Nature Moncton Nature News: March 31 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 30, 2024

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

The live feed to the Peregrine Falcon nest box camera can be accessed at https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Richard Blacquiere leaves another great report of activity at the Hampton lagoons.

“I had another walk along the Hampton lagoon this morning. It was nice when I started but got caught in a snow shower before I got home. I survived.

There were a few things to see. First, several Turkey Vultures were drying off after the rain the past few days. Iceland Gulls are still fairly regular in Hampton; a 1^st winter bird was foraging with some Ring-billed Gulls on a lawn at the Hampton High School. A male Scaup was kind enough to flap and show off its wing pattern while I was watching; the white stripe restricted to the secondaries point to it being a Lesser Scaup; a Muskrat was sitting on a log having breakfast, those amazingly dexterous front feet easily grasping its meal which appeared to be some type of Bulrush.

I haven’t seen the Eurasian Wigeon in a couple of days. The Ruddy Duck is probably still around but I couldn’t find it among the ducks in the pond Saturday morning.”

**The recent heavy rain in New Brunswick has created very high-water levels in many of our rivers.

Larry Sherrard noted 5 Beaver huddled on an ice flow to suggest their riverside lodge may have been inundated by the high-water level reached on the Miramichi River.

**Brian Stone sends a photo of his returned resident Song Sparrow that has posed for its first portrait of the season in his backyard. He also sends a screenshot of the Peregrine Falcon nest box from the web camera showing both falcons having just finished their lunch (Brian missed that event) and still waiting for their eggs to arrive. That moment seems to be close judging by the look and actions of the female when she is in the nest box.

(Editor's note: with the falcon pair, the female is considerably larger than the male suggesting the bird on the left in Brian's photo is the lady of the house.)