Nature Moncton Nature News: March 5 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 5, 2023

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

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Sue and Steve Berube had a nice observation of the Bald Eagle pair in the tree on the corner of Gaskin and Florence Street in Riverview (the eagle tree) on Saturday. They are not often sitting this close! (Editor’s note: eagle pairs are rejoining at the moment with housekeeping in mind. The larger bird is the lady of the house, as is the case with most raptors).

The Berube’s still have a male and a female Pileated Woodpecker coming to the suet and ripping up the maple tree. In recent days they have stopped coming together. They are very tame and not easily scared off, and show no concern with the resident Sharp-Shinned Hawk.

The Sharp Shinned Hawk is an almost daily visitor. A couple of weeks ago, they assumed, by the amount of blood on the feeder and lack of feathers on the ground, that it took a squirrel. They have, on one occasion, observed it swooping in twice at a squirrel unsuccessfully.

A Brown Creeper has been around since early January but is elusive and difficult to photograph (in true Brown Creeper style).

**Debbie Batog had a Ruffed Grouse visit a yard birch tree on Saturday, enjoying the nutrition-packed buds. Debbie comments, she has never seen one in their yard trees before.

Tree buds are the favourite forage of the Ruffed Grouse in winter.

**Jane Tarn’s daughter walked the trail at the dam – Salmon Centre, Chamcook Lake (near St. Andrews) and came across a River Otter slide to get a few nice photographs.

The snow substrate has been excellent in many parts of New Brunswick the past few days to provide good opportunities for visualizing tracks and trails of wildlife.

**At sunset on Friday, Brian Stone photographed the planets Venus and Jupiter fairly close to each other but two days past their close encounter on Wednesday, which Brian missed due to clouds and snow. The two planets have changed position as Jupiter sank towards the horizon and Venus rose up, heading towards its highest elevation in May.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton