Nature Moncton Nature News: June 10 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 10, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Louise Nichols was walking their dog Luka behind the Beaubassin Research Station in Aulac on Friday afternoon. The Nelson's Sparrows are definitely back and vocalizing in the salt marsh. Louise was able to catch one as it was perched on top of the vegetation, singing its very distinctive bacon-in-the-frying-pan song.

Louise photographed a second Nelson's Sparrow which she realized later was banded although the number on the band is not visible as the photo was somewhat distant.

After taking a few photos, Louise turned the video on to try to get a video of the singing -- the sparrow sang once and then flew off, so the video is short!

Check out the brief song at the video link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0273a0qyf43xydr/Nelson%27s%20Sparrow%20-%20Louise%20Nichols.MP4?dl=0

**Mac Wilmot is getting lots of frenetic activity with an Eastern Bluebird nest box in his Lower Coverdale yard. Mac comments that these guys don't do static ( just as nuthatches don't believe in gravity).
Therefore, they have not gotten any photos but keep well entertained. Mac is hoping for a photo op when the brood emerges.

Fred Dube also has Eastern Bluebirds nesting in a box on a roadside utility pole in Lower Coverdale.

It is great to hear about the swelling number of Eastern Bluebirds nesting in New Brunswick.

**Georges Brun spotted what appears to be the sickle-shaped dorsal fin of a Harbour Porpoise in the Petitcodiac River between Halls Creek and Bore Park on Friday.

(Editor’s note: there is only one reason for a Harbour Porpoise to be in Petitcodiac River and that’s food. There should be lots of that with the run of Gaspereau and other fish species in good numbers.)

Georges also got a distant photo of the Peregrine Falcon nest box on the summit of Assumption Place. It does appear to show a bird in the nest which may well be a youngster at this stage.

**Pat Gibbs visited the wetlands off Amirault St. in Dieppe on Friday and saw two adult Canada Geese with 2 differently aged groups of goslings. One group of goslings was quite big and getting to the gangly stage while the other group was still in the puffball stage.

(Editor’s note: the larger goslings must have been from a very early nesting.)

**On Wednesday, Sterling Marsh photographed a newly fledged Downy Woodpecker with its interesting feathered crown and also showing its polka-dotted wing.

(Editor’s note: the season is moving swiftly. The nesting season started recently, and now fledged young are occurring!)