Nature Moncton Nature News

Friday, 20 December 2024

December 20 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 20, 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 the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and proofreader Louise Nichols at 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

**Lisa Morris photographed an interesting scenario after the rain abated Thursday as water droplets hovered between falling off an invasive Multi-flora Rose shrub or freezing if temperatures dropped below zero. Very eye-catching ‘runways’ at Jones Lake.

**Pine Warblers appear to be enjoying the weather and suet at bird feeder yards this season. Bob Blake in Second North River had one visit his raw suet offering on Thursday.

**Nelson Poirier made a slow drive across a segment of the Tantramar Marsh on Wednesday, entering from the TransCanada Highway onto Coles Island Road, onto the High Marsh Road, and exiting via the Goose Lake Rd. The roadway was easily traveled, but the topsy-turvy weather forecast may change that.

Entry was greeted by a pair of adult Bald Eagles very obviously showing the gender size differential with the female significantly larger.

There was a very significant amount of raptor activity observed from Coles Island Road, which was dominated by immature Bald Eagles. Photos tend to show the diversity of age of the immatures by bill and eye colour. The number of Bald Eagles observed was estimated modestly at 15. One power structure had four eagles perched on it and others with the duo.

Some Red-tailed Hawks were observed but nowhere near the immature Bald Eagle number. One Northern Harrier glided past.

Photos are documentary due to distances being at the limit of the camera's zoom abilities.

One has to wonder why the significant number of Bald Eagles. It would have to be assumed abundant food is a factor but what is that food source?

No Rough-legged Hawks were photographed or identified, but with the similar size of the Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged hawk, and Raven at a distance, there may have been some, but suspect very few.

One flock of Snow Buntings was observed, and it was interesting to watch them disappearing under turned tufts of sod, assumedly after seeds, but it really looked like they were just having a fun day!

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 December 21 – December 28

This week, check out the eastern sky around 10 pm to hunt down four dogs, three cats, two bears, a hare, a snake and a crab. Oh, and a unicorn if you believe in them. Start looking toward the southeast where Orion is hunting. Below his feet is Lepus the Hare, staying immobile in hopes that Orion’s canine companions overlook him. Following Orion’s belt to the left brings you to sparkling Sirius at the heart of Canis Major the Big Dog, and it doesn’t take a great imagination to see a dog in this group of stars. Orion’s shoulders and head form an arrowhead that points toward bright Procyon, one of only a few visible stars in Canis Minor the Little Dog. Use your imagination to see Monoceros the Unicorn between the two dogs.

Now find the Big Dipper in the northeast. It forms the rear haunches and tail of Ursa Major the Big Bear, and from a rural area the legs and head of the bear can be seen easily. The two stars at the front of the bowl of the Dipper point northward to Polaris at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper, which is officially Ursa Minor the Little Bear. Below the handle of the Big Dipper are the two main stars and hounds of Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs, seemingly nipping at the big bear’s butt.

Well below the bowl of the Big Dipper is Leo the Lion, recognized by the stellar backwards question mark of its chest and mane, with Regulus as its foreleg and a triangle forming its tail and hind legs. A faint triangle of stars between Leo and the Big Dipper is Leo Minor, the Little Lion. The third cat is Lynx, a faint line of stars running from Little Leo and past the front of Ursa Major. Between Regulus and Procyon is the head of Hydra the Water Snake, which will take much of the night to rise completely; and faint, crabby Cancer is above Hydra’s head and currently hosting Mars.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:58 and sunset will occur at 4:36, giving 8 hours, 38 minutes of daylight (8:00 and 4:44 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 8:01 and set at 4:41, giving 8 hours, 40 minutes of daylight (8:03 and 4:49 in Saint John). The Sun reaches the Winter Solstice point around 5:21 this Saturday morning, the shortest daylight of the year (beating Friday by one second).

The Moon is at third quarter this Sunday. It near Spica on Christmas morning and the slim crescent rises near Antares next Saturday with Mercury a fist-width to their left. Mercury is at greatest elongation from the Sun on Wednesday, and that evening Venus sets after 8:30 pm followed by Saturn two hours later. Mars slowly edges westward against the background stars of Cancer over the week but remains within a binocular view of the Beehive star cluster (also called Praesepe, the Manger) until after Christmas. The minor Ursid shower is at its peak Sunday, with meteors emanating from between the Big Dipper and the North Star.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BALD EAGLE (PAIR). DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

BALD EAGLE (IMMATURE) AND RAVEN. DEC 18, 2024 NELSON POIRIER

BALD EAGLE (IMMATURE). DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

BALD EAGLES (IMMATURE). DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

RED-TAILED HAWK. DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

RED-TAILED HAWK (IMMATURE). DEC 18, 2024 NELSON POIRIER

SNOW BUNTING. DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

WATER DROPLETS ON MULTI-FLORA ROSE. DEC 19, 2024. LISA MORRIS

Cats and Dogs 2024

Thursday, 19 December 2024

December 19 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 19, 2024

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

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and proofreader Louise Nichols at 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

**On Wednesday, near Saint John, Richard Blaquiere watched a Peregrine Falcon circling, then making a dive into a flock of European Starlings. Richard didn’t see if it was successful. Richard comments “One of those rare times that he had his camera in hand just as a photographic opportunity presented itself!

