May 16, 2023
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Tonight, Tuesday, May 16, is
Nature Moncton May meeting night, with the write-up below.
** Nature Moncton May Meeting
May 16, 2023.
7:00 PM
Mapleton Rotary Lodge
Online Photo Identification Guide to the Plants of
New Brunswick
A very significant website is under construction
that will be dedicated to botany within the Province of New Brunswick.
There are several websites available to help naturalists
identify plants but so far, none have been developed specifically to New Brunswick.
This is about to change!
Jim Goltz and Andrea Flemming will present on the
progress to date on the website the Fredericton Botanic Garden is creating,
with support from the Environmental Trust Fund. The multi-year project will
cover the vascular plants found native and endemic to New Brunswick. Using Hal
Hinds' Flora of New Brunswick as a starting point and photos collected from the
New Brunswick plant community, including Jim Goltz and the Atlantic Canada
Conservation Data Centre, they will share ways that you can participate in the
project as well.
This will be an in-person presentation from Andrea
and Jim (Jim will be virtual from Ontario, where he is stranded, but Andrea
will be with us in person) at the Mapleton Lodge however, anyone can join in
from anywhere virtually using the link below:
Join our
Cloud HD Video Meeting
As always, all are welcome, Nature
Moncton member or not.
**As John Inman went out early
to feed the birds on Monday morning, he could hear a lot of singing in the
cedars. The singer popped out, and Shannon noticed it was a male Summer Tanager that flew to the top of
the poplars, and John got a few quick photos. This bird appeared to stay for the
morning only.
John sends a
photo of the female Orchard Oriole with the unexpected dark patch on the
crown. The 2 male Orchard Orioles were not seen on Monday, but a new
immature male Orchard Oriole did appear. A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and
a male Evening Grosbeak came by. John comments that not much is getting
a chance to eat with the many Blue Jays.
** Louise Nichols had a nice surprise on Sunday
morning when 4 male Wood Ducks visited their yard pond in
Aulac. They frequently have a pair of Mallard Ducks on the pond and
occasionally Green-winged Teals and Hooded Mergansers, but Wood Ducks are
infrequent visitors.
In the wind of Monday afternoon, Louise saw a Northern
Azure Butterfly flying and watched until it landed when it did the
unthinkable -- it opened its wings! Louise sends a couple of photos of the
beautiful blue we seldom see except when it's in flight.
** Gordon Rattray took a walk on Monday along the trail behind the old Irishtown School and had much to observe. Bird activity was high, although some sang but stayed out of camera range. Birds that were photographed were Black-and-White Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Purple Finch, Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. There were several Ovenbirds singing along the path, and a Northern Parula Warbler landed near for a quick visit, but no time for a photo. The vegetation is growing, and Gordon was able to get photos of Fly Honeysuckle (LONICERA CANADENSE).
Gordon includes a picture of a male Downy Woodpecker drinking
from the Hummingbird feeder in his yard. It comes several times a day
since the feeder went up about two weeks ago. On Monday evening, a male
and a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird were at the feeder.
**Anna Tucker
did a walk along Sussex Nature Parkway on Monday and comments how very much she enjoyed it. This may be a walkway many of us have not discovered yet. Anna
comments that spring flowers were bursting beautifully and the walk along the
stream was very pleasant.
**Around noon on Monday, Anna Tucker walked from behind Chateau Moncton along Riverfront Trail just past the A & W site; she noticed a pair of Common Eider ducks sitting beside a pair of Mallard ducks.
(Editor’s
note: Common Eider ducks are seen at that site earlier in the spring during sea duck migration, but it seems a bit late for a pair to be there now).
**The Gray Catbird clan appears to be arriving for the season. Aldo Dorio photographed one at Hay Island on Monday, showing the dark crown and just a hint of the chestnut under-tail coverts.
Hay Island is a very popular habitat for Savannah Sparrows, one of which was photographed
Monday.
**Clarence Cormier reports the last
few days have had numerous birds arriving to the feeders at his Grande Digue
site.
There are approximately 50+
White-throated sparrows, a White- Crowned Sparrow, 20+American
Goldfinches, 15+ Purple Finches, numerous Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows,
Red-winged Blackbirds (7 females), Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (2) plus many
regulars...also Gray Catbirds (2), Ruby-crowned Kinglets (4), a Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Black and White Warblers (3), Yellow Warblers (2) and an American Redstart.
** On Monday, Brian Stone walked along a segment of the
Riverfront Trail in Moncton. He got
photos of a very handsome male Yellow Warbler picking insects off some
low tree branches. A Gray Catbird was calling further off the trail, and
a pair of American Goldfinches were foraging in the same area. One of
many Red-winged Blackbirds was perched and surveying an area and
appeared a bit rough, probably due to the high winds.
Brian also
noticed new appearances of Eastern Tent Caterpillars that have begun to coat
trees in their webs. Later at home, Brian took a few photos of a male Ring-necked
Pheasant that was prowling around his backyard.
Brian Stone sends some late photos from the Hampton
lagoon that include Lesser Scaups, Gadwalls, Common Goldeneyes,
Turkey Vultures, a Green-winged Teal, and a Double-crested
Cormorant.
**Nelson Poirier has had an American Kestrel nest box in place for 7 years near Sunny Corner. The nest box has produced a family for 6 years, and Nelson was pleased on Monday to get a very distant photo of a female perched on a wire above the nest box.
Co-pilot Fred Dube spotted a
second bird so hoping that is Mr. Kestrel.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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