November 15,
2023
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Edited by
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
** Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins is thrilled
that on Monday, she had two pairs of Northern Cardinals in her yard. A first
for sure!
Also,
this week, she had two pairs of Evening grosbeaks for a day, Common Grackles, a
Red-winged Blackbird, and on Tuesday, not one but two Fox Sparrows. The
Sparrows were the only ones to be photographed. Also, last Sunday, on the way
to pick Jane up to go birding, Judith Ives spotted a Spruce Grouse on Jane's
driveway. This is a first, as Jane is sure the only place she has seen a
Spruce grouse was in Algonquin Park.
(Editor's note: this and spring are normally the only times of year we get to see Fox sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows when they pop by our feeders for refueling on their southerly/northerly migration from/for breeding grounds to the north of us.)
** This past Sunday morning, while out to his trail cameras near a Beaver pond, Brian Coyle came upon a very fresh buck (male) White-tailed Deer scrape.
(Editor’s
note: the scrape marking of the male White-tailed Deer is an important part of
the mating ritual of the species. The male will usually choose some overhead
bushes in which to rub his antlers, then makes scrape marks with his hooves
under it and then scent mark it with urine. If a female checks it out, she will
in turn scent mark it with urine as her stamp of approval. The male checks his
scrape frequently for that stamp of approval!)
**Aldo
Dorio submits a photo of a freshly built Muskrat lodge for winter use at
Hay Island. Note the Muskrat lodge is constructed using plant material, whereas
a Beaver lodge would be constructed of sticks and mud.
Aldo continues to see shorebirds present at Hay Island, including Dunlin and
Black-bellied Plover.
** On Tuesday afternoon, Brian Stone checked out
Mapleton Park but found only a few Mallard Ducks, a small group of Black-capped
Chickadees, 4 Blue Jays, 3 American Goldfinch, and he heard one Pileated
Woodpecker. One bird that cooperated for a photo was a male Downy Woodpecker
that hopped from branch to branch in a low area beside the trail. Brian also
noticed that Hall's Creek at the Gorge Rd. end in the park had been dammed up
in a new spot by some busy beavers, and he sends some photos of the new Beaver
Dam and large Lodge.
Brian also
photographed some Oyster Mushrooms suffering from severe frostbite!
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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