(Editor’s note: it sure was. When a beautiful photo of one of the fastest birds in the world on hold for an instant.)

Richard was also back at the McAllister Mall again on Monday (16 Dec 2024) and had time to check through the roosting gulls for anything interesting. There were about 20 gulls in the parking lot, mostly Ring-billed Gulls with a few Herring Gulls. A few minutes after he got there, a truck drove in, and the occupants began throwing bread scraps out the windows. Gulls started flying in from all directions, their numbers suddenly increasing by at least 3-fold. After the truck left, Richard was able to have a better look at the new arrivals. One young gull immediately stood out.

It was intermediate in size between the Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls. The head, neck, and upper breast were a pale base colour with dense dark streaking. The belly was a more diffuse and mottled brownish. The eye had a dark ‘smudged’ appearance. The bill was black except for some paleness at the very tip. The dark primaries had a long projection beyond the tail compared to the nearby Herring Gulls. Though Richard didn’t see it at the time, in the photos, the pinkish legs had dark shins. In flight, the wing lacked the prominent pale window of inner primaries seen in Herring Gulls. The tail was black with white upper tail coverts and rump. Some of the juvenile pale-edged scapular feathers have been replaced with more solidly grayish feathers with black shaft streaks.

After working through descriptions in the identification guides Richard had at home, the features noted for this gull support the conclusion that it was a 1^st cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull.

(Editor’s note: the Lesser Black-backed Gull is not in adult plumage until the fourth year of life. Richards's commentary is worthy of slipping into your field guide if you suspect a first cycle/winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Better yet, a visit to McAllister Place Mall in Saint John with a loaf of bread as chances are it’s going to be around for a while.)

Richard has sure provided some interesting fodder for today’s edition of!

He came across and photographed a 1st winter Iceland Gull Wednesday in the head area with what he thought may be some sort of external parasites in the feathers around its eyes and his suspicions were spot on.

A consultation with Dr. Megan Jones at the Atlantic Veterinary College Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative promptly brought the answer and quoting Megan below:

“Those are lice - not sure the species but we see them fairly frequently. They do seem to show up very clearly in this case - nice photo! There is nothing to be concerned about for this individual; I don’t think”

Megan also shared a website link, the first part of which deals with Richard’s observation. That link is:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-59054453.amp

**Aldo Dorio captured a photo of a male Common Goldeneye off Hay Island on Wednesday, with the sunlight showing the green iridescence of the head of the male that we don’t often see. The male Barrow’s Goldeneye, in similar light conditions, would have a purple hue.

**Norbert Dupuis shares more special moments with his male Northern Cardinal, checking out American Holly berries as well as buddying up with some of Norbert’s other patrons.

(Editor’s note: this is indeed American Holly in Norbert’s photo which merits a bit of explanation. American Holly is not native to New Brunswick but can survive as a cultivar in ideal conditions. This branch of berries was given to Norbert by a neighbour who was successfully growing American Holly which obviously caught the interest of the Northern Cardinal.)

**Norbert Dupuis and Nelson Poirier both photographed quite different plumages of the Ring-necked pheasant in different locations on Wednesday. Norbert’s photos were in Memramcook, while Nelson’s were on Goose Lake Rd. on the Tantramar Marsh. These variant plumages are uncommon but regular in the area leading to a bit more sleuthing as to the reason. A consultation with Ron Arsenault brought some interesting comments to be considered when we encounter these variations. Ron’s comments are quoted below:

“The Ring-necked Pheasant has a native range stretching from the Caspian Sea to eastern Asia, at least as far as Korea. Within this large range, 31 subspecies have been described. In addition, there is a closely related species, the Japanese Green Pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), for which 4 subspecies have been described. Note that some authorities consider the Japanese Green Pheasant to be conspecific with the Ring-necked Pheasant. More recently, there was a proposal to split the Ring-necked Pheasant into four species, but I do not know if this has been widely accepted.

Whether considered a separate species or not, the Ring-necked Pheasant and the Green Pheasant will hybridize, particularly where both species have been introduced. This is apparently not the case in Japan, where attempts to introduce the Ring-necked Pheasant have not been successful.

Were these birds seen in the Dorchester-Sackville area? (yes) I have seen them in that area when I lived in Memramcook. I also recall the Japanese Green Pheasant being released at the China Point Hunting Preserve on PEI in the 1970's. I suspect they were also released in other locations in the Maritimes, but I cannot confirm one way or the other.”

