Nature Moncton Nature News: April 12 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 12, 2018 ( 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)

** Gordon Rattray made a run from Hillsborough to Mary's Point on Wednesday. He visited five known Bald Eagle nest sites along that stretch to find an adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] in the nest of all of them. The nest sites Gordon checked were Weldon Bridge, Grey's Island, two near Hopewell Cape and one at Lower Cape. At Hopewell Hill two TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] were riding a thermal right over the road and not too high to give nice photos that nicely show that effortless dihedral flight that allows them to so efficiently use every draft to turn and wheel about so effortlessly. A photo of a COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] got the striking, iridescent colours of this species and an EASTERN CHIPMUNK [Suisse] was snapped with cheek ‘shopping sacs’ filled to the brim.

**David Christie reports that he observed his first SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés] of the season on a hike part way out Mary's Point on Wednesday. On Wednesday evening, on a walk out on the road around his Mary's Point home, he clearly heard seven different AMERICAN WOODCOCK [Bécasse d'Amérique] in the 8:30 to 8:45 pm time window doing their loud "peent" ground call followed by the twittering up and down flight, a beautiful sound on a calm night in spring. He also had a visit from his first BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD [Vacher à tête brune] of the season although his neighbor John Inman has already had a few. David comments how numerous this species was twenty years ago among the Blackbird arrivals, but now is relatively sparse among the numerous Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. A comment to take note of as Dave has been monitoring for a long time.

** Aldo Dorio also welcomed the arriving GREAT BLUE HERONS [Grand Héron] to Hay Island on Wednesday. They had to scrounge for a bit for open water after the harsh winter there but Mother Nature seems to be coming to the rescue this week, but there is still a lot of snow melt to happen.

** Danny and Nicole Sullivan and Brian and Annette Stone spent the beautiful and warm sunny day of Wednesday soaking in the abundant, coastal waterfowl life between Cocagne and Saint Thomas. They were able to get cooperative, close up photos of many of the birds and wildlife they encountered. Close looks at the photos will clearly show the identification features of many, including both genders of species like COMMON MERGANSER [Grand Harle], RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé], BARROW'S GOLDENEYE [Garrot d'Islande], COMMON GOLDENEYE [Garrot à oeil d'or], RING-NECKED DUCK [Fuligule à collier] and more.
A first cycle GLAUCOUS GULL [Goéland bourgmestre] is nicely compared to the slightly larger GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL [Goéland marin] and much smaller RING-BILLED GULL [Goéland à bec cerclé]. There are lots of Ring-billed Gulls in the area now, returned from their not-so-far south wintering areas. A PORCUPINE [Porc-épic d'Amerique] did not stop chowing down during its photo op at the Irving Arboretum in Bouctouche. Two different sun dogs were photographed, as well as some Cirrus cloud formations that Brian provides a link to for those who might want to read more on the interesting formation of the cloudscape.

http://www.cloudgallery.mpich.de/Cirrus/Ci_fibratus/ci_fibratus_new.htm

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton