Nature Moncton Nature
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**The camera on the peregrine
falcon nest box on the summit of Assumption Place is now live. When
checking the link to watch the activity, scroll down to the first large image,
which shows what is happening in real time.
**That first lone egg was joined by a second one on Friday afternoon at approximately 3:20 PM. It appears this morning that those 2 eggs are being actively incubated to suggest more eggs are coming; it should be quite soon.
https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
Gordon Rattray sends a report covering the period back to April 3.
On Friday, Gordon had an
influx of dark-eyed juncos consisting of 70 + birds! These juncos stayed until
Monday, April 6, when the population dropped to about 50, then on Tuesday it was back to
the normal 6 that have been in Gordon’s yard all winter. It was
interesting to find two dark-eyed juncos that showed unusual coloration with
white displayed on wings of one and on the head of another, as seen in the photos.
The first fox sparrow of the spring showed up on April 5 for a short
visit. A pair of mallard ducks visited Gordon’s yard for several
days, coming very close to the house, even settling down after feeding on the
cracked corn that Gordon was putting on the ground. Another visitor of
note was the return of a female red-bellied woodpecker. On April 10,
Gordon heard an eastern phoebe singing in the area. Gordon has had a nesting
pair for several years; he hopes they are getting ready to open house again.
**The morning of April 10
was a sunny but windy time for Fred and Sue Richards to clean out the 10
nesting boxes in Memramcook at the Ducks Unlimited pond in a local farmer's
field. The boxes were installed last year in mid-April, and there were four boxes with tree swallow nests inside. The used nests were removed,
and after attaching brackets to the back of the boxes near the top to hold the
boxes straight, permethrin and diatomaceous earth were applied to the
inside of the boxes to help keep the swallows free of fleas, mites, and
lice.
On the water, Fred and Susan observed two northern pintail ducks, two mallard ducks, and four Canada Geese. Walking along the path around the pond, they saw that there had been white-tailed deer there.
(Editor’s note: take note
of the photos closely to observe how Fred has attached a section to the house and post for
stability.)
**Aldo Dorio is noting common
goldeneye in the now ice free water around Hay Island.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
