Nature Moncton Nature News: May 14 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 14, 2018 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 15, is Nature Moncton meeting night at 7 p.m., at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge, across from the former Cabela’s. Peter Thomas will be joining us from the Canadian Wildlife Service in Sackville, to share some very interesting information on how climate change is affecting birds in different ways. It will be very revealing to many. The write-up is attached.

Nature Moncton May Meeting

Birds and Climate Change

Date: May 15, 2018

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Speaker: Peter Thomas

Climate change will impact New Brunswick forest birds in several ways. Timing of migration and nesting will change for some species, and the distribution and abundance of forest birds will change over the coming decades for several reasons. And all the while, the changing climate will cause forest habitat to change as well. What may the New Brunswick forest bird community look like in the years to come? And what sort of added pressures will land birds face as climate change effects become more pronounced. Join Peter Thomas of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to learn more about forest birds and climate change in New Brunswick.

** Bobolinks [Goglu des prés] seem to have suddenly made their arrival in the past few days, from several reports. Clarence Cormier had four new arrivals to his Grande-Digue site on Sunday, even though bird activity in general was slow. A BOBOLINK, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER [Paruline à flancs marron], COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée], and a YELLOW WARBLER [Paruline jaune] appeared.

** Don Leaman got a photo of the MUTE SWANS [Cygne tuberculé] that have been getting attention in Saint John. This swan has created wildlife problems in many areas with their aggressive nature to other wildlife.

** JanTingley noted some LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Petit Chevalier] in Hillsborough on Sunday They are following the movement through of the GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier], which is to be expected.

** Brian Coyle comments that Sunday was a great day to be in the woods. A WILSON’S SNIPE [Bécassine de Wilson] played a hide and seek trick with him, a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER [Paruline noir et blanc] was very busy probing for insects in an old apple tree, but did allow two quick photos that nicely show the curved bill of this warbler that makes an excellent tool for probing crevices. Brian comments how brilliant sunlight can change plumage tones on COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] as his photos show. Also, female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] are moving onto the scene quite strongly now.

** Dave Christie was quite surprised to find the remains of six BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse à bec jaune] on Mary’s Point beach on Sunday. It’s not unusual for Dave to see non-breeding Black Scoters stay in that area over the summer, in small numbers of 30 to 60. He suspects the predator was a BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche], as they are able to attack birds on the water, drown them and then struggle off to shore with them.

Another surprise for Dave was a bird chirping, seemingly inside his home on Monday morning. It turned out to be a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée] that had wedged its way through a tiny break in one pane of an older style storm window. It took some creative efforts to get it out, but the mission was accomplished.

** Brian Stone got more bee photos on Sunday. It is a very busy time for bees at the moment, gathering pollen and in the process performing their very crucial role of pollination of our plant world in the process. The MINING BEE [famille Andrenidae] photographed is one of those prime examples. Brian also got a photo of a CUCKOO BEE [Abeille coucou], which is not part of that admirable class; this bee is a parasite on other bees, especially the early Andrenid group that have been featured lately. They also lack the pollen carrying scopa that pollinating bees have. They lay this eggs in the nests of other bees just as some cuckoo bird species do with other birds. I’m including three views of this bee to show its different appearance to recognize it. Also, on yesterday’s edition labelling of one bee was off. It is actually the DUNNING’S MINING BEE [Abeille de Dunning] (Andrena dunningi). Lisa Morris recently reported this bee as well, with photos a few days ago. I am attaching Brian’s again today, for clarification.

** Aldo Dorio go a nice photo of a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER [Paruline à flancs marron] on Sunday at Hay Island, along with a CAPE MAY WARBLER [Paruline tigrée] in a rear view to show the yellow rump and the yellow band on the nape area to help identify this warbler. He also photographed a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] at Hay Island on Monday morning.

** I’ve had a KESTREL [Crécerelle d'Amérique] nest box up in the Miramichi area for three years now. It was occupied for the past two years and it would appear that it may be occupied for the third, as a pair was spotted near the box on Sunday, for the first time this season, which is later than last year. Also, a newly erected Nature Moncton swallow nest box had four TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] discussing it on Sunday. The Tree Swallows seem slow in my area of the Miramichi to be serious about getting started, but I suspect in the next days that will change.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton