Nature Moncton Nature News: May 9 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE - May 9, 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)

** Julie Pellerin reports there are now 2 GREAT EGRETS [Grande Aigrette] in the Cap Brûlé marsh behind her home. One has been showing up daily often after 3 pm but as of Monday there are now 2. With all the Great Egret reports one has to wonder when a pair will set up housekeeping arriving this early in the season.

** Catherine Hamilton got more nice photo action in the Petitcodiac area on Sunday to include a nice flight shot of a TURKEY VULTURE [Urubu à tote rouge], SPOTTED SANDPIPERS [Chevalier grivelé], a sandpiper that will stay and nest with us in N.B., a sharply dressed WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche], and a PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] that I suspect may be a male about to take on red plumage. The male Purple Finch does not normally moult to adult red plumage until the 2nd fall — to confuse that a bit more, I understand some females can take on some red plumage, so take your pick.

** Brian Stone’s sister Carol Shea, which Brian has gotten seriously into birding, had a bright male INDIGO BUNTING [Passerin indigo] arrive to her Titusville feeder yard on Sunday. The photo may be documentary but it’s a certainty.

** Bonnie and Dave Miller are in Alberta at the moment and Dave got some nice bird photos of western birds which would be very possible to get here in N.B. as rare visitors to include a bright male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à tote jaune], a pair of REDHEAD ducks [Fuligule à tote rouge], and a male CANVASBACK duck [Fuligule à dos blanc]. He adds a photo of a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD [Quiscale de Brewer] which would be a very welcome drop-by in N.B. but not sure it has been recorded here and a pair of HORNED GREBES [Grèbe esclavon] which we do get lots of in non-breeding plumage in winter, but their breeding plumage surely is different and colourful. Ron Steeves was lucky enough to have 2 drop by a de-commissioned lagoon in Salisbury across from his home last month for a brief stay which rarely happens after they develop breeding plumage. The Red-Shafted Flicker is a sub-species of the Northern Flicker that is found in western Canada but where the 2 ranges blend intergrades occur. Our eastern sub-species used to be called the Yellow-Shafted Flicker.

** Aldo Dorio shares a photo of a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] watching the local bird action in Hay Island on Monday. From reports, there is a suggestion that Merlin numbers are increasing in N.B.

** I often drive by the home of Paul and Jeanne Maillet along Route 126 and I’m always surprised to have so many TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] nest boxes so close together in their yard, so dropped by out of interest on Monday. It turns out all 12 boxes in their yard usually are occupied each year, and to top that off, their nearby next-door neighbour with almost as many nest boxes gets filled up too. The houses all seemed to be active and busy on Monday and no sign of competitive arguments. The whole scenario seems to contradict the norm of not placing Tree Swallow boxes too close to each other. They live directly across from the D.J. Mechanique location at civic # 6485 Route 126. Just go a short distance across the railway tracks to a small street called West Lane. The Maillet’s are at No. 29 but it is visible right from the main road of 126. They have also had at least 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l’Est] families next with the group in the past, and one male was seen this spring, but a pair is uncertain. There would appear to be no particular source of insect food supply near this site to attract and feed so many swallows.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton