Nature Moncton Nature News: April 10 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 10, 2017 (Monday)

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

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Mitch Doucet found LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun] in the flocks at Jones Lake late this week and got a photo of 4 in one frame on Sunday morning. These are adult birds; note the dark charcoal mantle, yellow legs, and size smaller than a Herring Gull and larger than a Ring-billed Gull. This gull seems to be becoming much more commonly seen during spring in the area. I don’t think it’s been worked out just where they are coming from.

** Ron Steeves made another watch at Cape Enrage on Sunday. The morning weather was beautiful, warm with little wind; the afternoon grew cold and windy but that’s when all the action happened, with most bird movement between 11:30 and 3:30. At 11:45 Ron says the sky was full of COMMON EIDERS [Eider à duvet], a lifetime happening for him. He says he had no idea how many birds there really were and had to make a guesstimate. They were over the water, over the parking lot, and over the marsh coming in, seemingly all at once. This experience happened again at 2:30, with maybe somewhat fewer birds. Ron marked down 16,122 but it could have been several thousand more. Scoter movement did not seem significant, with 538 recorded, all being BLACK SCOTER [Macreuse noire] except for 6 SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc]. After seeing this, Ron comments that we must be running out of eiders very soon! Waterside was cleared of staging birds, which was very different than when Ron left on Saturday. The rules of Ron’s game are: the birds have to go east past the lighthouse to be recorded, either flying or floating up the bay; floating birds at Waterside don’t get listed. Ron’s theory, ”my car, my rules,” with a grin!

Additional sightings were 5 COMMON LOONS [Plongeon huard], 17 GREAT CORMORANTS [Grand Cormoran], 4 LONG-TAILED DUCKS [Harelde kakawi], 1 RING-NECKED DUCK [Fuligule à collier], 1 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé], and 3 scaup, probably GREATER SCAUP [Fuligule milouinan].

Ron suspects that the next couple of days are going to be good birding days as well, at that site.

** Louise Nichols visited the White Birch Ducks Unlimited impoundment near Sackville on Sunday to find that it was starting to come back to life. There were lots of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] singing and some SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur]. Waterfowl included CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada], MALLARDS [Canard colvert], AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir], GREEN-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver] and RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier]. She saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK [Buse pattue] cruising around and a BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] came along and lifted many of the ducks into flight. She saw a flock of COMMON EIDERS [Eider à duvet] pass over as well.

Louise suspects that the TUFTED DUCK [Fuligule morillon] that was on the Donald Harper Road lagoon in Sackville has moved on; it has not been seen there since last Wednesday.

** Chris Antle’s daughter Tina has had a MUSKRAT [Rat musqué] coming to her yard to feed on seeds dropped from the bird feeder, an unexpected menu item for a Muskrat, but it has been coming for a week now, so obviously it likes its new-found booty.

** Audrey Goguen at 16 Northview Street in Moncton always seems to get robins and waxwings to a flowering crab tree on her front lawn, for apples impaled on nails at this time of year. Three AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] arrived on Sunday, which will probably alert some of the waxwings as well.

** On Sunday morning Aldo Dorio saw approximately 100 SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] at Hay Island; in the afternoon he could only find one remaining. On has to wonder if this species is not filing flight plans northward.

** Brian Stone visited the Irishtown Nature Park and Mapleton Park on Sunday and found several items of interest. A WINTERGREEN [Gaulthérie couchée / Thé des bois] plant, with its evergreen leaves and red berry, looking exactly as it did last fall. This berry is very edible, with a pleasant wintergreen flavour.

Brian also came across a VIRGINIA CTENUCHA [Cténuche de Virginie] caterpillar, the same species Dave Christie recently found. This common dark moth with a yellow head area will be seen flying during the day later in the summer. It overwinters as the larval caterpillar which explains why they are out so early.

Brian also noted a growth of CHAGA MUSHROOM [Carie blanche spongieuse de bouleau] (Inonotus obliquus) growing on a White Birch tree. This mushroom species tends to favour Yellow Birch but occurs on White Birch as well. A PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand pic] also passed by briefly.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton