Nature Moncton Nature News

Wednesday, 23 March 2016

March 23 2016

* The storm brought a different plumaged bird to Don Daigle's feeder yard on Monday. It turned out to be a HOUSE FINCH but an orange variant with unusually placed markings. It took a few reviews of Don's nice photos to call its identification. I have HOUSE FINCH regularly to my own feeder yard with the odd orange variant but never one marked like Don's visitor.

* The BLACK SCOTER are arriving. Carmella Melanson got a great photo of 4 males on Tuesday very actively vocalizing to a female who seems quite unimpressed with their chorus line. She saw approximately 62, predominantly males, with more farther out on the water off St. Thomas wharf

* Doreen Rossiter reports a huge turnout to her Alma feeder yard on the storm day of Monday feeding 300+ birds most of the day. The big numbers were 100+ SONG SPARROWS along with the first FOX SPARROW of the season and a large contingent of a BLACKBIRD blend. The first NORTHERN SHRIKE Doreen has had in her yard this season was attracted to the activity.

* Gabriel Gallant also had a return of approximately 50 SNOW BUNTINGS to his Saint Marie de Kent feeder yard that had not been attending recently. 5 REDPOLLS also visited along with his first SONG SPARROW. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH also came back in significant numbers.

* New member, Ethel Douglas, is yet another to enjoy a visit from a large flock of WAXWINGS to roost in a pine tree outside their Royal Oaks condominium on Saturday.

* Brian Stone shares some more photos from the Nature Moncton field trip to Hampton and Saint John area on March 13 to include some of the the many SCAUP along Norton Shore Rd. Most were suspected to be GREATER SCAUP and one of Brian's photos shows the upheld wing of one bird to show both primary and secondary wing feathers to be white on the trailing edge whereas only the secondaries are white in the LESSER SCAUP.

Also shown is a cavity in a rock face with bird white-wash below it to show a bird has perched or nested in it.

Also included are ICELAND GULLS, a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and GADWALL ducks.

* Again a reminder of the Owl prowl and workshop scheduled for Thursday evening is postponed to the alternate date of Monday, March 28. and that date on hold as well depending upon weather conditions. There was a good number of participants registered for this event so make sure to keep a watch for announcements for rescheduling.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (MALE). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

BIRD PERCH CAVITY. MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

BLACK SCOTER MARCH 22, 2016.CARMELLA MELANSON

BUFFLEHEAD DUCKS (MALES IN FRONT WITH FEMALE IN REAR). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

GADWALL DUCKS (MALES AT REAR WITH FEMALE IN FRONT). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

GADWALL DUCKS (PAIR). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

HOUSE FINCH (VARIANT).MARCH 21,2016.DON DAIGLE,

ICELAND GULL (1ST WINTER). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

ICELAND GULL (ADULT). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SCAUP (FEMALE WITH WINGS UP SHOWS WHITE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY FEATHERS OF GREATER SCAUP)). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SCAUP (FEMALE). MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SCAUP (SUSPECT GREATER) 01. MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SCAUP MALE (SUSPECT GREATER) 01. MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SCAUP. MAR. 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE

WAXWING LINE-UP.MARCH 19, 2016.ETHEL DOUGLAS

Nature Moncton

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

March 22 2016

** A tip of the hat to Carmella Melanson who made an early morning run on Monday to the Tantramar Marsh before the snow started to get serious to be rewarded with seeing the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE [Oie rieuse] Hank Scarth and Paul Mansz had found on Sunday afternoon. Carmella got a nice photo for the poor light that she had to work with. The photo shows the smaller size of the Greater White-Fronted Goose in comparison to the CANADA GEESE [Bernaches du Canada] it is accompanying.

** Louise Nichols comments her Sackville yard picked up with the storm from the usual 8 to 9 species to 13. A RUFFED GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] was in a yard Birch tree, her first SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] arrived, but special was a FOX SPARROW [Bruant fauve] that stayed all day. We’ve had a lot of nice pictures of Waxwings but 2 that Louise got on Sunday are too good not to share. She noted a flock of approximately 100 to 150 Waxwings laced with AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d’Amérique] in Sackville on Sunday.

** John Langelaan reports a very significant swell in the number of expected patrons at their feeder yard facing Mill Creek at the edge of the Riverview town limits the past few days. They have been watching the BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tote blanche] nest there on Mill Creek that they see easily from their home. They have seen adults go and come from the nest but wondering if they are spending enough time at the nest to be initiating real occupation. John notes the nest failed the past 2 years and hoping for more positive results this year.

** Bev Schneider shares a nice photo of a HORNED GREBE taken at the Dipper Harbour Wharf on Saturday. It was a special moment to have this species come so close to the wharf to cooperate for a photo.

