Nature Moncton Information Line

Friday, 20 September 2019

Sept 20 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 20, 2019 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling. Note that corrections, deletions, or delayed additions may not always appear on the Info Line and email transcript but will always appear on the BlogSpot. For this reason, it is recommended that those wishing to look at historical records use the BlogSpot rather than the email transcript. The BlogSpot can always be accessed from the website.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

** Daryl Doucet was able to get excellent photos of a leg-banded RING-BILLED GULL [Goéland à bec cerclé] in the Pizza Hut yard in Moncton on Wednesday. Some sleuthing discovered this gull banded by a team lead by Professor Jean-François Giroux at the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM). It was banded at Iles Deslauriers in the St. Lawrence River on June 18^th, 2019. This is the first report they have received on this gull, and Professor Giroux would like to send all appreciation to Daryl Doucet for noting and taking the time to get good photos to positively identify it. Looks like the Pizza Hut in Moncton may prepare more flavourful morsels than those in Montreal! Daryl’s photos are attached.

** Brian Stone and I paid a visit to Petit-Cap on Thursday. They’re surely are lots of shorebirds still with us and lots of confusing plumages. There were a surprising number of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté] and all in juvenile or basic plumage, along with many SANDERLINGS [Bécasseau sanderling], LEAST SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau minuscule] and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau semipalmé], many SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS [Pluvier semipalmé], WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau à croupion blanc] and a few we have to work on yet. Several HORNED LARK [Alouette hausse-col] were roaming the dune, and several CASPIAN TERN [Sterne caspienne] were present. A freshly expired SAND LANCE minnow on shore gave us a chance to look closely at this much sought after nutrition-packed prey, especially for terns. Dorion gave the dunes a severe battering, but shorebirds continue to be plentiful at this special site. When we arrived, we saw a group down the shore with scopes, so left our scope back. It turned out to be the Les Amis de la Nature Thursday group which was great to meet up with, but they moved on with their scopes to their next stop. We should have returned for our scope as this is such a necessary tool for shorebirding, so possibly missed some good species. One surprise when we started to look at photos at home was the number of leg-banded birds with bands that could be read. There were at least 11 which Brian got, and I have not had a chance to search through my own yet.

** On a more local note, the 3 female HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné] that continue to stay feeding in the creek off Gorge Rd., leading to Mapleton Park have photos attached today that were missed yesterday. Brian saw them there on Tuesday.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 September 21 – September 28
Autumn has arrived, and dedicated stargazers are happy to have the longer observing time afforded by earlier sunsets. The summer constellations appear reluctant to move on, however; emerging from twilight in nearly the same place each night because the earlier darkness masks that they rise four minutes sooner each day. But move on they do, and by mid-evening the two groups of autumn constellations lord over us.

Perseus sits below W-shaped Cassiopeia in the northeast these evenings. Cepheus, the king of ancient Ethiopia, is a house-shaped constellation fenced within his wife Cassiopeia, Cygnus and the North Star. The feet of Princess Andromeda are below the W of Cassiopeia, and her head is at the tail end of Pegasus the winged horse. The asterism called the Great Square of Pegasus rises as a large diamond, a harbinger of the baseball post season. Rounding out the mythological tale is Cetus, playing the role of a ferocious sea monster that is stoned, in a manner of speaking, by Perseus in his rescue of Andromeda. Cetus is actually a whale, and segues to the second group: the water constellations.

To the left of the Sagittarius Teapot we see the large chevron of Capricornus the sea goat, representing the goat-boy flautist Pan who didn’t completely morph into a fish when he tried to escape monstrous Typhon. Above and left is the source of all this water; Aquarius, the water bearing servant of the Olympians. Below him is the southern fish, Piscis Austrinus, and further east we have Aphrodite and Eros as Pisces the fishes. Cetus swims below them, and well above Capricornus we see Delphinus the dolphin trying to leap back into summer.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:04 am and sunset will occur at 7:19 pm, giving 12 hours, 15 minutes of daylight (7:09 am and 7:24 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:13 am and set at 7:05 pm, giving 11 hours, 52 minutes of daylight (7:18 am and 7:10 pm in Saint John). The Sun crosses the equator Monday at 4:50 am – the autumnal equinox – heading south for winter.

The Moon is at third quarter this Saturday, and it is new and at perigee next Saturday. Jupiter and Saturn remain as the favourite targets in the early evening, but after twilight Jupiter is getting too low for steady atmospheric observing. Venus can be seen with difficulty in binoculars very low in the west 15 minutes after sunset, with Mercury a binocular field to its left.

The provincial astronomy club, RASC NB, meets in the UNB Fredericton Forestry-Earth Sciences building at 1 pm on September 21. All are welcome.

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

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

Autumn welcome

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER AND LEAST SANDPIPERS. SEPT 19, 2019. NELSON POIRIER

BONAPARTE'S GULL. SEPT. 19, 2019. BRIAN STONE

CASPIAN TERN. SEPT. 19, 2019.. BRIAN STONE

GREATER YELLOWLEGS. SEPT. 19, 2019. BRIAN STONE

HOODED MERGANSER (FEMALE). SEPT. 17, 2019. BRIAN STONE

HORNED LARK. SEPT. 19, 2019.. BRIAN STONE

LEAST SANDPIPER (LEG BANDED). SEPT. 19, 2019. BRIAN STONE

RING-BILLED GULL (LEG BANDED). SEPT 18, 2019. DARYL DOUCET

RUDDY TURNSTONES. SEPT. 19, 2019. BRIAN STONE

SAND LANCE. SEPT. 19, 2019. BRIAN STONE

SANDERLING. SEPT. 19, 2019.. BRIAN STONE

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. SEPT. 19, 2019.. BRIAN STONE

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER IN NON-BREEDING PLUMAGE AND SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (LEG BANDED). SEPT 19, 2019. NELSON POIRIER

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER IN NON-BREEDING PLUMAGE. SEPT 19, 2019. NELSON POIRIER

Thursday, 19 September 2019

Sept 19, 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 19, 2019 (Thursday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .

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

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Louise Nichols reports a great looking new site to visit in Sackville where she found a great array of birds so obviously something there is very attractive to forage on. It is a new impoundment that the Town of Sackville built for flood control off of Lorne St. in downtown Sackville. A trail runs around it and a few observation benches have been put up. On Wednesday there were at least 100+ GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier] and LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Petit Chevalier] but also a good number of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau semipalmé], SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS [Pluvier semipalmé] and a few LEAST SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau minuscule]. There were also 5 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes] as well as RING-BILLED GULLS [Goéland à bec cerclé]. This is a new impoundment and the birds have found it already so it looks like it will have great birding potential. Louise got lots of nice photos.

** Gordon Rattray joined Roger Leblanc to check out Roger’s shorebird survey site at Demoiselle Creek. There were no shorebirds present, but a stop at Lower Cape provided a great selection of warblers and a few vireos. The selection included AMERICAN REDSTART [Paruline flamboyante], NORTHERN PARULA [Paruline à collier], BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER [Paruline à gorge noire], YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune], BAY-BREASTED WARBLER [Paruline à poitrine baie], PHILADELPHIA VIREO [Viréo de Philadelphie] and RED-EYED VIREO [Viréo aux yeux rouges]. Some late season warblers can be a challenge, take a close look at this selection. The Philadelphia Vireo is a nice catch for southeastern NB.

** Eastern Bluebirds are flocking up as we are pleasantly seeing more of in recent years. Marguerite and Bill Winsor are visiting family in Fairisle, near Neguac, and on Wednesday morning their yard had a visit from a large flock of up to 2 dozen EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l'Est]. They were congregating in an apple tree and checking out bird boxes as they seem to do this time of year when flocks are spotted. Hopefully they are checking potential for next season. Marguerite comments that it was quite a sight.

** Dale Gaskin also had a similar experience in his Dawson Settlement yard on Wednesday when 9 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l'Est] arrived and spent considerable time in and out of bird boxes.

** Doreen Rossiter reports that her birdfeeder activity over the summer was active but with all the regularly expected birds. She did have several MONARCH BUTTERFLIES [Monarque] around her Swamp Milkweed and had several monarch caterpillars brought to her by neighbors when their milkweed supply was eaten up by their caterpillars. She was entertained on Wednesday by a RED SQUIRREL [Ecureuil roux] carrying what looked like a ball to a yard nest box at the usual, hurried squirrel pace. It turned out to be a baby squirrel, fully haired and seeming to be half grown. It repeated the process 5 times coming from behind a garage. Mr. Rossiter (Willis) had started a project in the garage and they suspect that caused the sudden move.

** A very beautiful BLACK-TIPPED DARNER DRAGONFLY stopped to rest and got photographed by Susan Richards on her yard grapevine on Wednesday. The darners seem to be very active at the moment. We needed Gilles Belliveau’s expertise on this one!

** Aldo Dorio sends photos of 2 mushrooms that are commonly encountered at the moment. One is the FLY AGARIC which is not a suggested edible as it contains muscarine and ibotenic acid that can produce hallucinations and visions which are often of the unpleasant kind. The second is a GEM-STUDDED PUFFBALL. All the puffballs are edible except the Pigskin Poison Puffball which almost always is black when cut in half. The puffballs are not particularly tasty but take on the flavour of whatever they may be sautéed with. Aldo also sends a photo of a GREAT BROCADE MOTH, Eurois occulta, that was confirmed by Jim Edsall.

** Brian Stone noticed 4 HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné] being very active diving for small fish in the main pond at Mapleton Park Wednesday afternoon. He also managed a shot of an unidentified dragonfly as he was leaving the area after a very brief visit.

** I got quite a surprise when a GRAY SEAL [Phoque gris] popped up approximately 30 feet in front of me at the shoreline in Cape Enrage on Wednesday. It blew like a whale and both of us were equally surprised, however it came back for a photo as I stood very quietly. It looks big in the zoomed in photo but I can assure that it was a big one. Note the typical horse head of the Gray Seal, probably a male as it was so large.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

AMERICAN REDSTART WARBLER. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

AMERICAN REDSTART WARBLER. SEPT 18, 2019.. GORDON RATTRAY

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER AND SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

RED-EYED VIREO. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

PHILADELPHIA VIREO. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

NORTHERN PARULA. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

LORNE ST. (SACKVILLE). SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

GREAT BROCADE MOTH. SEPT 18, 2019. ALDO DORIO

LEAST SANDPIPER. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

LESSER AND GREATER YELLOWLEGS. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

GREY SEAL. SEPT 18, 2019. NELSON POIRIER

GREATER YELLOWLEGS. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

GEM-STUDDED PUFFBALL MUSHROOM. SEPT 18, 2019. ALDO DORIO

FLY AGARIC MUSHROOM. SEPT 18, 2019. ALDO DORIO

EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. SEPT 18, 2019. MARGUERITE WINSOR

EASTERN BLUEBIRD. SEPT 18, 2019. MARGUERITE WINSOR

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, RING-BILLED GULLS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS. SEPT. 18, 2019. LOUISE NICHOLS

BLACK-TIPPED DARNER. SEPT 18, 2019. SUSAN RICHARDS

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. SEPT 18, 2019. GORDON RATTRAY

Wednesday, 18 September 2019

Sept 18 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 18, 2019 (Wednesday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .

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

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

Frank Branch found a juvenile SABINE’S GULL on Tuesday afternoon at the Tracadie lagoon. He found in the first lagoon chumming about with a group of a few hundred Bonaparte’s Gulls, one of which is in the right corner of Frank’s photo. This is a special finding as the Sabine’s Gull is a very pelagic gull and is considered rare on the East Coast. It overwinters mainly at sea in the southern hemisphere and breeds in the northwest of Canada and occasionally seen in migration on the west coast of North America.

There is a pelagic bird trip planned off Grand Manan for this coming Saturday, September 21 and there are still spaces left. This could be potentially a very productive trip as Dorian’s birds may be dispersing from Nova Scotia. It will be with Capt. Russell Ingalls on Saturday with Sunday as backup date if weather is a challenge. This may be the last kick at the can to get out on the Bay of Fundy to appreciate its inhabitants, both birds and mammals. Phone Alain Clavette at 872-0997 or Roger Leblanc at 852-0863 to reserve space.

The Gull-billed Tern continued its stay off Cassidy Lane at Maces Bay as of Tuesday. Many birders have been able to get great observations of this bird.

The Mount Allison Shorebird Research team led by Diana Hamilton and Environment and Climate Change Canada under direction of July Paquet at Bird Studies Canada do some amazing research in learning more about the massive shorebird movement through Atlantic Canada especially in late summer and fall. They have several monitoring towers in the area to track bird movement and hurricane Dorian was not kind to their towers. Diana Hamilton reports that after several days of work they have them repaired and back up and running and other researchers in in the region have their equipment back up and running as well. Diana comments one student helper said as they drove along the road with truck full of broken antenna and mast bits that she could really relate to the power repair crews the met along the road!

The attached photo is one tower taken in the Bouctouche area begging for help. The Barachois one was even worse, flattened and buried in the ground.

Clarence Cormier has had several White-tailed Deer around his Grande-Digue site and now wondering if some are young of year or last year’s young chumming with an adult doe as there is no evidence of the fawn spotting. It is that time of year when fawns born early in the spring will start to lose their spotting while those born later in spring or early summer may still have some fawn spotting. They are changing, just like the birds are into the next pelage.

Jack Perry is another to report a lone Ruby-throated Hummingbird being a regular patron to a feeder outside his Saint John apartment window.

The first Nature Moncton meeting of the season on Tuesday night turned out to be a very successful one. Cheyenne Currie and Laura Douglas gave an outstanding presentation. They visited some of the 62 Nature Trust locations for samplers to whet our appetites. Cheyenne gave us all a real understanding of the Acadian Forest we live in and briefly talked of several of those trees that are components of it, how they are faring, and identification features.

All this will be followed up by a field visit the Elgin Mapleton Forest on Saturday, September 28. This is one of the few old-growth Acadian Forests left in New Brunswick. Directions to the site will be given as the event draws nearer. It just so happens that one of those famed fall public suppers is being put on by the Elgin Women’s Institute later that afternoon so a great chance after the field trip for fellowship and homemade vittles.

Thank you very much Cheyenne and Laura for taking time to come and join us.

The second half of the meeting was a busy one as participants had brought in lots of mushrooms they just found and we all enjoyed identifying them to be able to call a few more by their first names.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

SABINE'S GULL (JUVENILE) SEPT 17, 2019. FRANK BRANCH

TOWER OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA AND MOUNT ALLISON SHOREBIRD RESEARCH TEAM (DORION DAMAGED). SEPT ,2019. DIANA HAMILTON

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Sept.17 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 17, 2019 (Tuesday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .

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

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Tonight, Tuesday night, is Nature Moncton meeting night at 7:00 at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge with guest speaker Cheyenne Currie as written up on Sunday and Monday’s edition and at www.naturemoncton.com under UPCMING EVENTS. Don’t forget to print off a membership application there as well and I hope folks have been able to collect some wild mushrooms for the show and tell during the second half of the meeting.

** Louise Richard reports that she still has one of her trio of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS [Colibri à gorge rubis] at her Acadieville camp on Sunday. I am noting that the Nature N.S. listserv is still reporting a significant number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds still present. It is starting to be getting late for them.

** The GREAT EGRET [Grande Aigrette] continues its stay at Hay Island and would appear to be getting more comfortable with its surroundings. Aldo Dorio zoomed in for a bird’s eye view photo on Monday.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

GREAT EGRET. SEPT 16, 2019. ALDO DORIO