NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April
25, 2021 (Sunday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** So great to get Eastern Bluebird
reports. Aldo Dorio had a female EASTERN BLUEBIRD
[Merlebleu de l'Est] appear to
his Neguac yard on Saturday. Aldo has
had successful nestings in a bird nest box in his yard for a few years now and
hopefully another family to come.
Interesting to note how birds often return to the sights they had
success with the year previous.
**Jean-Paul and Stella LeBlanc spotted
3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in Ste. Marie-de-Kent on Saturday afternoon. Starting to
look like it may be Eastern Bluebird arrival weekend!
** Brian Stone went up to McCully Station near Sussex for an audience with the GLOSSY IBIS(ES) [Ibis falcinelle] that have been seen there. He did get a nice photo of one chumming up
with CANADA
GEESE [Bernache du Canada]. He also got a nice photo of a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant
des prés] that was
very cooperative. They are moving in at
the moment to be with us for the season.
**Dave Christie
reports WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS really started singing loudly and frequently on
Saturday morning in the Harvey area. He had heard only one on Friday when the
weather was quite cold and wet.
There were
two groups of RING-NECKED DUCKS on the Larsen Marsh around noon hour Saturday
when a female NORTERN HARRIER came flying over. The closest group dived, the
hawk circled but the ducks remained under, so the harrier turned its attention
to the others and they dived too. With all the ducks out of sight, the harrier
headed towards the back of the marsh and the ducks slowly returned to the
surface.
** John Massey was cleaning a ditch in
Sackville on Saturday and a RED-BELLIED SNAKE [Couleuvre à ventre rouge] was under a piece of plastic to get a
nice photo. I put out black plastic boot
mats in the yard at our camp. They are
very popular with Red-bellied Snakes that get under them on warm days, but
rarely Garter or Green Snakes and as yet, never a Ring-necked Snake.
** Louise Richard noted lots of MOURNING
CLOAK BUTTERFLIES [Morio] flying about their Acadieville cabin both last
weekend and this weekend. From the
number of reports and the number of butterflies, this butterfly had a very
successful overwintering period as an adult.
** Jane LeBlanc had a GARTER SNAKE drop
by her yard pond on Saturday. Jane’s
small yard pond is attractive to a diversity of wildlife.
** The Nature Moncton field trip to the
Hillsborough wetland ponds, the Hillsborough lagoon Grey Brook Marsh went off
with beautiful sunny skies on Saturday.
Guide Roger Leblanc was able to show many examples of the ducks he had
dealt with on his virtual presentation on Thursday night. Lots other than waterfowl were value-added
bonuses. A male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
[Pic maculé] was very
cooperative to allow all to watch it at work.
SWAMP
SPARROWS [Bruant des marais] were
vocalizing and popping up and down. LEOPARD FROGS [Rana
pipiens], WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des
bois] and SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette
crucifère] were
vocalizing. A PALM WARBLER [Paruline à
couronne rousse] and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline
à croupion jaune] were
briefly seen by some. Attendance was
high to make for a long flotilla of automobiles to maintain Covid-19
regulations.
Yves Poussart and Maureen Girvan were
able to photograph some of the moments for pleasant memories of a great field
outing.
** We saw a lot of different things on
Saturday’s field trip, but many things were at a distance for photography, or
popping up and down, or under water, but unlike the Swamp Sparrows and
warblers, a few birders sunbathing at lunchtime stayed quiet enough for Louise
Nichols to get a photo.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
