Nature Moncton Nature News: April 10 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 10, 2018 (Tuesday)

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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**As The Information Line was not made up on Monday, note a few reports are holdovers from Sunday.

**On Sunday Ron Steeves returned for a vigil at Cape Enrage and New Horton. He spent 7 1/2 hours, 5 at Cape Enrage and 2 1/2 at the New Horton Church. Ron recorded 573 COMMON EIDERS, 986 BLACK SCOTERS, 7 SURF SCOTERS, 570 SEA DUCKS, 8 RED-THROATED LOONS and 5 CANADA GEESE. Ron comments he was beginning to think the geese had a secret underground avenue to get inland without being detected! Still no CORMORANTS or COMMON LOONS sighted as of Sunday. A possible first year KING EIDER male was spotted. It was a real treat to see 5 adult RED-TAILED HAWKS kettle the New Horton Church area and the first resident female NORTHERN HARRIER hunting the fields.

**Brian Coyle's very lively yard action continued on Sunday and was joined by a very active AMERICAN WOODCOCK in later day. Brian was able to capture a few photos of it as it probed full bill length in the soil. It probed very rapidly and intently seemingly very anxious to feed. Brian also shares 3 short video clips from his trail camera of a RED FOX and a COYOTE passing by the same area in different segments. It really shows the size differential and posture in these animals. Take a look at the attached links.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nzmr350qdq67y36/008%20fox.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fcbbjypbpfysoml/009%20fox.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v9cf9dvfl93k9g0/0010%20coyote.mp4?dl=0

**Roger Leblanc did a run of Cocagne to St Thomas, a section of coastline he knows so well. Some major changes happening there. A lot more open water around the wharves now, the Cormierville wharf included to make for another observation area. At Cocagne Bridge the presence of BUFFLEHEAD there was noted as Roger comments he usually does not see that species there. The GLAUCOUS GULL was still posted at the Cocagne bridge and lots of distant activity at the St Thomas wharf. The activity that caught Roger's attention most was hundreds of GREATER SCAUP congregated at the northern edge of Cocagne Island with some COMMON GOLDENEYE as well there. Also something Roger had not noted before was 50+ large birds flying over Cocagne Island area to get them in the scope to find they were GREAT BLUE HERONS. Cocagne Island hosts a very significant nesting colony of GREAT BLUE HERONS so this would be herons arriving with nesting reparation plans on the agenda.

**The snow may be receding and not great for tracking identification conditions but Lisa Morris got a nice photo of a SNOWSHOE HARE trail.

**Krista Doyle got a photo of 3 WHITE-TAILED DEER that came into her yard on Lewis Mountain. Most of the deer photographs that have come in so far show surprisingly well fleshed animals. These 3 do not appear in good flesh as also one that two of us encountered Sunday. We were driving the backroads in Miramichi when we were surprised to see a deer looking in the window of a home. I grabbed the camera to get a photo of it looking in the window to find a dead battery in the camera. I fumbled to change the battery and rearmed the camera to find the deer had made a very fast move for our stopped truck to look in the window. It obviously was a deer being fed by folks. I know well it's a bad idea to feed deer from a vehicle on the road but willpower weakened. I handed it my salmon sandwich I was eating and down it went. That deer, as well as Krista's was not in good flesh like many that I've seen up until now. It looks like they are ready for real spring like all of us are!

**Brian Stone and I made a pilgrimage to the Point Lepreau bird observatory on Monday. Todd Watts described it as a slow day but for us there was straight entertainment. We saw more PURPLE SANDPIPERS in numbers that both of us had not seen in our lives. 3 HARLEQUIN ducks entertained steadily and hearing Todd explain just how he differentiated scoter species and genders as they quickly flew was a learning experience in itself. It was nice to watch the scoters and eiders that decided to stop directly in front of us and feed.

On route home a drive by of Maces Bay and Welch Cove was unproductive. Possibly due to the receded tide.

A stop at Dipper Harbour had up to a dozen plus SURF SCOTER and several BLACK SCOTERS.

The Ducks Unlimited Impoundment at Musquash MARSH had a surprising number of BUFFLEHEAD at approximately 50.

At Hampton lagoons the #3 back cell was by far the most active with approximately a dozen BUFFLEHEAD, 20+ SCAUP, seeming to be mostly all GREATER SCAUP and a hearty contingent of assumedly just returned RING-BILLED GULLS on the cell barriers. 14 NORTHERN SHOVELERS were tallied in total on cell #3, nearby Spooner pond, and the pond at the road entrance.

A run up the Norton Shore road had surprisingly few waterfowl on the water.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton