildflowers and is one of the plants for those doing the citizen
science program, Plant Watch to record the first blooming dates observed. It's a
time at the moment for Plant Watch participants to watch for first blooming
appearance of this plant.
As Dave drove by the Riverview cemetery BALD EAGLES nest
near Hopewell Cape he clearly saw a white head of a BALD EAGLE adult on the
nest, so assumes incubation is in progress there.
**Anna Tucker paid a visit to the Amherst Point Bird
Sanctuary. A RED BREASTED NUTHATCH was very quick to accept black-oil sunflower
seed from her hand.
**Heads up on a Nature Moncton workshop to jot on the
calendar for Saturday, April 16th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Tankville School, 1665
Elmwood Drive. Lewnanny Richardson will show participants how to easily build
MASON BEE houses to attract these very important pollinators to our yards and
increase the population of pollinators in the wild. It is important to get these
units up early as Julie Singleton, who has had a lot experience with this
species, advises females are often on the wing making their small mud nest
compartments by mid to late April. It's very rewarding to see the results of
these small pollinators arriving to man made structures and build their nests
and contribute to the problem of declining pollinators and get more information
on the little known status and species of mason bees and their kin in
NB.
** The Ducks Unlimited booth at the NB Sportsman show
this past weekend had a nicely mounted GREAT HORNED OWL to closely see the fully
feathered legs to the talons, photo attached.
We will hear lots more about Ducks Unlimited projects
and their highly successful efforts to have waterfowl numbers rising when many
other species of birds are declining, at the April 19th Nature Moncton meeting
when past president of Ducks Unlimited Canada, Mac Dunfield will be
the guest speaker.
Nature Moncton
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (MALE).APRIL 5, 2016.SUSAN RICHARDS
GREAT HORNED OWL TALONS.APRIL 3,2016.NELSON POIRIER
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH TO HAND.APRIL 5, 2016.ANNA TUCKER
