Nature Moncton Nature News: April 16 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Apr. 16, 2018 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** It’s Nature Moncton meeting night tomorrow, Tuesday. Details repeated at the end of this message.

** It’s happened. A photo of a TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] had to be submitted this weekend, and Jamie Burris came through. Karen and Jamie spotted a cool-looking Tree Swallow in Hillsborough on Sunday. There were also some well-dressed AM. TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] ready for breeding season. They will soon be leaving us for their northern, summer breeding grounds.

A nice photo of some COMMON GOLDENEYES [Garrot à oeil d'or] taking flight. The goldeneye, being a diving duck has to make these running starts to take off. They were at Amos Point.

Jamie has coined a new bird for his list: the goosganser. The photo tells “the rest of the story”.

** Danny Sullivan had a very cooperative meeting with a BROWN CREEPER [Grimpereau brun] and a male PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand Pic] at Irishtown Nature Park on Sunday. He got some excellent photos of their interaction.

** Doreen Rossiter reports that she had her first visit of a NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic flamboyant] of the season. It was a female and quickly chose a suet block to re-fuel. Doreen comments that she is surprised no FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] have appeared in her yard as yet, as other year’s records show them arriving significantly earlier. Doreen also says that she still has lots of AM. TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] that don’t seem to be in any rush to leave.

** Paula Lansdale, just outside of Alma, reports that she also has had NORTHERN FLICKERS [Pic flamboyant] arrive in fields around her home, on her lawn, as well as at the suet feeder. Paula also saw two different EASTERN PHOEBES [Moucherolle phébi], one at her home and another in the village. TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] have also firmly returned. Paula saw seven in the air this past week.

** Louise and Maurice Richard report that they had lots of spring activity around their Acadieville cabin this weekend, with a pair of DOWNY WOODPECKERS [Pic mineur] feeding heavily on a suet bar, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES [Sittelle à poitrine rousse], AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune], a male HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné], a BEAVER [Castor], CHICKADEES [Mésanges sp.] and SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur]. It seems like a slow one, but spring is happening.

** With ice breaking up off Hay Island, Aldo Dorio is getting nice observations of COMMON GOLDENEYE [Garrot à oeil d'or] and COMMON MERGANSER [Grand Harle] in pairs.

** Janet Kempster and Brian Stone paid a visit to the Arthur Street lagoon in Memramcook and were rewarded with close observations of the male CANVASBACK [Fuligule à dos blanc] that has been cruising the Memramcook area. There also was a male RUDDY DUCK [Érismature rousse] but it was much less cooperative to be photographed, as it stayed at the far side of the lagoon. MALLARDS [Canard colvert] were also present, the male being a hybrid. RING-NECKED DUCKS [Fuligule à collier] were also there.

They stopped by Yolande LeBlanc’s, 251 Central Street in Memramcook, and saw the 2 CLAY-COLOURED SPARROWS [Bruant des plaines] continuing to be present. They were hiding behind a screen and did not cooperate for a photo.

They made an unsuccessful hunt for the SANDHILL CRANE [Grue du Canada] in Scoudouc. At Pointe-du-Chêne they found RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS [Harle huppé], BLACK [Macreuse à bec jaune] and SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc]. It appears that a significant number of LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun] have dropped by that area again this year. They were off at a distance, but Brian got documentary photos that show the dark mantle, yellow legs, and size smaller than a HERRING GULL [Goéland argenté] to identify them. There were at least ten Lesser Black-backed Gulls and they suggest the possibility of many more, but distance prevented certainty.

** A heads up for the Tuesday night, April 17, Nature Moncton meeting night at 7:00 pm at the Rotary Lodge across from the former Cabela's location. The special guest will be Gart Bishop who will speak on the Grand Lake Meadows natural protected area. Gart will show what is present in this unique community to make it a protected area to be preserved in perpetuity. The write up is attached.

In the second half of the evening Shirley Xu will give a presentation on some birds in China. Shirley and her husband moved to Moncton and became interested in birds after joining Nature Moncton and during a recent return trip to China they found themselves birding and photographing what they saw.

Nature Moncton April Meeting

Grand Lake Meadows Natural Protected Area

Date: April 17, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge (across from former site of Cabela’s)

Speaker: Gart Bishop

The unique wetlands along the Trans Canada Highway between Jemseg and Upper Gagetown are part of the Grand Lake Meadows. A portion of these wetlands is protected as Grand Lake Protected Natural Area. It is home to a collection of species which are not found elsewhere in the province. Gart Bishop will describe some of these species -- including New Brunswick’s smallest vascular plant -- that make this area so different from other wetlands.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton