Nature Moncton Nature News: May 10 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May , 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)

** Brian Stone and Carol Shea headed into Albert Co. on Wednesday with the King Rail in mind. When they arrived to the viewing spot in the early afternoon around 1:00 pm. They were told that the Rail had not been seen that day at all with people watching for it steadily since 6:00 am. They stayed for an hour an a half anyway but the bird did not show. It had been seen the day before until 4:15 pm when some folks not realizing the bird was there accidentally spooked it so it could be somewhere not far away.

On their return trip they visited John Innman's 225 Mary's Point road feeder yard to see the immature ORCHARD ORIOLE [Oriole des vergers] enjoying orange sections. John had many RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes], a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés], WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche], COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé], RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide], PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré], SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur], a still present AMERICAN TREE SPARROW [Bruant hudsonien] as well as a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche].
They saw approximately fifteen TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] along the way and ten plus DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes] at the Shepody Dam. Note the double crest of breeding plumage in Brian's photo. They noted a GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron] at waterside that held its beak open for the approximately ten minutes that they watched him to wonder if it may have a problem. A now fully brown pelaged for the season SNOWSHOE HARE [Liévre d'Amérique] gave a photo op.

** Aldo Dorio is having an male EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] visit a nest box in his Neguac yard. A pair did arrive last year to the same box but did not set up housekeeping. One would have to wonder if it could be the same bird or at least one of last summer's pair. Aldo also got photos of a female YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] from two angles, a HERMIT THRUSH [Grive solitaire] and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER [Paruline noir et blanc] at Hay Island.

** I attached several Mason Bee houses to our camp in Miramichi in April of 2017. They did attract Mason Bees in May of 2017 and approximately 30% ( plus ) of the holes were occupied. This spring those that were occupied the holes are hatching with abandon during the past several warm days and the area is really abuzz with newly emerged adults. The adults are reusing last year's holes as well as the unused ones and they are being filled up fast to look like it could be a full occupancy year. I placed a purchased bee nest structure up that I had noted in a farm store over the winter that looked very interesting and it is obviously a winner. Over the past few days over half of the holes have been filled with the five celled nests. It is called a pollen bee nest. It is five inches deep and three inches in diameter and I am attaching photos of it. It comes with small stickers to place on the holes once they are filled that will be removed in the next spring with the purpose of keeping predators out. Photos of the nest cylinder with and without the stickers attached are included in today's edition.

I am also attaching some photos of the homemade nest boxes showing some with exit holes and some still closed or recently re nested in and some showing an adult Mason Bee close up. I had never seen Mason Bees around the camp before but that sure is not the case this week. Last year Potter Wasps began using them as well in late June and July.

Also on bees I am attaching a photo of the recently issued bee stamps by Canada Post. There are two bee species featured, the Rusty-patched Bumblebee ( Bombus affinis ) and the Metallic Green Bee, one of the Sweat Bee species.