Nature Moncton Nature News: April 12 2023

April 12, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Louise Richard spotted their first Tree Swallow of the season on Tuesday in the Jones Lake area.

(Editor’s note: Tree Swallows will often check out nest boxes immediately when they arrive then return up to a few weeks later).

**Oscar LeBlanc reports a pair of Tree Swallows arrived to his Bouctouche property Tuesday morning. Oscar comments that it’s a bit early for his site but sure welcome.

(Editor’s note: Oscar has many nest boxes established at his site on the Bouctouche River with a very high occupancy rate).

**It is appearing like it’s Yellow-rumped Warbler arrival day!

Dale and Helen Halfpenny had a Yellow-rumped Warbler arrive to their yard on Tuesday, April 11, in Stilesville, which is the earliest record for them at their site.

**Tuesday was a great day for new arrivals for Sybil Wentzell to her Harvey, Albert County yard, and Sybil was able to get great photos of the new patrons.

A FOY Yellow-rumped Warbler and a FOY Palm Warbler were foraging in her yard along with a few Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets. A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers spent an hour or so as well. What a lovely spring day with lots of action!

** Shannon Inman got some very distant photos of 2 birds running about out on the marsh grass. We feel they are Palm Warblers, standing to be corrected. Shannon will be trying to get a better photo today but considering the distance, Shannon was lucky to get the photos she got.

**Dan Hicks had yet another unexpected visitor to their yard pond on Tuesday with a Great Blue Heron. It stayed around for a few hours looking for a snack, but Dan was not sure it was able to catch anything. The side slopes are steep, so prey must come right up to the edge to be accessible.

** John Inman reports Gilles Belliveau noticed a Savannah Sparrow in his Harvey, Albert County yard on Monday.

On Tuesday, there was a notable number of new visitors, including an Eastern Kingbird that appeared in the front pear tree but was too dark for a photo, a Chipping Sparrow, a new Rusty Blackbird, 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 13 Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Tree Swallows on the marsh. The last one of the Rusty Blackbirds from the winter is getting a lot darker taking on breeding plumage.

**Jane LeBlanc was sitting in her St. Martins yard, hoping the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker would come back when she noticed some different small birds in with the chickadees and nuthatches. It was a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets. Even though she was sitting with a camera in hand, they were too fast for photos. The one documentary photo she got was not good enough to share. (Jane’s comment)

(Editor’s note: the always on the move Golden-crowned Kinglet can be a challenge to photograph!).

That all changed with an afternoon report when Jane looked out the window and saw not one, but TWO male Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers in her tree, so out she went again to try and get a photo of both birds in one shot.

While waiting, the Golden-crowned Kinglet came back, and this time, photos were taken!

The photo of the second male sapsucker seems to show the bird with more yellow on the belly/breast, so Jane assumes it was the second bird.

**On Monday, Brian and Annette Stone visited the Sackville Waterfowl Park to see what life the warming spring weather might have brought to the area. Much of the water area was still frozen over at the time, and most of the duck life was far from the boardwalk. Brian only managed photographs of a Red-winged Blackbird, a Song Sparrow, and some Maritime Sunburst Lichen. They then went across the highway to the pond behind the Tantramar High School, where they found the Eurasian Wigeon that had been reported on the other side earlier. Ducks were moderately closer there, and Brian photographed Ring-necked Ducks and Canada Geese also.

Outside the park, Brian noticed some Honey Bees enjoying the early blooming Crocus flowers. On the way back home, they stopped in at the Memramcook lagoon on Grand Pre St., just off Arthur St., and got a photo of a Northern Pintail Duck seeming lonely all by itself in the lagoon. An Iceland Gull was watching closely as it circled above the lagoon.

Before leaving on their outing, Brian photographed a newly emerged Chipmunk in his backyard.

**On Tuesday, Brian Stone drove a big loop through Shediac to Petit Cap and down through Jolicure and the High Marsh Rd. and then Memramcook for a mostly disappointing day bird-wise. Two new for this year birds were a Northern Flicker and a Tree Swallow that was apparently claiming his summer residence. Several Great Blue Herons were spotted in different areas, and a Song Sparrow sang happily to try and lift Brian's spirits. The +18 ° weather was a big change, and it felt wrong leaving the coat in the car but soon that will be normal, and the winter chill will be forgotten.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton