NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 10 April 2021 (Saturday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript
by: Catherine Clements
Info
Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
**Louise
Nichols heard WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] vocalizing Friday afternoon for
the first time in the small pond behind their Aulac home. She didn’t get a
photo of the frogs, however, since they disappeared whenever she tried to get
near. But they did not waste any time getting down to business, because Louise
could see the first group of egg masses. In addition, she got a photo of a
Backswimmer [Notonecte] (not an easy feat) (Editor’s note: note Louise’s photo
does show it swimming bottoms up to give the name Backswimmer), a Water Strider
[Patineur], and another Predaceous Diving Beetle [Dytique] taking a rest out of
the water. She noticed that there seems to be a lot of Diving Beetles in that
pond this spring. This is a small pond, but obviously alive with life. Take
note of the Water Strider, how the leg pads do not break the surface tension of
the water, to let them stride across the water.
They also found a CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY in Glen’s Hoop House (for planting early garden
species) where it is warmer.
**Brian
Farrell and Ron Steeves were down to New Horton and Cape Enrage on April 7th.
New birds for the year for them were GREAT CORMORANTS [Grand Cormoran] and
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes], their first TREE SWALLOW
[Hirondelle bicolore] and an AMERICAN KESTREL [Crécerelle d'Amérique]. There
was also a good movement of eiders totaling about 3,500, and a few scoters
[Macreuse] at Cape Enrage. On Friday they were back again at Cape Enrage, with
another 3,000 eiders and about 800 scoters passing by. They vacated Cape Enrage
and went to the New Horton Church around 11:00 a.m. There again were TREE SWALLOWS
[Hirondelle bicolore], inspecting the birdhouses on the poles near the church.
Going up the bay was a string of 7 GREAT BLUE HERONS [Grand Héron] and a total
of about 4,000 eiders. At both places again today, scoter movement numbers were
very slow. The hawks are coming. They had 8 TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête
rouge] today and 2 kettles of adult RED-TAILED HAWKS [Buse à queue rousse]. The
first kettle was of 6 birds, the other being 10 birds. Raptors were really
distant and high, almost seeming to disappear in cloud cover at times. Large
movements of gulls [Goéland] at unbelievable heights, impossible to distinguish
went over.
**Ellie
Dupuis got a photo of 3 pheasants [Faisan] in her Memramcook yard. There are
two standard female RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] versions, and the
third is a dark variant. It is quite difficult to say if this bird is a
JAPANESE PHEASANT [Faisan versicolore] that has been released and hybridized
with a Ring- necked Pheasant, or really what genetics may be at play, as the Ring-
necked Pheasant and the Japanese Pheasant can hybridize readily, and the
offspring are fertile, so the results could be quite variable.
**Cynthia
MacKenzie shares a few photos from the woods behind her Moncton home, which is
very active these days. The WHITE-TAILED DEER [Chevreuil] are moving around
frequently. The RED FOX [Renard roux] has been around. The RING-NECKED PHEASANT
[Faisan de Colchide] still visits each day, and the birds, (mostly BLUE JAYS
[Geai bleu], ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique], JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé], and Chickadees
[Mésange]) are all busy as well. She got a group photo of one of her regular
White-tailed Deer herds. She got 4 together at once. Usually there are 6 that
travel together in this group, although one doe showed up injured yesterday.
Check out Cynthia’s video at the attached link.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m53uscb0r89ti98/IMG_3522.MOV?dl=0
**Eric
Wilson reports seeing his first of the year OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] from the
Trans-Canada Highway near Norton on Friday. Eric notes there are lots of nests
along this route, and the Osprey should be moving in promptly for pairs to
reconnect, bond, and perform nest reparations.
**Brian
Stone drove to Bouctouche on Friday and caught sight of a RED FOX on the marsh
behind the Visitor Information Center. There was also a GREAT BLUE HERON
present and a few AMERICAN ROBINS. Lots of SONG SPARROWS were singing loudly
and several CANADA GEESE were trying to outdo them with their honking and
calls. He caught a RING-BILLED GULL flying overhead. Note how nicely this photo
shows the white windows at the tip of the wing which is one the features the
arrangement of helps in identifying some gull species. The new RED MAPLE buds
were beginning to open on the branch tips. On the rocks beside the water were
patches of interesting yellow XANTHORIA lichens (Editor’s note: probably
Elegant Sunburst Lichen). The Bouctouche lagoons were populated heavily with
SCAUP and RING-NECKED DUCKS and two AMERICAN WIGEONS were basking on the banks.
When Brian got home the crocus flowers on his
lawn had finally noticed the exposed Sun and decided to open to the delight of
one small MINING BEE. This is one of the several Andrena species of bees
that emerge very early in the season. Their stingers are not strong enough to
pierce human skin.
**Ray
Gauvin photographed the large ‘horse head’ of a GREY SEAL as it emerged to
breathe at the Pointe-Du-Chene wharf on Friday. It was on the marina side,
inside the area not too far from the boat slip.
At
the same time the RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were having a free for all with the
males very intent on impressing females which were paying passive interest to.
Ray took a video of the frenzy of activity. Take a look at the action at the
attached link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nmpn6rhz5mgsr9z/MVI_1148.MOV?dl=0
**Rose-Alma
Mallet spotted her first OSPREY of the season on Friday in the Shediac area. On
Saturday morning, it was immediately getting to work making reparations to last
year’s nest just off Rte. 15 near the Shediac Detention facility.
**Jamie
Burris took a video of possibly the last of some very busy COMMON REDPOLLS
[Sizerin flammé] in his Riverview yard, fueling up for the journey north. Take a
look at the attached link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2gkots3vql2q8f/GH020140_Trim.mp4?dl=0
**Aldo
Dorio sends a photo of a cooperative SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] in his
Neguac yard that shows the variable plumage of this bird.
**It
was pleasant to have a MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY [Morio] visit our yard on
Friday morning. This butterfly can be expected to fly on warm days in early
spring, as it overwinters as the adult.
I also
saw the INFANT MOTH [Archiearis infans],
a small moth with bright orange hindwings. This small moth flies at this time of
year during the day, favouring areas of WHITE [Bouleau blanc] and GREY BIRCH
[Bouleau gris]. It flies fast, and seems to be always in rapid flight, but the
bright orange hindwings in flight give it away.
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson
Poirier,
Nature
Moncton
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