NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April
08, 2021 (Thursday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Jane Leblanc got a flight photo of
an AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d'Amérique] on Wednesday over the St. Martins beach.
Jane also saw a COMMON LOON [Plongeon huard] offshore. I suspect that adult
loons are anxious to head to fresh water lakes to start seasonal housekeeping.
** Ray Gauvin had a second visit from a
RED CROSSBILL [Bec-croisé des sapins] to his Pointe-du-Chene yard on Wednesday
to get some excellent photos. It appears to be a juvenile bird bearing in mind
that crossbills can nest at any time of the year to make the possibility of
this bird just molting into adult plumage. Ray comments that it was a loner
seeming to be quite quiet and staying in one spot and was not bothered by other
birds landing beside it. It seemed to have a challenge cracking the black oil
sunflower seeds. Note how Ray’s photos show that only the lower mandible is
curved and allows it to take seeds from under the scales of cones.
Ray also had a suspected HOARY REDPOLL
[Sizerin blanchâtre] that seemed to be lingering as a loner as his large
patronizing flock of redpolls appears to have departed. Note the stubby bill
and the overall pale plumage, especially the chest area, which are features of
the Hoary Redpoll. Ray also had 2 new RED CROSSBILLS [Bec-croisé des sapins]
that arrived on Wednesday that seemed to be in a more advanced molt than the
first one he photographed or are possibly adult female birds.
** Brian Stone’s excellent photos from
his visit to Wilson Marsh on Wednesday were accidentally not included in
yesterday’s edition. They are attached today with lots of things to note. The
flight photo of the MALLARD DUCKS [Canard colvert] nicely shows the white on
the edge of the tail and the blue speculums bordered in white. Wilson’s Marsh
is a great place to visit for the next few weeks before the foliage starts to
hide its patrons.
Brian went to the Memramcook Arthur St.
lagoon on Wednesday to look for the Red-necked Grebe but was not successful in
seeing it. He did see a large group of BLACK SCOTERS [Macreuse noire], 7
LONG-TAILED DUCKS [Harelde kakawi], several RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à
collier], and 1 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé] there. He then went to
Memramcook Lake where the grebe had been reported earlier but was unlucky there
too and did not see it. He did manage photos of a male HOODED MERGANSER [Harle
couronné] and a COMMON LOON [Plongeon huard] very likely en route to an
unfrozen fresh water lake.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
