Nature Moncton Nature News: 2021-04-18

Saturday, 24 April 2021

April 24 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 24 April 2021 (Saturday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

**Jane LeBlanc got some spectacular photos of the wave activity around St Martin’s caves in Friday’s winds. That rocky shoreline must get terrific forces against it.

*Dale Gaskin reports that he had an EASTERN PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] fly-catching under the roof eaves of his Dawson Settlement home during snow flurries on Friday, seeming like it was getting well fed, and not too concerned about the cold. The Eastern Phoebe is normally our first flycatcher to arrive. Dale also mentions he is seeing TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] fly over quite regularly.

**Andrew Darcy visited the Arthur Street Lagoons in Memramcook on Tuesday to be very rewarded. He got 12 species of waterfowl in the one pond which was very impressive. Andrew saw first of year NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL,LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, MALLARD, AMERICAN WIGEON and the star of the show a male EURASIAN WIGEON. He also saw a sub-adult BALD EAGLE harassing the gulls in the far pond, as well as his first of year TREE SWALLOW. On the way home he saw a pair of AMERICAN KESTREL roadside.

What a great day and very pleasant photographs as a memory of a good day.

**Atilla Fust was at the right place at the right time on Thursday morning to watch 2 RIVER OTTERS at the shoreline edge of the Bouctouche River aside his home. One had captured an eel and enjoying it under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle. The animal on the right of the photo has the eel.

**Louise Richard spotted their first Tree Swallow of the season in the Jones Lake area on Saturday morning to get a documentary photo, very apt to be the first of many more to arrive there.

**Fred Dube photographed one of the early-appearing moths that seem very tolerant of cold. It is the HOARY PINION MOTH (Lithophane fagina) and is in the cutworm or dart moth group. We have several others of the same genus in New Brunswick that resemble each other in general profile/shape.

**Bob and Sharon Blake report they have a trio of sparrow species in their Second North River yard, to include WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche], DARK-EYED JUNCOS [Junco ardoisé], and CHIPPING SPARROWS [Bruant familier].

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

EURASIAN WIGEON (MALE). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

BUFFLEHEAD (MALE). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

LESSER SCAUP (PAIR). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

NORTHERN PINTAIL (PAIR). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

NORTHERN SHOVELER (MALE). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

GREATER SCAUP (PAIR). APRIL 20. 2021. ANDREW DARCY

WAVES AT ST. MARTINS CAVES. APR. 23, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

WAVES AT ST. MARTINs CAVES. APR. 23, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

HOARY PINION MOTH (Lithophane fagina). APRIL 23, 2021. FRED DUBE

RIVER OTTERS WITH BALD EAGLE AUDIENCE. APRIL 22, 2021. ATTILA FUST

RIVER OTTERS. APRIL 22, 2021. ATTILA FUST

Friday, 23 April 2021

April 23 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 23, 2021 (Friday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

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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)

** Frank Branch was able to get a great photo of the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne dorée] that is visiting the feeder yard of Jolande St- Pierre in Alderwood, near Tracadie-Sheila. This is an uncommon visitor to New Brunswick, being resident in western Canada and the U.S. It is in striking breeding plumage. It is so fortunate that it has come to Jolande’s yard as she is so willing to share the prize patron.

** Anita and David Cannon visited the Irishtown Nature Park on Thursday to spot a pair of very content-looking HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné]. This is an ideal habitat for this species. They also spotted a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT [Cormoran à aigrettes] there.

** Brian Coyle had a pleasant surprise Thursday afternoon to have a bright YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] arrive to his peanut butter feeder. It cooperated for only a peak-a-boo picture, but a nice one. I suspect it was very appreciative to find that fresh treat in the cold wind and snow flurries of Thursday. Also, at the same time for Brian, a very brightly-plumaged WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] was foraging successfully in his yard, as well as an AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique] looking again like a bright male.

** Jim Johnson who has several swallow boxes set up in Scotch Settlement had 10 TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] show up on Thursday morning. Jim comments that he has seen few AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] this year in his area yet which is unusual. Jim also spotted 2 TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] perched on the old, abandoned barn where Jim and I photographed a successful nesting last year. The property has been taken over by new owners, so I am not sure if the vultures will nest there this year.

** The EASTERN PHOEBE [Moucherolle phébi] nest box trial of a few years ago has not been particularly successful; however, an AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique] has built a nest on the roof of one, just outside our deck mounted under the roof eve. A Robin, possibly the same one, started to build on the roof of the nest box last year when, seeing the effort, I went out to put a small wooden ledge on it to prevent the nest from sliding off. The Robin arrived back in the short time it took to attach it and was not amused and left but returned this year to complete the effort not being bothered by any annoying human help! We were also very pleased to have a pair of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire] take a Nature Moncton swallow box just outside our front window.

Also on Thursday, a very bright WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] arrived that was so fluorescent white, I mistook it at first for a White-crowned Sparrow until I got the binoculars on it.

** Roger Leblanc’s virtual presentation of “What’s that Duck?” went off well on Thursday evening and we’re now ready to head out into the field tomorrow, Saturday, to put the useful information Roger shared to the test with that portion of “What’s that Duck?” repeated below. Mother Nature has adjusted weather to make for a pleasant sunny warmer day.

NATURE MONCTON EVENT

WHAT’S THAT DUCK?: OUTING ON DABBLING AND DIVING DUCKS

Outing: Sat. April 24^th from 10:00 AM into the afternoon. (**Bring a lunch)

Meeting Place for Outing: Rte 114 and Steeves St., Hillsborough (meet at the lot in back of the post office, near the fighter jet at the far end).

Presenter and Guide: Roger Leblanc

Registration (for outing only): with Louise Nichols – nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Cost: $5:00 for members/$10.00 for non-members (to be paid at the outing on April 24^th)

** It’s Friday and time to review the next week’s Sky-at-a-Glace, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 April 24 – 2021 May 1
A favourite galaxy among stargazers is M104; better known as the Sombrero Galaxy as it resembles such a bonnet in astrophotos, thanks to a central dust cloud that forms the brim. The dust cloud can be seen from a rural location with a medium-size amateur telescope. The galaxy is seen as a small gray smudge with binoculars.

Although M104 is officially within the borders of the constellation Virgo, most people start their search from the recognizable quadrilateral of stars that forms Corvus the Crow. In mythology, Corvus was sent by Apollo to fetch a cup of water from the river but the bird was distracted by ripening figs. When the crow returned late it made up a tale that it had been deterred by a water snake (Hydra). In a fit of rage, Apollo tossed the bird, the cup and the snake into the sky. To the right of Corvus is the constellation Crater the Cup, and they both sit atop Hydra. They can be seen in the southern sky when twilight fades to darkness.

To find M104, imagine a line from the middle of the bottom of Corvus to the upper left star, and extend it not quite that distance. Look in this area for a small arrowhead of three or four stars. This asterism has been called the Stargate. The arrowhead points to a small line of a few stars, which in turn points toward M104 nearby. That line of stars also forms the mouth of an asterism called the Shark, which has a fin and a curved body stretching away from the Stargate. Good luck, and wear your Sombrero proudly.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:16 am and sunset will occur at 8:18 pm, giving 14 hours, 2 minutes of daylight (6:23 am and 8:21 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:05 am and set at 8:27 pm, giving 14 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (6:12 am and 8:30 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is full early Tuesday, less than 12 hours before perigee so expect higher tides for a few days into midweek. Mars passes about one Moon-width from the M35 star cluster on Tuesday, making a fine sight in binoculars or in a telescope at low power. Mercury is one degree to the right of Venus this Saturday, and it should be bright enough to be seen with binoculars 25 minutes after sunset. Uranus is just below them but unseen, heading toward conjunction with the Sun on Friday. By next weekend Mercury will be setting 80 minutes after sunset and half an hour after Venus. Jupiter rises at 4 am this weekend, 40 minutes after Saturn.

With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold you can watch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. APRIL 22, 2021. FRANK BRANCH

HOODED MERGANSER (PAIR). APRIL 22, 2021. DAVID CANNON

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. APRIL 22, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. APRIL 22, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

AMERICAN ROBIN. APRIL 22, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

AMERICAN ROBIN NESTING. APRIL 22, 2021. NELSON POIRIER

WHITE-THROATED SPARRROW. APRIL 22, 2021. NELSON POIRIER

Sombrero

Stargate 2021

Thursday, 22 April 2021

April 22 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 22, 2021 (Thursday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** A second reminder to the linked virtual presentation on “What’s That Duck?” scheduled for tonight, Thursday … good weather for ducks! The write up is attached at the end of this edition.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86127786854?pwd=eWt6T3JoS1pkZjRBNHJsUGtuTGxDdz09

** The very popular presentation on the virtual trip to Sable Island presented by Greg Stroud at the Nature Moncton meeting this past Tuesday night was recorded and is available for viewing at the attached link, with all thanks to president Fred Richards for recording it to make it available to be watched again or for those who may have missed it. Check it out at the attached link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqu9oa6auucmnnl/GMT20210420-220831_Recording_1600x800.mp4?dl=0

** Louise Nichols’ smaller pond behind her Aulac home continues to be active and has a few seemingly early patrons. A YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] egg mass is expected. Note the round, grape-like shape of the mass. Louise also noted both LEOPARD FROGS [Rana pipiens] and GREEN FROGS [Grenouille verte], both of which would be earlier than expected although Louise did see a lethargic Leopard Frog in the same site a few weeks ago. This small pond is in a protected location that gets the warmth of the Sun and is shallow which may account for its early activity.

** On Wednesday Frank Branch noted behavior with a pair of MOURNING DOVES [Tourterelle triste] that he has not seen previously in his Paquetville yard. First, assumedly the male, lifted a crest on its crown and then quickly a balloon-like structure popped up and then deflated after a few minutes. Frank assumed it to be mating behaviour but had not seen it before. Comments are welcome. Cornell’s “Birds of the World” discusses courting and mating behaviour extensively but does not mention what Frank observed and photographed.

** Silas Raybould, the 7 year old grandson of Mac Milton, found a very interesting rock on the marsh at the Petitcodiac River. This rock no doubt has a very interesting story to tell. The photos were sent to Matt Stimson, the assistant curator of geology/paleontology at the New Brunswick Museum, and Matt gave a prompt reply, and I am quoting his interesting response below:

“This one is actually a large piece of coral! Coral is commonly found along the shores of Atlantic Canada as it was once used as ballast on ships. This specimen in particular is a Scleractinia coral of some kind; likely a recent species rather than fossilized. Coral in the paleozoic (prior to the Permian- Triassic extinction event) belonged to various groups of coral including the tabulate corals. These corals went completely extinct during the P-T extinction. Modern coral evolved from a completely different group of organisms to fill this ecological niche which have diversified into the array of coral on the planet today.

Might need a marine biologist for more information on the species of coral. Modern critters are not my (Matt) specialty.”

** Wayne Corcoran from Chelmsford, near Quarryville, reports a quiet winter for yard birds as the EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] have been very numerous one day and just a few the next. He had many COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] and the usual BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire], BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu], WOODPECKERS [Pivert], and is now starting to see AMERICAN GOLDFINCH [Chardonneret jaune] back and nice to see them, especially the males turning their beautiful yellow. Also the first PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] arrived on Wednesday morning, lots of COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé], a few RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes], and of note lots of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS [Vacher à tête brune], and 1 GRAY SQUIRREL [Ecureuil gris]. Interesting to note Wayne’s comment of “lots” of Brown-headed Cowbirds which is similar to what was recently reported at a Miramichi feeder.

** Fred Dube has erected one of the 4 Nature Moncton bat boxes on his Lower Coverdale home. These have been constructed by Fred Richards as trial balloons. Fred sends a few photos of the bat real estate up and waiting for scouts to possibly check out. White Nose Syndrome has decimated the Little Brown Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat but the Big Brown Bats are increasing in number in New Brunswick. Lots more information will be shared by bat housing specialist Karen Vanderwolf at the May Nature Moncton meeting on May 18^th.

** YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDERS [Salamandre maculée] can be sometimes hard to get photos of as they are so nocturnal. Bev Schneider got a photo of one of the largest ones that she has ever seen moving away from water, appearing focused on its destination, possibly having completed its reproductive mission and off to head underground. Bev felt it to be at least 9 inches long which is large for a Yellow-spotted Salamander.

**NATURE MONCTON EVENT

WHAT’S THAT DUCK?: A WORKSHOP/OUTING ON DABBLING AND DIVING DUCKS

Workshop (Virtual): Thurs. April 22nd from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

The link to join this virtual session is

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86127786854?pwd=eWt6T3JoS1pkZjRBNHJsUGtuTGxDdz09

Outing: Sat. April 24^th (rain date: Sun. Apr. 25^th) from 10:00 into the afternoon. (**Bring a lunch)

Meeting Place for Outing: Rte 114 and Steeves St., Hillsborough (meet at the lot in back of the post office, near the fighter jet at the far end).

Presenter and Guide: Roger Leblanc

Registration (for outing only): with Louise Nichols – nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Cost: $5:00 for members/$10.00 for non-members (to be paid at the outing on April 24^th)

With the arrival of spring, many bird species that have left us for more moderate climes will be coming back. Amongst the first to return, and certainly some of the most colorful, are ducks. Now some ducks, mostly sea ducks, have toughed it out and stayed with us through winter, but their habits and behaviors are so different that they justify a separate treatment. At this workshop/outing, we will concentrate only on dabbling and diving ducks found on inland bodies of water. So what is the difference between dabbling and diving? In this workshop we will learn the answer to that question and how to tell them apart. Dressed in their spring finest, dabbling and diving ducks have already started coming back to us. On arrival, they first congregate in bays, waterways and impoundments before getting down to the arduous matter of producing next year’s offspring. This makes April the perfect time to learn to recognize them or simply brush up on your duck ID skills. And if you are just getting into “birdwatching,” ducks are a perfect place to start because they are big, colourful, have a tendency to stay put long enough for one to study them and many are jam-packed with identification-helping field marks. Still some, females in particular, can be confusing. So to help you out with this, Nature Moncton is offering this combination workshop and outing. With our own Roger Leblanc, we will first have an online weekday evening workshop to study the 14 species of dabbling or diving ducks that can be expected in the region now. We will learn how to separate them by habitat, behavior, and field marks. Roger will also share with us his experience-based “tools of the trade” for duck identification. Then on the weekend we will head out to a couple of duck hot spots in the Hillsborough region where ducks are findable in mixed groups at this time of year. There, with Roger’s help, we will work on using the knowledge learned in the workshop to ID them to species. All in all, a great learning and fun-filled experience that should help you better answer the question: “What’s that duck?”

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

** Bring a scope if you have one, and binoculars. Roger will have an extra scope and binoculars available if anyone needs them.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

SNOWSHOE HARE. APRIL 21, 2021. ALDO DORIO

YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER. APRIL 20, 2021, BEV SCHNEIDER

YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER EGG MASS. APRIL 19, 2021. LOUISE NICHOLS

GREEN FROG. APRIL 19, 2021. LOUISE NICHOLS

LEOPARD FROG. APRIL 19, 2021. LOUISE NICHOLS

MOURNING DOVES (COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR SUSPECTED). APRIL 21, 2021, FRANK BRANCH

PURPLE FINCH (MALE). APRIL 21, 2021. WAYNE CORCORAN

PURPLE FINCH (FEMALE). APRIL 21, 2021. WAYNE CORCORAN

COMMON REDPOLL. APRIL 21, 2021. WAYNE CORCORAN

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (MALE). APRIL 21, 2021. WAYNE CORCORAN

BAT BOX. APRIL 21, 2021. FRED DUBE

FOSSIL ROCK. APRIL 21, 2021. MAC WILMOT

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 21, 2021 (Wednesday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** A huge “Thank You” to Greg Stroud for taking a very large group of participants on a virtual visit to Sable Island on Tuesday night. His photos and knowledge of this unique place is incredible, only matched by his contagious enthusiasm. A great presentation and a great presenter. For those who missed it Fred Richards recorded it and it will be available as a Dropbox link on the Nature Moncton website within a few days.

** Doreen Rossiter had a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine blanche] arrive to her Alma feeder yard, which is a new bird for Doreen. It arrived on Monday and was still present on Tuesday. Doreen is noting that the immense flocks of blackbirds are changing in makeup to include female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] and first year male Red-winged Blackbirds, as well as female COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] that are joining in too.

** Eric Wilson was pleased to hear a HERMIT THRUSH [Grive solitaire] announcing its arrival to his back yard on Tuesday morning. The Hermit Thrush is often the first to join us of the thrushes with the exception of the American Robin. The vocalization most frequently heard at dusk is a welcome sound of the season.

** Jane Leblanc had her WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine blanche] return on Tuesday morning and it spent most of the day in her St. Martins yard. Jane also has a yard pond and reports that she has had WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] and SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette crucifère] and YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDERS [Salamandre maculée] active but no photos as yet. Jane also had 3 male PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] and 1 female present in her yard on Tuesday. This species should become more abundant in our area at any time.

Jane is also noting that the RED-BERRIED ELDER is well on the way to breaking out of its overwintering buds.

** Gordon Rattray reports that his first PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] of the year arrived, being 4 males. There was an influx of waterfowl on Monday into the Hillsborough wetlands. There were WOOD DUCKS [Canard branchu], LONG-TAILED DUCKS [Harelde kakawi], and 8 species were at the Gray Brook Marsh along with 6 species at the Hillsborough lagoon.

** Brian and Annette Stone had a brief, early morning visit from a male NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] to their Moncton Yard, very high in a back yard tree. Annette made a valiant attempt to wake Brian from his deep slumber to do his photographic duty but ended up grabbing the camera herself and recorded the visit the best she could in the dim morning light. It sure is great to hear these spring Northern Cardinal reports.

In the afternoon they drove to Memramcook to check out the lagoon life. Visible were RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier], AMERICAN WIGEONS [Canard d'Amérique], a BUFFLEHEAD [Petit Garrot] pair and a GADWALL [Canard chipeau] pair, a female COMMON MERGANSER [Grand Harle], and a nesting CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada]. On the way there they noted a pair of AMERICAN KESTRELS [Crécerelle d'Amérique] lounging on a power line alongside the Old Shediac Rd. but the birds were in no mood to be photographed and fled before the car could even come to a stop.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton