NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 25, 2021 (Tuesday)
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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)
**Are we really going to have NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] nesting in the area?
Little doubt about it with the photo Daryl Doucette captured of a male
feeding a female on his Moncton deck.
This is a significant mating ritual in many birds of the male offering
food to the female and her accepting it.
Nothing like taking a lady out to lunch to cement a relationship! An
incredible photo to get.
**Catherine Hamilton spotted and photographed a
leucistic BLUE JAY [Geai bleu] in the Anagance area.
It surely does stand out and would not be missed if seen. Catherine was also fortunate to get a normal
plumage Blue Jay and the leucistic Blue Jay side by side to dramatically show
the contrast.
**Louise Nichols adds a few observations after she and
Brian Stone sleuthed the Nichols’ Aulac site on Monday. Louise comments, dragonflies are still scarce
but she did get another excellent photo of a
BEAVERPOND BASKETTAIL Dragonfly and
also found PAINTED TRILLIUMS blooming in one of the spots that they regularly
occupy in their wooded area.
**The BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à
tête blanche] nest at Camp Wildwood was lost a couple of
years ago. Since then, Penny Clark has
seen the eagles fly by occasionally and believes that they built a new nest
farther up the Little Bouctouche River.
This past week, Penny has noticed a lot of activity over at the camp
where the old nest was. A pair of eagles
have been hanging around and she’s wondering if they are thinking of setting up
housekeeping for next year. She knows it
is far too late for anything to happen this year but hopes that they keep at it
and they might have a nest and a family next year. Penny comments “I had to share my exciting
news.”
**Georges Brun sends a few photos of the old control
structure with a barrier in front of it as progress on the effort continues on
the bridge across the Petitcodiac River.
Georges also comments that on May 22nd, Melvin Perez was
surfing the tidal bore and spotted a HARBOUR
PORPOISE [Marsouin commun] just
across from Bore Park. Gulls and Great
Blue Herons are feasting on the Gaspereau run, especially at the mouth of
Hall’s Creek. I suspect the Gaspereau
would be a sweet treat for a Harbour Porpoise as well.
**Brian Stone
visited Louise Nichols' wilderness yard on Monday and got a selection of the
life present there. More pictures will be forthcoming tomorrow but for now
Brian sends images of a NASHVILLE WARBLER, a BROWN ELFIN BUTTERFLY, and a
NORTHERN AZURE BUTTERFLY. He also stopped to grab some snaps of a roadside
SKUNK in the area that was too busy foraging to lift its head for a portrait.
He stopped in at the Arthur St. lagoon in Memramcook on his way and got
pictures of the WILSON'S PHALAROPES, the EURASIAN WIGEON, and much more to
come.
**Grant
Ramsay and Magda Kuhn visited Kouchibouquac National park on Monday in search
of warblers to find how hard they can be to photograph. However, a male
AMERICAN REDSTART did nicely cooperate. They also photographed the red (at the
moment) pollen cones of spruce trees. There pollen cones will soon/now shed
their yellow clouds of pollen grains and disappear. The male pollen cones tend to
appear on the lower part of the tree with the female seed cones on the upper
areas of the tree.
**A few of
days ago, Ray Gauvin noticed hummingbirds, hovering outside his kitchen window
in the location he usually puts the feeder out every year. He had not put it
out yet but out it went that night. Next morning, they were there feeding. Two
females, very busy, arriving both at same time, but only one winning the spot
at a time . They are a little different, so Ray can tell both are feeding as
one likes to perch, while the other constantly flies while feeding. It’s the
same ritual every year. They come to the window and hover around to let Ray
know. It’s Time ... We’re Here ..... Get Er Done. Monday night was a
video moment with sunset showing through its wings . Ray’s video is at the
attached link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/74iiktrphkn2p7h/Hummingbird%20at%20Sunset%20May24%202021.MOV?dl=0
** Aldo Dorio photographed a GRAY CATBIRD at Hay Island on Monday as
well as an emerging PINK LADY’S SLIPPER (white flowered) as confirmed by Gart
Bishop. Aldo also took a portrait photo of a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.
**On May 20th when exploring a burn-over
with Brian Stone, I noted a flower in bloom I did not recognize so hailed Brian
over for a photo. After a consult with Gart
Bishop, he identified it as Western Clematis aka Purple Clematis which I did
not realize at the time, was uncommon to rare in New Brunswick. It is a vining plant and if one looks closely
at the runner leaves, they are just emerging from it with lots of distraction
in the background. I am attaching 4
views due to the now realized rarity. It is native to NB.
**My nephew, Larry Sherrard and I take all our fish
offal and household compost to a wood site near Miramichi and place trail
cameras to see who comes to visit. So
far, we have a sow BLACK BEAR [Ours noir] and her year old cubs have become regulars, a large
male boar Black Bear comes by occasionally, TURKEY
VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] , RACOON [Raton laveur] ,
BALD EAGLE, COYOTE and RED FOX [Renard roux] . The sow
Bear’s cubs are yearlings that denned with the mother last winter and will be
soon sent out on their own when she comes into estrus, usually about July 1st.
Larry got a
great video of the trio that can be seen at the attached link below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xmm29l2kaua3kcq/PICT0010.AVI?dl=0
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
