NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, February
18, 2021 (Thursday)
To respond by e-mail, please address
your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any
errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** In follow up to Mike Holland’s
presentation on Tuesday night I am attaching a link that shows some of the
areas in New Brunswick that are being considered at the moment for the
designation of Protected Natural Area. Check it out at the link below:
I am also adding a short YouTube video that
Mike Holland made in 2020. Some changes that were made since that are the submission
deadline has been extended and he comments in the video about only crown land
that in his presentation on Tuesday night pointed out that non-crown land
may be considered as well.
** Phil Riebel in Miramichi had placed
the remnants of a chicken carcass under the snow in his yard and put his unique
trail camera setup on it. The reward was a photo of a WEASEL [Belette] checking
out the offering. The weasel at this time of year is in his white camo pelage
except for a black tail tip which does not show in the photo as it is just
outside of the photo frame. Pam and Phil comment that when out on a snowshoe
hike in woods behind their home weasel tracks seemed to be everywhere. We do
have the Short-tailed Weasel and the Long-tailed Weasel in New Brunswick. The
Short-tailed Weasel is much more common but from photos received over the past few
years I feel that the Long-tailed Weasel is becoming more prevalent than
thought in the past. It seems that the tail length is basically the only real
difference. (Editor’s note: these latter comments are simply to explain why
photos not showing the complete tail are just labelled “weasel”).
** Deana and Peter Gadd came across a SONG
SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] in the area of the small fish plant at the end of the
bridge in Cocagne on Wednesday. It seemed to be eating at a very small patch of
bare grass. They left it a handful of seed and hoped for the best for it.
Earlier they counted approximately 55 BARROW'S
GOLDENEYES [Garrot d'Islande] at the new bridge at Bouctouche south along with
a few COMMON GOLDENEYES [Garrot à oeil d'or] and COMMON MERGANSERS [Grand
Harle]. They still have their NORTHERN CARDINALS [Cardinal rouge] and Peter
attaches a photo of 13 taken last Friday … yes, that’s 13! I think this number in one yard would be unprecedented for anywhere in New
Brunswick and it is so great to hear that they are staying the winter to create
great possibilities for the nesting season ahead. The Gadds are still receiving regular visits from a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux]. This species is
remaining a regular patron through the winter so far, 4 months ago Wednesday
was its first visit.
** It is getting to be that time of
year when the PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] start to show up at bird
feeder yards. Jane Leblanc was pleased to have a pair visit her St. Martins yard on
Wednesday. She comments that they are the first ones she has seen so far this
winter. Take note of Jane’s Witch Hazel shrub in the background still holding
on to its blooms. Jane also sends a photo of the Witch Hazel bush with bokeh in
the background. I had to google 'bokeh' … it’s “the pleasing or aesthetic quality
of out of focus blur in a photograph” that the ice created in Jane’s photo.
Jane also sends a photo of a DOWNY
WOODPECKER [Pic mineur] and a HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] at a suet feeder
together for a nice comparison. Think of it as a Harley and a Scooter!
** Annette and Brian Stone went for a
walk along the Petitcodiac River trail on Wednesday. At the bottom of the
little hill coming down from the parking lot across from the Saint-Anselme Church
the first thing they saw was a NORTHERN SHRIKE [Pie-grièche grise] in a far
evergreen tree. A little while later, down the trail, a RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à
queue rousse] flew overhead but managed to avoid being photographed. On the way
home, at the Scoudouc exit to the Trans-Canada highway, they saw a group of BALD
EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] in some trees behind King’s Poultry farm. They
counted 11 eagles at one point. There were 7 in one photo that Brian took. One
eagle was interacting with an AMERICAN CROW [Corneille d'Amérique] in flight.
Brian said he is going back to check it out better.
** Some observations of interest that I
noted in my own yard on Wednesday. I happened to be in contact with John Inman in
Harvey and he reminded me that the blackbirds would begin arriving back next
month which sure was a pleasant thought. On Wednesday morning 2 RED-WINGED
BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] appeared in my Moncton feeder yard. They were
both female which is not the expected gender to arrive first and with the early
date I strongly suspected that these were birds that overwintered in the area.
They went right to the white millet feeder.
My yard has been crawling with COMMON
REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] almost constantly the past few weeks but a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] has sure
changed that somewhat. It hides well inside a very thick cedar hedge behind the
feeder area and makes its sudden outbursts to hunt at opportune times. I have
not seen a Sharp-shinned Hawk act like that before. The size suggests it to be
a female but the sudden turns and twists suggests Sharp-shinned Hawk over
potential Cooper’s Hawk.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
