NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 4, 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)
**The
ecstatic news of Monday was GARGANEY (Sarcelle d’ ete) at Hay Island.
Aldo Dorio and Peter and Deana Gadd spotted it just
before noon, independently. The Gadds
discovered it on their own, identified it and got word out to make for many
very happy birders that made for the site for an audience. (In many cases
faster than allowed!)
Deana and Peter had the good fortune to discover this
rare duck at Hay Island Monday morning, Deana spotting it first. It is a Eurasian bird that spends its winter
in Africa and Southern Asia. It breeds
widely across Eurasia. It shows up in
North America on occasion, particularly in Eastern Canada, but the last report
that the Gadds were aware of was a siting in the Tracadie area in 1990. The Gadds sent word out through the NB listserv
and a few text messages and emails and before too long a number of birders
gathered. There is every chance that it
will be there this morning. It was there
all-day Monday, and previous sightings apparently have lasted a few days. People Monday stayed well back so as not to
bother any of the ducks. Such wanderers
can be stressed although this bird did not seem concerned or even aware of its
admirers. It is a dabbling duck. It seemed to be feeding well. It was with a group of about 8 GREEN-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver], a cousin species.
Its name in French translates to ‘Teal of Summer’. It was easily seen with binoculars. Peter provides a map of the Hay Island site
where it stayed all day Monday.
A big thank you does go out to Aldo Dorio for putting
Hay Island on the birding map and causing many more of us to stop there to
check it out which has resulted in some pleasant moments.
As a value added bonus, the male TUFTED DUCK was
relocated at the nearby Tracadie lagoon. (Editor’s note: There is a LOT of
ducks there to go through to find the prize)
**Cynthia MacKenzie shares a video that she took
Monday morning in the Lutes Mountain area.
A momma RED FOX [Renard roux] was trying to rest but her 2 little ones would have
none of that! They were actually not far from the road and Cynthia stayed in
her car to observe and capture photos and videos. Take a look at the action at the attached
link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i3zwerj0q62vyxh/FullSizeRender.MOV?dl=0
**Jolande St-Pierre reports the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW arrived
on April 21st and appears to have departed on April 28th. Jolande comments it made her a very happy
landlady for 8 days.
**Gordon Rattray reports he is now having daily visits
of 4 sparrow species: SONG SPARROW [Bruant
chanteur], CHIPPING
SPARROW [Bruant familier], WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche]
and DARK-EYED
JUNCO [Junco ardoisé] to his
Weldon yard. A new daily visitor is a
male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER [Pic
maculé] several times a day and coming to his suet
feeder. Very interesting. (Editor’s
note: I have them come to jam but never suet) Gordon had his first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] to his yard this spring and Red Maple trees are in full bloom and yes, Gordon
is waiting for a Hummer!
**The Cannons’ EASTERN
PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] pair are
still weighing their options, but David did see one fly right up under their
door verandah after sunning itself on the nearby fence area.
David also photographed a male NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic flamboyant] pulling grubs out of their lawn for over 15 minutes on
Monday. (Editor’s note: note the black ‘moustache’ to indicate male gender)
**Brian Stone went for a short walk along the
Riverfront Trail on Monday and enjoyed the sunshine that he could while
battling the high winds. The TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] were
zipping around and occasionally popping in and out of the nest box alongside the
trail. Coltsfoot were still blooming
along the edge of the trail beside newly visible dandelions. Several bright White-Throated Sparrows were
foraging in the leaf litter under the bushes and did their best to hid from Brian’s
camera. On the edge of the pond right
beside the trail was a pair of CANADA GEESE [Bernache du
Canada] where they had set their nest. Brian comments “It’d be a good day to fly a
kite”.
**Pat and I after being blessed with an audience with
the Garganey came back around through Grande Anse and stopped at Black Rock to
try for a SANDHILL CRANE [Grue du Canada].
Roger Dumaresq has reported them in that vicinity
earlier this year and yearly for the past several years. One would have to wonder about housekeeping
possibilities. We were able to locate 1,
extremely far back in a field on the right and a few fields past the ‘big black
rock’. The photos are documentary at
best and yes, that’s snow in the background.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
