NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 8 May 2021 (Saturday)
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Edited
by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript
by: Catherine Clements
Info
Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
****Aldo
Dorio reports he could not locate the GARGANEY or the troupe of GREEN-WINGED
TEAL on Saturday morning at Hay Island. Hopefully they will appear later in the
day for weekend viewing possibilities and no doubt Aldo will be checking. (Editor’s
note: Peter Gadd just reported it was relocated at it’s favoured spot with the
Green-winged Teal group)
**Cynthia
MacKenzie swung by the Fox [Renard] den area in Lutes Mountain that she had
identified earlier this week and was able to see Mother Fox nursing her
rambunctious little ones. She stayed in her car and used the best lens that she
had for her camera and was able to observe and count at least 6 little ones.
They were interested in milk until the need to wrestle got the best of them!
Mother really has her hands full. Cynthia got some very special photos.
**Mathieu
Carroll visited a burn over in the Miramichi area on Friday and found a few
BLACK MOREL mushrooms. These are a choice edible. They fruit early, as
Mathieu’s collection shows, and would seem especially early this year, as many
things are. They tend to appear the year after a burn over or around old fire
pits. They are very uncommon in New Brunswick except for these specific areas.
The YELLOW MOREL could also appear similarly and is also a choice sought-after
edible.
**Doreen
Rossiter had her first RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] arrive
to her Alma yard on Friday, and it went to red on a bird feeder. Doreen got her
hummingbird feeders up pronto. Doreen’s past records nearly consistently had
May 11th as first hummingbird arrival date, so this one is an early bird.
Doreen
now has lots of AMERICAN GOLDFINCH [Chardonneret jaune], a few PINE SISKINS
[Tarin des pins], and is noting RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à epaulettes]
are now females and first-summer males. Several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS are also
flitting about Doreen’s yard.
**Jamie
Burris has taken down his feeders, but they still have lots of sparrows coming
to the yard, feeding on the ground, including SONG [Bruant chanteur], CHIPPING
[Bruant familier], WHITE-THROATED [Bruant à gorge blanche], SAVANNAH [Bruant des
prés], and DARK-EYED JUNCOS
[Junco ardoisé]. Jamie set up a solar-powered fountain, and all the
birds seem to be really enjoying it. They still have flocks of COMMON REDPOLLS
[Sizerin flammé] and EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] as daily visitors, which
is a bit of a surprise, as the redpolls seem to have left most feeder areas/yards
for their return flight north. Jamie’s photos sure show the action from a water
fountain.
**Jane
LeBlanc had at least three YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune]
visit her St Martin’s yard on Thursday. A photo of Jane’s shows the white
throat, split white eye-ring, and yellow breast patch that are signature
markings of this early warbler. The yellow rump is hidden.
**Brian Stone went for a walk along the road behind Irishtown Nature Park on Friday and came across some interesting things. He heard several warblers that he couldn’t identify but got a nice picture of a PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse] and one of the 3 HERMIT THRUSH [Grive solitaire] that were foraging along the trail. A BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] flew overhead twice, and several AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] were active along the trail, sometimes foraging alongside the Hermit Thrushes. He was amazed to see a group of approximately 80+ TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] flying around overhead for about 10 minutes before moving on.
A female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER cooperated nicely showing the white throat of the female.
Brian got a photo of the just opening female buds of a TAMARACK TREE looking like small rosebuds that will mature to cones.
He also came across a strange pile of ants, an ant
swarm, that were piled 2 inches high in a group about 6 inches across. He got a
video of the ants as well as some photos. He took a video of the Tree Swallows,
but they were so high that they do not show well. Look carefully and you may
make out some of them. Check out some of the action Brian saw, at the attached
links, as well as his photos:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fb8r242lmnl2xl1/Tree%20Swallows.MOV?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ketces0sxc5tk9q/Ant%20Swarm.MOV?dl=0
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson
Poirier,
Nature
Moncton