**Brian Stone drove around the Johnson's Mills area on Wednesday afternoon and saw 3 raptors that he managed to photograph. One Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a tall tree way off in a field and took off when Brian stopped for a photo. A second Red-tailed Hawk was hovering in a strong wind out at the edge of the Bay of Fundy and was completely motionless for minutes at a time. It was an odd sight. (It was windy, but Brian was able to get a documentary video of the bird hovering which can be viewed at the link below.)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/71kap8j83s3ulgcg4f03z/RED-TAILED-HAWK.-DEC.-18-2024.-BRIAN-STONE.MOV?rlkey=lcna8hiiwcea8mbt633x7o64z&st=nc5vsx6g&dl=0

The third raptor was an adult Bald Eagle (white tail tinged with Bay of Fundy silt) that obligingly flew straight overhead at a leisurely pace and a low level as if it was happy to make it to this Nature News edition.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (1st cycle). DEC 16, 2024. RICHARD BLACQUIERE

ICELAND GULL (1ST WINTER) WITH LICE. DEC 18, 2024. RICHARD BLAQUIERE

PEREGRINE FALCON. DEC.18, 2024. RICHARD BLACQUIERE

BALD EAGLE.DEC. 18, 2024. BRIAN STONE

RED-TAILED HAWK. DEC. 18, 2024. BRIAN STONE

RED-TAILED HAWK (HOVERING). DEC. 18, 2024. BRIAN STONE

RING-NECKED PHEASANT. DEC 18, 2024. NELSON POIRIER

RING-NECKED PHEASANT. DEC. 16. 2024. NORBERT DUPUIS

COMMON GOLDENEYE (MALE). DEC 18, 2024. ALDO DORIO

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE) AND DARK-EYED JUNCO (FEMALE). DEC. 10, 2024. NORBERT DUPUIS

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE) AND AMERICAN HOLLY. DEC. 17. 2024. NORBERT DUPUIS

Tuesday, 17 December 2024

December 17 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 17, 2024

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

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and proofreader Louise Nichols at 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

**Andrew Darcy shares an excellent roundup of what he and Jessica Belanger-Mainville encountered as they scoured zone E for the Moncton Christmas Bird Count.

Andrew comments, “The wind was brisk, but lack of snow on the ground made for great conditions to participate in the recent Moncton Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 14th. Jessica Belanger-Mainville and I did zone E, which includes Wilson's marsh and the area east of it. We tallied 24 species total and the highlight was definitely a Barred Owl that we stumbled across while attempting to drive down DeLong Drive. This is apparently the 4th time this species has been tallied on a Moncton CBC and the only one this count, so I was very happy to get that bird! The boisterous and aggressive mobbing of the local Bluejays and Black-capped Chickadees alerted us to the owl's presence. Sadly, no photographs were taken as it was only a brief encounter, but one that will leave lasting memories indeed.

Birds seemed to be well dispersed in general, and it didn't seem like the diversity was as high as in previous years from zone E anyhow; the cumulative count numbers say otherwise, though. May have just been that I missed some usual suspects. Other highlight birds include several White-breasted Nuthatch (4), American Robin (1 of only 2 from the count), and a gorgeous Pine Warbler that appears to be staying in the same location for the past 3 years."

Andrew also attaches photographs of the latest celebrity bird in our area which is a Harris's Sparrow that was found in Westcock during the Sackville Christmas Bird Count. The last time this species was reported in NB was in 2018 in Saint George and in 2017 in Paquetville.

Andrew went to look for the bird for about an hour before sunset on Saturday with several other birders but had no luck. The next morning, Burke Korol reported that he had seen the sparrow in the rose bush behind the feeders after about an hour of waiting and that the bird was fairly shy. After that report, many local birders flocked to the location, and after an hour or two of diligently searching and waiting, the bird was spotted in some bushes across the road from where it was being seen at the feeders. Eventually the bird did come back to the feeders and put on a brief show for some happy birders. What a beautiful bird, indeed. It was also Andrew’s 295th species for NB!

Several birders searched for it today, Monday, December 16th, with no luck sadly. Not to say it isn't still around somewhere but with the lack of snow cover and generally warmer temperatures and mild weather, it may have moved on. The bird was loosely associating with some American Tree Sparrows and was coming to ground feed at some feeders behind civic #484 New Brunswick route 935.

(Editor's note: lots of photos, but we just don't get the opportunity to enjoy this sparrow species very often!)

**Georges Brun was near the train trestle at Salisbury on Sunday, observing 32 Common Mergansers, 42 Canada Geese, and 30+ Mallard Ducks enjoying the open water. One Bald Eagle was monitoring the action. Four Crows were enjoying bathing themselves in the partly fresh water. There were a dozen+ other birds in the area, but Georges was not certain of the species, creating a very active area of bird activity.

Georges also photographed a juvenile and an adult Bald Eagle just past the eagle nest at Llangollen Road (across from the mouth of Turtle Creek).

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton