Nature Moncton Nature News: May 3 2016

** Gordon Rattray took a run to Mary's Point and area on Monday. He comments SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés] and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche] seemed to be everywhere. He enjoyed a nice encounter with a low flying TURKEY VULTURE [Urubu à tête rouge] that was later joined by three others overhead. He had nice observations of the CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada] nest at Lars Larsen Marsh that David Christie had pointed out earlier. He also comments that he could hear SWAMP SPARROWS [Bruant des marais] vocalizing a lot in the cattails offshore.

** On Sunday evening Louise Nichols had a pleasant encounter with a SHORT-EARED OWL [Hibou des marais] on the High Marsh road on the Tantramar Marsh. Light was getting dim, but was still enough to get a nice photo. A RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à queue rousse] was also ground perched in the area. Louise also visited the Paunchy Lake area, seeing a good number of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune] and PALM WARBLERS [Paruline à couronne rousse].

** Gabriel Gallant has been checking frequently on some WOOD FROG [Grenouille des bois] and YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] egg masses in the Coates Mills area in the past few weeks to watch their progress. The Wood Frog egg masses have developed into small tadpoles, still in the egg mass, nicely shown in Gabriel's photos. One Yellow-spotted Salamander egg mass does not seem to have developed as of yet. Also Gabriel saw and photographed his first female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] of the season around his bird feeders, and photographed a PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse] on his walk in Coates Mills.

** Georges Brun had a visit from a very colorful male PURPLE FINCH] to his Churchill St. yard on Monday.

** Anna Tucker has been noting the abundant RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] along the Petitcodiac river front trail this year, and them being very active at the moment. Anna also caught some cloud activity in the last few days in the Moncton area, one of which.

** The DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes] are really arriving in numbers at the moment. Jocelyne Ross photographed a group at Cap Bimet on Sunday.

** Monday was the first day I recall observing six different sparrow species in one day around the feeders since moving into the city. WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche] were most numerous, followed by SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], CHIPPING SPARROWS [Bruant familier], SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés], a few remaining AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien], and our one WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche].

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton