Nature Moncton Nature News: May 7 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

May 7, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

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

**Maureen Girvan visited Wilson’s Marsh on Sunday to find a pair of Canada Geese with fledged young already. They must have started family planning the moment they arrived!

**Louise and Glen Nichols discovered a large cluster of Snow Fleas (Springtails) by their Aulac garden shed on Monday evening. Louise sends a photo of the cluster and a couple of close-up photos with the macro filter.

(Editor’s note: Snow Fleas are amazing little critters! They get the name Snow Fleas as we can see them in mass numbers in the winter, especially in the granular snow of spring leaping about like specks of pepper which their size can be compared to as they are only approximately 1.5 mm in length. They are active all winter due to their protein antifreeze and active in the summer around wet areas and pools of water. They get the name fleas as they have a spring-like appendage under their body that allows them to leap incredible distances and rather act like fleas, but fleas they are not. They are harmless to humans and pets and feed on detritus such as algae, fungi, and bacteria that are found on decomposing matter such as leaves, turning them into rich soil which is beneficial. They are usually black but occasionally colonies can be seen that are bright coral or even yellow in colour. Possibly it is more appropriate to call them Snow Fleas in winter, Springtails in the other seasons.

Look on them as friends when you are lucky enough to see them, but they move so fast one is unlikely to see them in the detail Louise’s photos show.)

**Shaun O’Reilly first reported the presence of a Glossy Ibis at Miramichi Marsh on April 30^th. There have been a couple of other reports, but on four visits Deana and Peter Gadd were unable to locate it.

Just when the Gadds got home from their fourth attempt Monday morning, Pam Watters phoned to say she had seen it in the place they had been less than an hour before, relocating a fallen duck nest box. Pam did a great job of encouraging the bird to hang around long enough for the Gadds to get there.
This is the second report of this species at Miramichi Marsh, and in June 2011, Pam Watters and Phil Reibel alerted Peter to a Glossy Ibis in a farmer’s field in Newcastle. Care was taken not to get too close, and the bird continued to eat, but it did fly off short distances a few times.

**Brian Coyle placed a Wood Duck box on a tree a couple of weeks ago, and just a few days ago, he had a female Hooded Merganser checking out the box. The link below shows her checking it out:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/i8mwzb5u1poytd2jrxtpz/DSCF0169.MP4?rlkey=21tef74izyny6dqnuhiv9d04a&st=qxsxtk5t&dl=0

On Sunday, while checking his trail cameras at a Beaver pond, Brian spotted a Hermit Thrush, exhibiting unusual behaviour while hunting for insects. It was trembling or vibrating its feet. Brian has since read that this is a trait of the Hermit Thrush. Brian comments that the video isn't great, but you can see the behaviour by carefully watching the video link below.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/flzk4a11h7guhvnfbce47/DSCN2086.MOV?rlkey=5r1lybizzmvt7bd194wi3jg69&st=196ufbwf&dl=0

Brian Coyle also captured a good video of a River Otter around the same Beaver pond where he often gets action photos and videos.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p0ev1ya1vgwejukhz7ag0/STC_0076-Copy_x264.mp4?rlkey=7jego32l817sukj6olkja3nqx&st=2959pxou&dl=0

A Blue-headed Vireo also posed nicely for a photo.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a Chipping Sparrow in his Neguac yard that nicely shows the black eye line extending right to the bill (arrowed) which is a helpful clue in separating it from similar sparrows any time of year.
Also, the bill will become completely black as the transition to breeding plumage is completed.