Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 28 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE - February 28, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Edited by : Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by : Louise Richard richlou@nbnet.nb.ca

Info Line # : 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** A report from John Inman at 225 Mary’s Point Rd that the advance guard of spring migration may be underway! John had 3 male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] and 1 male COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] arrive to his feeder yard all appearing very glossy black. John had 3 Red-Winged Blackbirds that overwintered with him, one female and the other 2 appearing to be immature males, looking quite different from the 3 arrivals on Monday.

Bruce Coates got a photo of a Cooper’s Hawk that briefly dropped by his Point de Bute yard overlooking the Tantramar Marsh on Feb. 20. It was a juvenile bird. As it is a frontal view with branch hiding it, the tail details do not show but the narrow vertical striping on the upper breast is clear, the lack of obvious supercilliary line above the eye, and the yellow eye of the juvenile.

** A few RUSTY BLACKBIRDS [Quiscale rouilleux] seem to show up each winter at some NB feeder yards — Larry Trillo got a photo of one in his Upper Cape feeder yard on Route 960 on Saturday.

** Lois Budd shares an idea she uses that her American Tree Sparrow patrons seem to very much enjoy. She gets the millet sticks available in pet stores for pet cage birds and attaches them to outside bushes in her yard. Three AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] have placed their stamp of approval on Lois’s idea and enjoy the booty regularly. Lois also had a couple of COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] show up on Monday to check out the suet feeders.

** The Crowly Farm Road Bald Eagle NEST in Moncton seems to be getting a good early start. An adult at the nest has been there for a few days now; Georges Brun got a photo of an adult on the nest on Sunday. Georges also got a photo of a hen RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] perched, having a rest in a tree on his Churchill St. property line.

** Brian Stone was in the right place at the right time on Monday to capture some excellent photos of a very cooperative NORTHERN SHRIKE [Pie-grièche grise] in the Notre-Dame area. Two views show this songbird species that visits us in N.B. each winter from the north, but there seems to be fewer sightings this winter than usual. Brian also got a distant photo of an immature BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] flying over.

** After having fruit out in my feeder area for the past month, the first AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d’Amérique] to partake did so on Monday. It was a female bird. A male has been coming to the water but ignoring the fruit tray. The female seems to have set up a territorial space around the fruit tray as if to guard it from potential interlopers. A flock of Waxwings was in the area on Monday so hope they will drop by as well, but there is still lots of clinging fruit available for them in the neighbourhood.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton