NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Mar. 1, 2021 (Monday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by Susan Richards susan_richards@rogers.com
Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
**The Nature Moncton Annual Feeder Tour is on
virtually for tomorrow night Tuesday at 7 p.m.
There are several presenters lined up to share bird feeder ideas and the
special birds. With it being virtual,
some bird feeder folk from around New Brunswick, are able to share some of
their actin without any of us having to leave our home. The link for anyone anywhere to join in is
attached below:
https://meet.google.com/hnq-hkkh-qjk
**Marco Vachon in Memramcook does like birding and
watching birds coming to feeders on his property. He always has the odd raptor coming to watch
the feeders, but this week it was amazing the number of raptors that came
by. First was a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] perched high in a big tree staring at the feeders for
over an hour. Then an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] on a successful hunt grabbing a COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin flammé].
Two days later, an immature SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] also got an unidentified small prey. Finally, on Saturday an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK [Autour des palombes] flew by and staged around the feeders for a few
minutes to leave toward the forested areas.
The goshawk flew right over, near Marco while he was standing
outside: over-all grey and paler
underneath with a blackish crown, and cheek with that white eyebrow
(supercilium). He got some great photos
of the Merlin and also some immature and mature Sharp-shinned Hawks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to capture the
more impatient goshawk. Marco noted this
week, the mature Sharp-Shinned Hawk took down a BLUE
JAY [Geai bleu] to suggest that it was
probably the larger female as the smaller male is not much bigger than a Blue Jay
itself.
To get a diversity of raptors like that,
Marco obviously has an active bird-feeder yard.
**Pat Gibbs got a photo of an immature COOPER'S HAWK [Épervier de Cooper] showing features of the narrow streaked elongated
tear-drop breast markings, lighter areas between the crown and the nape to give
the capped crown look, heavy set legs and a yellow eye to indicate immaturity. Pat saw it on the Riverfront
Trail between Shopper’s Drug Mart and Chateau Moncton.
Pat also photographed a ROCK PIGEON showing some of
the plumage surprises we see in the wild now from domestic pigeon breeding.
**Pat and I did a run to the Tantramar Marsh and area
on Sunday afternoon. Roads were a bit testy
and saw little in the accessible areas.
A few HORNED LARK [Alouette hausse-col] were at the two farm areas, but not the large numbers
recently reported at the time we passed.
We did check the Beaubassin Research Station Road and a bit surprised to
see a SHORT-EARED OWL [Hibou des marais]
hunting there mid-afternoon but went down
after being spotted so no photo. I
wonder if that would suggest it would be quite hungry to be foraging
mid-afternoon on a sunny day.
**Bob Blake keeps daily weather statistics from his 2nd
North River home, including morning low temperatures, daily high temperatures
and monthly precipitation. Bob sends a
table comparing February of 2020 and February 2021. Was a bit surprised to note, we had
noticeably more snow in February 2021 than last February however this February
was in general warmer and some rain we did not have at all last February.
|
2020 |
2021 |
||
|
morning
temperatures |
daily highs |
morning
temperatures |
daily highs |
|
-22-1 day -20-1 -19-1 -18-3 -14-1 -12-1 -9-1 -8-2 -7-2 -6-1 -5-2 -4-4 -3-2 -2-1 -1-3 0-2 |
+7-2 +6-1 +5-1 +3-1 +2-5 +1-8 57 cms. snow |
-18-1 day -17-1 -14-1 -13-2 -12-4 -11-2 -9-2 -7-1 -6-1 -5-1 -4-2 -3-2 -2-1 0-1 +1-4 +2-1 +3-1 |
+4-3 +3-3 +2-2 +1-1 78 cms. snow 20mms. rain |
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
