Nature Moncton Nature News: May 3 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 03, 2017 (Wednesday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Catherine Johnson johnson2@xplornet.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
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**Nancy Creighton, in the Petitcodiac area, had several visits from a bright male INDIGO BUNTING on Tuesday, the first that she has ever had to her yard. It was too quick to catch any photos. Nancy lives at Civic # 919 route 905 in Pollett River. I have not heard from Nancy today about any return visits.

**Shirley Xue is very much enjoying birds arriving to her yard and feeders, many of which she is seeing for the first time including PURPLE FINCH, CHIPPING SPARROWS, SONG SPARROWS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and a BLUE-HEADED VIREO. The blue-headed vireo is probably a very recent arrival. Note the white spectacles of this species in Shirley's photo.

**Danny Sullivan forwarded some photos he recently got at his Communications Rd. home. A male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER dropped by to pose nicely enough to show the yellow on the belly we don't often see that convincingly.

**On April 02 Brian Stone got a photo of a TURKEY VULTURE at the Hampton lagoon that had a labeled tag on it’s wing. One photo was able to read the tag and the information sent to the original banding site. Brian just received a certificate of appreciation that is attached to today's edition. This same bird was identified at the Hampton lagoon last year. The certificate shows the details of the tagging history.

As for recent photos, Brian got a close-up photo of a CLICK BEETLE, a MINING BEE, being one of the early spring flying bees, and his first DANDELION of the season being nicely after the COLTSFOOT emergence as expected. Note the bloom and leaves appearing at the same time to easily differentiate it from a coltsfoot, in which the leaves appear well after the plant has bloomed.

**Aldo Dorio hosted a pair of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in his Neguac yard in 2016. A pair has arrived back to his yard this year on May 03.

The notable amount of eastern bluebird reports so far this season has been great to see.

**Bob Blake's weather comparison for April 2016 and April 2017 is added to this addition as Bob forwarded it .

** Bob Blake maintains a record of daily morning low temperatures, daily highs, and monthly precipitation from his Second North River home. He compares April 2016 and April 2017 to show

2016

-10-2 days

-4-2

-3-1

-2-4

-1-3

0-4

+1-4

+4-2

+5-1

+10-3

Hi’s