Nature Moncton Nature News: April 20 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 20, 2017 ( Thursday )

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Yolande Leblanc advises that a EURASIAN WIGEON [Canard siffleur] was with other waterfowl in the Arthur St. lagoon in Memramcook on Wednesday. This lagoon has been a very productive waterfowl site over the years.

** Sterling Marsh visited the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Wednesday to get a nice photo of a male BLUE-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle à ailes bleues], PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse] and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] along with one of the many active MUSKRATS [Rat musqué]. The Blue-winged Teal is among our later arriving waterfowl while the Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers are among our early arriving warblers.

** Anna Tucker visited the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Tuesday to note the GADWALLS [Canard chipeau], RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier], CANADA GEESE [Bernaches du Canada] and many MUSKRATS [Rat musqué] moving about.

** Marlene Hickman spent Easter in a busy area of Toronto thinking that she would miss all her birds in Dorchester, but was very surprised to see and hear all the bird activity in her daughter's yard with a cedar hedge despite all the noise of busy traffic and airplanes going overhead. She saw NORTHERN CARDINALS [Cardinal rouge], TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge], AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique], AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] and a HOUSE SPARROW [Moineau domestique] nesting on a veranda. One thing that amazed Marlene was the population of House Sparrows, seemingly being everywhere including around the busy CN Tower.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of an EASTERN PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] that was back to his Neguac yard on Wednesday. This first of the Flycatchers seems to be moving in quickly.

** Janet Kempster, Danny Sullivan, and Brian Stone spent a day birding on the Tantramar Marsh and at the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Wednesday to come across a lot of spring activity that included Woodchuck ( GROUNDHOG [Marmotte commune] ), RED FOX [Renard roux], two SKUNKS [Moufette], four OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur], four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue] and five or six NORTHERN HARRIERS [Busard Saint-Martin]. Some of the Osprey were seen hovering above the waters of the park as if posing for the cameras.

A RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis] in the Waterfowl Park was very cooperative in proving that the male really does have a ruby crown patch even though it is not seen all that often. Large numbers of TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] were also seen at the Waterfowl Park, actually perching in small trees on an island out in the water. A flock of forty to fifty HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col], with a breeding plumaged LAPLAND LONGSPUR [Bruant lapon] among them, was seen at the Tantramar Marsh. Brian was able to get a low quality documentary photo of the Longspur.

Brian also got a photo of what appears to be KILLIFISH in the water of the Sackville Waterfowl Park. Also blooming Pussywillows were noticed alongside the trails. GREEN-WINGED TEALS [Sarcelle d'hiver] were present in both the park and Tantramar areas, with GADWALLS [Canard chipeau], BLUE-WINGED TEALS [Sarcelle à ailes bleues], PALM WARBLERS [Paruline à couronne rousse], YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune] and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] being easily seen in the Waterfowl Park area. They also noted the MUSKRATS [Rat musqué] enjoying themselves in the sun in several spots.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton