Nature Moncton Nature News: June 5 2016

** Gordon Rattray checked the BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] nest [at River View Cemetery] near Hopewell Cape on Friday and found two eaglets that appear to be doing well. One gave a nice show of wing exercises, showing that moult is taking place. Gordon also checked the Gray’s Island nest [at Hillsborough] and saw one eaglet that seemed more mature than the Hopewell Cape eaglets. He is not sure if there is only one; he thought he saw a second wing there but could not be certain if there are two young.

** Steve and Rose Dernier on the Irishtown Road have CLIFF SWALLOWS [Hirondelle à front blanc] coming to a ledge on their house and also on an out building. I gave them an artificial ceramic cliff swallow nest to put up where the birds usually build their nests to test it out. It looks like it is working as they have seen birds going in and out of it. A photo is attached and progress will be followed. These ceramic structures are designed so that the birds defecate away from the side of the building where they nest.

** Louise and Maurice Richard heard a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD [Moqueur polyglotte] checking its repertoire near the Via Rail station in Moncton on Friday evening at 9 p.m. One nested near that area last summer, so maybe it’s the same bird.

** Another NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD [Moqueur polyglotte] has surfaced in Cocagne. Rosaire Richard advises that one is around a neighbour’s home on promenade Dupuis, as well as yet another EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l’Est].

** Many of the PAINTED TRILLIUMS [Trille ondulé] are looking like the end of their season is near but Mike Britton came across a prime fresh one in bloom at the Sackville Waterfowl Park, and got a beautiful photo.

** 2014-15 was a hard winter for WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie]. Dianne and Guy Bastarache had a herd of up to 14 deer that stayed near and in their Cocagne backyard to enjoy the large cultivated cedar trees they had outside their deck. They were glad to contribute the cedar salad to the welfare of the deer, which looked to be working from by the quite healthy looking animals in their March 2015 photo.

** To correct labelling of a photo distributed yesterday, Lois McGibbon points out that the photo labelled NASHVILLE WARBLER female looks more like a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée] female, and I feel that she is correct. The BlogSpot has been changed and the photos is re-sent again today. Thank you, Lois, for picking up on that.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton