Nature Moncton Nature News: March 24 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 24, 2022 (Thursday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Nelson Poirier follows PEI birders listserv and was very surprised to see a message posted by Dwaine Oakley on the number of Brown- headed Cowbirds he has been seeing the last few years in his area and coming to his feeders during the winter. I suspect this may come as a surprise to others and have received permission from Dwaine to share his observations.

Quoting Dwaine:

“Brown-headed Cowbirds have been coming to my feeders each winter for the last several years and numbers peaked at 75 present at one time this past winter. This is the highest number I have had in one location on PEI. I thought last year with an average of 30-40 a day was a good tally but each winter the numbers seem to get larger.

I figure the abundant corn fields in the area and late harvest times keep some of our blackbird species here for the winter and they head for the feeders once the snow covers them over. The cowbird flocks always seem to bring other species to the feeders with them though, and this past winter there were occasional visits from two different Yellow-headed Blackbirds, a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds, and 3 Common Grackles.

Dwaine Oakley

Stratford, PE”

**Brian Stone drove a loop on Wednesday that included the Homestead Rd., Scott Rd., and Mollins Rd. In the Scott Rd. area Brian saw many White-tailed Deer in the fields and crossing the road. The Pine Siskins were vocal in small groups in the same area and American Robins were seen in moderate numbers on most large lawns. In one spot a huge flock of European Starlings were noisily occupying a few large trees.

While driving slowly along Mollins Rd. Brian noticed a small reddish brown "dog" loose beside a house and as he drove past something struck him about it and he backed up for a better look. In binoculars the canine's identity became clear and Brian started his second Red Fox photo shoot this week. The fox calmly walked and trotted through 6 yards as Brian followed slowly along on the road and they ended up face to face as the fox turned down a driveway intending to cross the road and came right up to the car. After staring at each other for a minute or two the fox decided enough pictures had been taken and it turned back up the driveway and vanished into the woods behind the house.

**Aldo Dorio was able to get out again and check action at Hay Island. On Wednesday, he photographed some Common Mergansers seemingly getting impatient for the ice to move on which hopefully will be happening soon.

** For those of you who may not be on the naturenb listserv, Nature NB is sponsoring 2 upcoming webinars of interest to naturalists cited below and one can register from this notice if you wish:

Learn about New Brunswick PNAs with Rae Sharp

Join Nature NB's Rae Sharp next week for two webinars on New Brunswick Protected Natural Areas!

Monday, March 28th at 6:00 PM
Animal Track & Sign in New Brunswick Protected Natural Areas
-- This hour-long webinar will go over what is a Protected Natural Area, which animals are found within them, and how you can spot their presence. Join us to discover the animals' life history, tracks and signs, and where you can find them in the province.
Register here

Friday, April 1st at 6:00 PM
Spring Shrub & Tree ID
-- Get ready for your spring adventures by learning how to identify the common shrubs and trees in New Brunswick Protected Natural Areas! Improve your identification skills of local trees and shrubs as the first signs of spring start emerging.
Register here

Until next time,
Nature NB

** Several bird feeder yards have had Purple Finch start to visit. They did not appear for Nelson Poirier until Wednesday when a pair arrived to sample the fare. The resident House Finch were not impressed and tried to put the run to them. Dispute between these two species was unexpected.

**Some naturalists set up lights aimed at a white sheet to attract moth visitors in the warmer seasons. Nelson Poirier has had such an arrangement for many years using a mercury vapour or ultraviolet light as a source of attraction for the many striking creatures that fly the night shift. All set ups had met their end of life in the fall of 2021.

In an attempt to come up with a new set up, Nelson was soon made aware mercury vapour lights are no longer made for outdoor use.

A call for help to Danny Sullivan and his electrical expertise scrounged up recycled materials to create a set up within a few hours! A photo of the single-issue production is attached, and the trial balloon will go into service next month. I suspect the very old dried out stump was surprised to become a pedestal for Danny’s unique creation for a second life.

Moth guru Jim Edsall will be giving a presentation to Nature Moncton for the June meeting which will bring us all up to speed on these unique critters of the night.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton