NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
March 11, 2023
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**It was a beautiful walk
Friday evening just at the golden hour on the Riverview Marsh.
Sue Berube captured documentary photos of a Short-eared
Owl on the Riverview Marsh, downriver from the Wastewater Treatment
Plant. Sue and Steve thought they saw two flying together at a distance
Thursday evening, but unfortunately, they did not have binoculars or a camera.
(That won’t happen again!) A return trip late on Friday brought the bonus prize.
This is the first time they have seen them this
winter.
**Shannon Inman had some photos of a male Common Merganser with prey that was giving us some challenges as to what
the prey was. The Inman's were able to rework some photos that show the victim
more clearly as a frog.
We tapped in
on the experience of Alyre Chiasson, and he was able to convincingly identify it, commenting he was “100% certain it is a Leopard Frog. The dots
on the body narrow it down to Pickerel or Leopard Frog. However, it has a
creamy white belly to make it a Leopard Frog”.
Some of Shannon’s photos are reattached today.
(Editor’s note: some helpful features to clinch the
identification. It does seem early for a Leopard Frog to be out of its winter
siesta).
Ron Arsenault provides an excellent explanation for
that, and I'm quoting Ron below:
“Too early for any NB frog species to have emerged from hibernation.
There are 5 species of frogs (Bull, Green, Mink, Pickerel, and Leopard) in NB
that hibernate in permanent waters. These frogs hibernate on the bottom but do
not bury themselves in mud as they still need oxygen (which they absorb
through their skin), something which they could not absorb if they were
completely buried in mud. They may also move a bit. Given that these frogs are
cold-blooded, they would not be able to move very quickly and thus are
likely easy prey when spotted by a predator such as a merganser.
It is not easy to determine the species with much certainty, given what
is visible in these pictures. While I cannot say with certainty, I am leaning
towards a Leopard Frog based upon the spots, especially the ones which are
surrounded by a lighter outer ring that I can see in some of these pictures.”
(Editor’s note: when two amphibian gurus agree, chances are the
identification is correct!).
**We don’t often see Red-breasted Nuthatch and White-breasted Nuthatch together, so some may not be aware of the significant size difference.
Nelson Poirier noted a White-breasted Nuthatch at
the peanut feeder to note the very significant difference in size from the
Red-breasted Nuthatch that patronizes the same feeder frequently. The
White-breasted Nuthatch is approximately 25% larger.
**A comment on various tree branches brought into
the house and placed in water to start their spring mission:
Lilac and apple blossoms emerged in approximately
10 days. Burr Oak and Black Ash have been much slower, taking over 3 weeks to
burst out. A few photos are attached.
Nelson Poirier
Nature
Moncton
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