Nature Moncton Nature News: April 3, 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 3, 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)

** Ron Steeves spent time at Cape Enrage on Sunday morning, in the snow squalls and fog and all. Seabirds are starting to move. Ron had 350+ scoters, one flock of 130 and the rest in 10’s and 20’s, mostly BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse noire] with maybe 10% SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc] mixed in. 1550 COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet] passed, with the largest flock estimated at more than 500 birds. There was very little songbird activity as far as migration goes, but a few SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] were hanging around the lighthouse.

Ron comments that getting there with the Route 114 road closure was an adventure in itself. Going over Caledonia Mountain was a real adventure.

** Gordon Rattray observed 6 HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné] in the Gray Brook Marsh at Hillsborough on Sunday, dressed in their spring best. Gordon saw his first wave of AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] at Hopewell Hill on Saturday.

** Jean-Paul LeBlanc got a photo of a swooning male COMMON GOLDENEYE [Garrot à oeil d'or] at the Saint-Thomas wharf and a group of male and female BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse noire] at the Caissie Cape wharf on Sunday.

** Dave Christie leaves a report on action in the Mary's Point-Harvey area, noting a significant movement of COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé], with numbers fuelling up at his feeder and at nearby John Inman’s. Sunday evening, a flock of about 125 Grackles flew in from the west, landed and went quiet in spruce woods, where he assumed they would roost for the night. In the Hopewell Hill and Riverside-Albert area, AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] were foraging heavily on southerly exposed lawns, after traditional robin fare different from the fruit-foraging, over-wintering robins. At Harvey, John and Dave noted an adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] feeding in the distance, as two immatures watched. After the eagles flew off, they investigated and found that a CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada] was the food of interest.

** Richard Blacquiere shares a photo of a NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet] x MALLARD [Canard colvert] hybrid he found on Saturday at the first of the lagoon ponds at Hampton. The group that visited that area on Sunday looked for it carefully but it didn’t appear while they were there.

Brian Stone, Danny Sullivan and I joined a birding field trip organized by Nature Sussex activities coordinator Mark Macauley and very capably led by Richard Blacquiere. It turned out to be an outstanding outing after Mother Nature stopped the snowfall just in time. The first stop at the Hampton lagoon was special, with the sudden appearance of about a dozen TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] that Richard, who lives there, had not seen earlier. Special among them was one sporting a tag on the right wing. The number was fortunately verified from a lucky photo that Brian Stone got to indicate that it was the same bird that had been coming to the Hampton lagoon area for the past two years, and is now back for its third. It was tagged by the Key West Naval Air Station in Florida in 2013, as a 2012-hatched bird. It was appropriately welcomed back by the group. Some great Turkey Vulture antics were observed later in the day.

At the second stop in the morning, where a very large flock of CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada] had settled in a sloping farm field, one immature SNOW GOOSE [Oie des neiges] was found among them. At a few stops in Renforth and Rothesay, several newly arrived duck species were recorded, as well as over-wintering species. Stops at Lorneville wharf, Anthony’s Cove, and Cape Spencer gave beautiful observations of sea ducks in migration at a long distance out at sea; COMMON EIDERS [Eider à duvet] seemed to be predominant, but SCOTERS [macreuse] were suspected in some instances. RED-THROATED LOONS [Plongeon catmarin], not yet changing to breeding plumage, were in significant numbers.

Some RED CROSSBILLS [Bec-croisé des sapins] near Cape Spencer really got the attention of the group, as they were going to a nearby house and we wondered why they were attracted there, as no food supply seemed evident. One male showed a very strong orange plumage. A female bird was noted picking on the roof, presumably after grit, but there was lots of that available at roadside.Dave Christy has pointed out this orange specimen is probably a second year male as orange plumage does show up during the change to adult male plumage. Some adult male Red Crosbills may exhibit some orange in their plumage as well.

Several HARBOUR PORPOISES [Marsouin commun] entertained at Cape Spencer and an active BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] nest that Richard knew about gave great scope views with both adults at the nest site.

It was a wonderful spring day with all Mother Nature’s surprises, and all appreciation to Richard Blacquiere and Mark Mcauley for arranging it.

** The AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] in our Moncton yard have now met their match. Approximately 40 to 50 CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] have joined to feed at the fruit trays. The Robins now look on in disgust, realizing they are outnumbered, big time. They have to stand aside and wait their turn.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton