Nature Moncton Nature News: May 4 2023

May 4, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Elaine Gallant spotted a male Eurasian Wigeon on Wednesday at the Bouctouche lagoon to get a documentary photo. It was in the upper lagoon close to the operations building.

(Editor’s note: the Eurasian Wigeon is an uncommon but regular visitor to New Brunswick. The male is readily distinguished from the male American Wigeon. However, the female has many similarities to the female American Wigeon).

**What a day for Yellow-rumped Warblers on Wednesday for Sybil Wentzell!

The temperature didn’t rise above 4 degrees in Harvey, Albert County, and it showered most of the day. In the morning, Sybil noticed 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and their numbers rose as the day progressed. There were so many by the end of the day that it was hard to do a proper count, but there were at least 14 at one time on a few different suet feeders in her yard.
(Editor's note: the whole gang continues to enjoy the menu this morning).

They still have a nice flock (approximately 20) of Purple Finch, males and females, that have been coming to sunflower seed.

A very colourful day, and all enjoyed from the warm indoors.

An Eastern Kingbird paid a quick visit on Wednesday.

**Shannon Inman was out in their Harvey, Albert County yard just before dark Tuesday night and noticed approximately 40 Great Blue Herons going over the house, and one appeared to be a Great Egret, possibly looking for a spot to roost. Shannon will check the local marshes for possible observation.

**Louise Nichols plays in a music group that practices each Tuesday at Mathieu Martin high school in Dieppe. To the surprise of many, a Mallard Duck has built a nest right beside the main entrance to the school, and she has been sitting on eggs for the last couple of weeks. She is there when Louise shows up for practice (at around 7:00 PM) but has been gone from the nest when she leaves at just after 9:00 PM. Louise can see there are at least two eggs in the nest. One wonders why she would nest in that spot where there must be a lot of noisy student traffic just inches away from her each day, but she must have her reasons. Louise sends a documentary photo taken with her cell phone.

Louise really wonders why she would choose that spot!

(Editor’s note: I have encountered this so many times now that I’m starting to wonder if it’s not a tactic of the female Mallard Duck. The former Atlantic Lotto headquarters had a female Mallard Duck nest just outside their main door, where hundreds of people passed within inches from her nest daily. They were going to do some landscaping when the nest was discovered, and I was asked if it was possible to move the nest. I suggested they wait for a few weeks, which they were happy to do. A few weeks later, a security guard got a cell phone photo of mama Mallard waddling off to a nearby body of water at 4:00 AM one morning, followed by 5 ducklings in tow to lead to a contented staff and possibly a more contented mother Mallard Duck!)

**Aldo Dorio is noting Double-crested Cormorants arriving in numbers in the Neguac area.

(Editor’s note: Nelson Poirier was on the shore of the Miramichi River near where it enters the Bay on Wednesday. There was a wide continual raft of Double-crested Cormorants as far as the eye could see up and down the river. There had to be thousands of birds as probably the real line went further than the eye could see. It was a surreal site and impossible to capture in a photo unless one had a drone!)

**Brian Stone sends a few more photos from the Dartmouth and Halifax area taken over the last few days of April. He took pictures of the Black-capped Chickadees excavating a nesting cavity in the tree outside the family home and also one of the American Crows that are regularly perching in the same tree. A White-breasted Nuthatch was close by, and one of several male Northern Cardinals that sang loudly at a neighbor's house was elusive even though close and finally got caught for a photo in the dim morning light. Better luck was had with the Northern Flicker that stopped by briefly and surveyed the area before moving on.

At Sullivan's Pond in Dartmouth, Brian photographed the domestic geese and domestic duck, which were some of the very few birds present. Along the Salt Marsh Trail in the Cole Harbour area, The wind there was intense, and not much else showed for the camera.

Brian later visited the Frog Pond Park in the Armdale area of Halifax to check for turtles, but the cold likely kept them sheltered out of sight as none were visible.

A hefty Common Raven posed nicely, as did an American Robin, a female Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Dark-eyed Junco.

A female Hairy Woodpecker was very busily excavating her own nesting cavity low in a tree right beside the trail. Brian got some photos and a short video clip of the activity.

(Editor’s note: note how the nest hole opening is exactly the size of the bird to stop larger-than-the-bird predators from gaining entry. Take a look at the action in Brian’s excellent video at the link below).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/phecsumrba7zdt2/HAIRY%20WOODPECKER%20%28FEMALE%29%20EXCAVATING%20NEST%20CAVITY.%20BRIAN%20STONE.MOV?dl=0

A distant Turkey Vulture was seen and photographed flying over the area, and some small spring flowers were noted: Leatherleaf and Trailing Arbutus. The wind was strong and chilly on all days that Brian went out, which might have contributed to the low numbers of birds and other wildlife that Brian managed to see.

(Editor’s note: low numbers of birds?????? Brian’s words!)

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton