April 24, 2023
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Ed and Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins
saw the Northern Lights Sunday night. It was a first for Jane. They saw
bright white light with streaks, but when photographed, it turned into
beautiful colours. Still awesome, and a bucket list item for Jane. Best part,
they only drove 10 minutes from home to see them.
(Editor’s note: Jane and Ed were very
fortunate to see this spectacular event as some areas of New Brunswick were
clouded over to shroud out the event. A special photographic moment to provide
a permanent memory!)
** On Saturday
evening, Ed and Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins had several folks visit their yard
after dark to see the Yellow-spotted Salamanders in their yard ponds.
They put on quite a show, as did the Wood Frogs, with Jane able to get
some nice photographs of the Yellow-spotted Salamanders.
Jane had a male Yellow-rumped Warbler visit
her yard on Monday, the first warbler of the year for her.
Also, Jane had a first TICK encounter. It was
crawling up her arm. She presumes it came from the dog who was lying on her
lap at the time. Jane comments, “Tis the season, so watch for them”.
**Marc Schneider found a Two-lined Salamander on
their property in Douglas on Saturday. It was under a wet leaf in running
water.
(Editor’s note: this is a very uncommonly found
salamander in New Brunswick, and Marc was very fortunate to find it and get a
photograph as well.)
**On Saturday, Karen Gorham photographed a male Wood
Duck and got a documentary photo of a pair of White-winged Scoters at Jones
Lake.
Karen also
got a photo of a male and female Northern
Shoveler behind Shoppers Drug Mart on Main Street.
**It must have been a banner season for Dark-eyed
Juncos last season, as many are reporting seeing high numbers. Wayne Corcoran in Chelmsford near Miramichi is
seeing many more than he is accustomed to seeing: 20 to 40 in
his feeder yard plus many in the woods surrounding his home, seemingly far
too many to get a good count.
In contrast,
he is seeing only a few American Goldfinch, and a Purple Finch made his
first arrival.
**Frank Branch spotted his first shorebird for 2023,
a Greater Yellowlegs, at Blue Cove Wharf at Anse Bleue in northern New
Brunswick
**Dale Pugh enjoyed watching and listening to a Chipping Sparrow trilling in their yard on Thursday to capture a photo of the bard on its mission.
**Deanna Fenwick spotted two of our first arriving warblers, the Palm Warbler and the Yellow-rumped Warbler, at the Sackville Waterfowl Park boardwalk in Sackville on Sunday to capture some great photos.
**Pat Gibbs got a pleasant photo of a male Green-winged Teal in a pond at the back of Shopper's Drug Mart on Main St. in Moncton, flaring its wings as if to show its delight with spring.
**Georges Brun photographed a Muskrat enjoying the fresh herbs near the outflow of Jones Lake at Main Street in Moncton.
(Editor’s note: note the white claws on the Muskrat to help identify it in photos where size cannot be appreciated. Beaver claws would be black).
**Brian Stone sends a few late photos from Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, he went to Hillsborough and explored a couple of the trails there and sends pictures of some of the wildlife he encountered. Around the sewage lagoon, he noted an increase in the number of Tree Swallows perching on the wires and saw 6 White-tailed Deer grazing on the mowed lawns. Male and female Pussy Willows were opening from their fuzzy coverings, and some large Grassy Nests were high in tall bushes.
Along the wetlands trail Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Phoebes,
and Black-capped Chickadees were going about their spring duties. A male
Ring-necked Duck was showing off for a potential mate, (editor’s note:
the Ring-necked Duck really does have a ring on his neck!) A pair of Killdeers nervously
patrolled a gravelly area near the parking area. Canada Geese in the
nearby field were disturbed by an enthusiastic dog and flew off loudly, voicing
their displeasure. A Bald Eagle flew close overhead as Brian was getting ready
to leave in a final parting gift for the day.
On Thursday, Brian checked out the trails at Mill Creek Park in Riverview and saw Eastern Phoebes there as well, and also several male Purple Finch that vocally sang high in the trees and seemingly followed Brian for a long section of the trail.
One Red Squirrel
searched for a good spot to bury a peanut, trying several places before running
off into the woods unsatisfied, while another Red Squirrel seemed to be lost in
prayer high on a tree branch.
**On Saturday, Brian Stone went to the Tucker St. Ducks Unlimited marsh in Riverview and sends a few photos of a pair of Muskrats swimming in the flooded ditch beside the trail, some of the Mining Bees on Coltsfoot Flowers, and a recent Beaver Lodge with evidence of one of the many small trees chewed down by the beavers to build it.
Lots of ducks and geese were present but at a distance too great for reasonable photos. A 22° Solar Halo encircled the Sun during most of the day.
**Brian Stone visited Nelson Poirier's man-cave camp in Miramichi on Sunday in hopes of spotting some of his exotic wildlife. As Brian joined Nelson on his viewing deck, a finely plumaged Pine Warbler appeared at his peanut feeder and stayed for a handful of photos and many more peanut bits. The warbler seems to be quite content to patronize the feeder regularly and hopefully will stay for a while.
Not long after, a bright male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker decided to help itself to the strawberry jam that was offered at the feeder tree. Several male Purple Finch also came by to feed on the seeds in separate feeders.
A Saw-whet Owl, Brian’s main mission, evaded him by moments!
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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