Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 12 2015

** NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS [Moqueur polyglotte] are starting to reappear at some of last winter’s favourite locations. Louise Richard recently saw one chirping in a cedar tree outside their Jones Lake home, where a few repeatedly visited last winter.

** John Massey reported finding over 13 pounds of MEADOW MUSHROOMS [Agaric champêtre] on Sunday and, as John comments, the largest haul of this very tasty edible that he has ever found in one field. The recent heavy rains should provide lots of moisture for mushrooms fruiting if we happen to get some milder weather which seems to be happening at the moment.

** Penny Clark is enjoying NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRRELS [Grand Polatouche] in their McKees Mills feeder yard at night. In the photo, note the folded skin that is stretched out to let them glide, and the very large eyes. A DEER MOUSE [Souris sylvestre] is also checking out the seeds at night and makes fast exits when the squirrels glide in. Penny comments that she has no problem with the mouse, as long as it stays outside.

** Clarence Cormier has a very heavy crop of berries around his Grande-Digue home, and birds arriving to harvest them. A flock of 20 AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] are working the mountain-ash [sorbier] berries and a flock of 20+ CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d’Amérique], all appearing to be juveniles, are working other species of berries, especially hawthorns [aubépine] and not concentrating on the mountain-ash fruits, as the robins are.

Clarence is also noting hundreds of AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d’Amérique] assembling, as he noted at the same time last year.

** Aldo Dorio shares photos of BONAPARTE'S GULLS [Mouette de Bonaparte] enjoying Hay Island Park [near Neguac]. This gull species joins us in pleasing numbers this time of year and will linger as long as open water prevails. There is what appears to be a COMMON TERN [Sterne pierregarin] with them in Aldo’s photos.

** There are several events coming up in the Nature Moncton line-up. One to mark on your calendars is an INTERTIDAL WORKSHOP AND FIELD TRIP on Oct. 23 and 24. The write-up for this event is attached. It is a fall follow-up to an awesome trip and workshop that Alain Clavette gave last spring. Early registration is encouraged for planning purposes.

Intertidal Workshop and Field Trip (part 2) with Alain Clavette

Friday Oct. 23^rd (workshop) and Saturday Oct. 24^th (field trip)

Our geographical position makes us lucky to have lots of coast lines. No matter where you are in New Brunswick, you have two high tides and two low tides each day. AND if you are in southeastern New Brunswick, you have two distinct marine ecosystems to choose from: the Bay of Fundy or the Northumberland Strait.

The naturalist who wants to discover the very rich habitats found between high tide and low tide has a multitude of interesting choices. The animals and plants living in these ever-changing environments have to be adapted to extreme salinity, humidity and temperature variations. Salt marshes, rocky beaches, mudflats or sandy beaches: all these habitats have a biodiversity worth exploring. But WHAT to look for?

Alain Clavette is best known as a birder, but his love and knowledge for the creatures of the coast developed during the four years he worked as a Parks Canada GT1 interpreter. After obtaining his degree in Biology at the Université de Moncton, Alain worked in Fundy National Park and finally Kouchibouguac (for a private tour operator). Since then, he has been featured as a Bay of Fundy “expert” and enthusiast in several documentaries done by production companies in Québec, France, the UK and NB, the latest one entitled La Baie Des Merveilles of which he is the main host.

Come join us for this workshop and 2^nd trip to Fundy Park, meant to follow up on the field trip Alain guided last April, to see how life changes in the intertidal zone as the seasons pass. Those who attended last April are encouraged to come again to compare observations from the spring with what we find in the fall. But even those who were not with us last spring are welcome to come and learn about who lives in our intertidal wonderlands. On Friday evening, Alain will give a 2-hour workshop to prepare for the field trip. On Saturday, we’ll travel to Fundy Park in the afternoon for a few hours of birding followed by a walk on the beach at low tide.

Friday October 23^rd (workshop), 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Tankville School, 1665 Elmwood Dr. Moncton.

On Saturday, October 24^th, we’ll meet at the Tankville School at 1:00 to arrange carpooling and then travel to Fundy Park.

Registration with Judi Berry-Steeves at jbsteeve@nbnet.nb.ca or phone Judi at 387-4778. Please specify if you are coming to both the workshop and field trip or only the field trip.

$10 payable at the door to cover costs for workshop and field trip. The field trip alone will be $8. All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

** Be sure to bring extra layers of clothing because it may be cool on the Bay of Fundy in late October.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier