Nature Moncton Nature
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**John Inman had a
pleasing flock of 30+ evening grosbeaks on different feeders and
on the ground, along with mixed flocks of American goldfinch and pine siskins, but they were not
coming to feed due to the number of blue jays.
(Editor’s note: It may be
hard to convince anyone at this point, but normally the majority of blue jays
do migrate south with small groups remaining at feeders.)
**The male and
female northern cardinals returned to Brian Stone's yard on Thursday,
but only one of the females was caught by the camera. His kitchen window is
relatively small, leaving little room for a large camera to follow a small bird
around the yard. Several blue jays, five or six black-capped chickadees, two large
and friendly gray squirrels, and an American crow were also
foraging in the yard to make it a busier than typical morning.
(Editor’s note: Interesting
to note, this yard has no birdfeeders, which would suggest birdlife is able to
find lots of sustenance with wild food at the moment.)
**On Friday, Nelson
Poirier spotted two white-tailed deer in a field off St. Thomas St. in
Memramcook. We often see deer in fields, but these two had some interesting
points to note.
The pair consisted of a
large adult doe and a second year/2-year-old doe with it. If the doe had raised
fawns this season, they were nowhere to be seen, but it is not unusual for an
adult doe to have her two-year-old offspring join her, which I’m assuming is
the case due to the animal's size.
It can also be noticed in
the adult doe that the sleek chestnut brown pelage of summer is being replaced
by the more grey, hollow hair pelage of winter which will be effective
insulation from the cold.
White-tailed
deer hunting season is at its peak at the moment; however, these two beautiful
animals did not seem to think Nelson’s camera was any threat.
Nelson also
stopped by the often-busy Arthur Street lagoon. The lagoon was ice-free and
was completely devoid of any waterfowl, but there were reports of Canada geese
and a snow goose there on Thursday.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