** The snow storm did not bother a few cock RING-NECKED PHEASANTS [Faisan de Colchide] from getting into serious spring dueling on Monday in Susan Richards’ yard in Memramcook. They have 5 males and 4 females as regulars but the 2 in Susan’s photos are just not agreeing on who’s the “Cock of the Walk”.

** Some changes for the Owl Prowl and short workshop that had been planned for this coming Thursday evening. Guide Roger LeBlanc does not think we should do the owl prowl on Thursday because of the cold temperatures this week; he’s tested his route, and has not been able to locate any owls at all at the moment. We can look forward to our alternative date of Monday, March 28, as a possibility. But even with that date, we’ll have to watch for conditions, so stay tuned.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BOHEMIAN WAXWING (a). LOUISE NICHOLS. MARCH 20, 2016

FOX SPARROW (a). LOUISE NICHOLS. MARCH 21, 2016

Greater White-fronted Goose March 21, 2016 Carmella Melanson

HORNED GREBE.MARCH 19, 2016. BEV SCHNEIDER

RING-NECKED PHEASANTS DUELING.MARCH 21, 2016..SUSAN RICHARDS

Monday, 21 March 2016

March 21 2016

** Dave Christie sent out a Nature Moncton bird alert on a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE [Oie rieuse]. Hank Scarth and Paul Mansz spotted it Sunday afternoon, with CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada] on the Tantramar Marsh. They found them, on the Folkins Road, on the stream side, approximately 800 metres from the red Prescott barn.

** Gilles Belliveau identified a special bird on Sunday, a BLACK-HEADED GULL [Mouette rieuse] at the Hampton lagoon. He spotted it late Sunday morning and got the word out, so lots could get to see it during the beautiful sunny day. It is an immature gull, showing a black tail band and still some brown on the mantle. However, its bill is predominantly orange-red in colour with a black tip, indicating that it is moving towards adult plumage. Pat and I, with several others, saw it in mid-afternoon at the third impoundment, with RING-BILLED GULLS [Goéland à bec cerclé], and many of the group got great photos.

I’m adding some of my own to the blog, also a photo of a male NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] there, that shows its huge shovel bill. Other ducks were enjoying the lagoons and there were also several TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] floating about overhead.

Earlier in the day, Pat and I visited Maces Bay, Dipper Harbour and Chance Harbour. The BRANT [Bernache cravant] have not arrived in Maces Bay as yet. A BLACK GUILLEMOT [Guillemot à miroir] in breeding plumage was noted at Dipper Harbour, as well as several SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc].

** Ron Arsenault joined the Chignecto Naturalists’ Club on Sunday to visit the SKUNK CABBAGE patches at Upper Cape and shares a photo of one popping through the snow. Ron was also in the Moncton area briefly, and saw a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] on the nest box perch at the summit of Assumption Place at 6 p.m.

** MAYFLOWER [Fleur de Mai] is a very early-flowering plant, and Anna Tucker found them in bloom at Sackville last week. I don’t believe that it’s on the Plantwatch list.

** John Filliter had a RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] come to his Cap-Brûlé yard on Sunday to enjoy suet, a food that pheasants don’t often choose.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BLACK-HEADED GULL.MARCH 20, 2016.NELSON POIRIER (2)

BLACK-HEADED GULL WITH RING-BILLED GULLS.MARCH 20, 2016.NELSON POIRIER (2)

NORTHERN CARDINAL ( FEMALE ) 03. MAR. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

NORTHERN SHOVELER DUCK (MALE).MARCH 20, 2016.NELSON POIRIER.

RING-NECKED PHEASANT TO SUET FEEDER.MARCH 20,2016.JOHN FILLITER

SKUNK CABBAGE EMERGING.MARCH 20, 2016.RON ARSENAULT

Sunday, 20 March 2016

March 20, 2016

** Georges Brun got a distant documentary photo of a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] perched on the big A logo on the east side of the Assumption Place tower in the midst of a snow shower on Saturday afternoon. Things may be coming to life for Moncton’s Peregrine family.

It is coincidental that a group of us were at Marsh Creek in Saint John on Saturday, when a Peregrine Falcon flew over; it could have been a recent arrival to that area as well.

** A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD [Moqueur polyglotte] continues to be seen around Louise and Maurice Richard’s home on Jones Lake. Louise got a photo of it in their young English Walnut tree on Saturday.

** AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] seemed to arrive en masse in the Moncton area on Friday and Saturday. Janet Cormier says that she had a treeful of Robins in her Salisbury Road yard on Saturday, while Anna Tucker reports that the feeding frenzy of Robins and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] continued on Saturday outside her St. George Street apartment building.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton