NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 28, 2022 (Monday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information

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

**On Saturday, Deana and Peter Gadd visited Hay Island. Shortly after they had a roadside chat with Aldo Dorio, they saw a River Otter scurrying, then seemingly sneaking across the ice towards the Common Merganser flock lazily swimming in the narrow open channel.

They thought they might see some action but the mergansers could not have cared less it seemed. The otter did dive through a hole in the ice when it got near the birds but only reappeared from the same opening.

Peter was fortunate to get a photo of the unpredictable next move of the River Otter.

There is still a good deal of ice in the area and the road into Hay Island is not easily traversed across the bridge.

**Louise Nichols stepped out the front door onto their Aulac porch Saturday night at about 8:00 with the hopes she would hear an American Woodcock. She was not disappointed because the moment she opened the door and stepped outside she heard the familiar "peent" coming from the direction of the garden where she has heard it in past years. Louise and Glen stood on the front porch for some time and could hear the full display, beginning with the "peent," followed by the twittering sound of the flight and ending with the chirping of the descent. They listened to the whole thing repeat a number of times, but were never able to catch sight of the bird.

Louise also reports the welcome sound of spring bird song in the woods behind their home, hearing (on different occasions) American Robin singing, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrow and Brown Creeper among others. White-winged Crossbills are also frequently present and Louise often hears their chattering calls as a flock moves through. Nice that the silence of winter is now filling with sound.

**Sue Richards forced some Forsythia shrubs in a vase of water in the house. They flowered in 10 days and when they started to drop their flowers, she took them outside and some occupants of their Honeybee colony soon found them as a welcome early source of pollen.

Also Sue was out for a walk and heard a noise above. She took a photo of a flock of ducks passing overhead following their migration route along the Petitcodiac River. The photo was not sharp enough to enlarge it for individual birds but shows the number of birds passing over. There appears to be prominent white on some birds so Common Eider is suspected.

Sue comments “sights and sounds brought to you today by Mother Nature!”

**When Ed LeBlanc in St. Martins had their new puppy out for bathroom duty Sunday morning early (still dark) he heard an owl calling, suspecting it to be a Barred Owl.

Then when daylight came, the yard was a circus. First about 20-30 Common Grackles arrived, with a few Red-winged Blackbirds among them. Then 4-5 Blue Jays arrived, followed by 4 American Robins. The Mourning Doves were not impressed. The Black Capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Dark-eyed Juncos were nearly trampled in the mix. The 4 Downy Woodpeckers kept to themselves. The star of the show, was a female Pileated Woodpecker who took up residence on the hydro pole and proceeded to preen for at least 20 minutes. She called and another answered her. She came back several times over the course of the day and was heard calling nearby. Jane got photos from several different angles that nicely show field marks.