Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 29 2015

Louise Nichols made a productive run to Cape Tormenting and back via Port Elgin on Wednesday. The group of RED-THROATED LOONS [Plongeon catmarin] continues to be off-shore. In addition she saw SURF SCOTERS [Macreuse à front blanc], a COMMON LOON [Plongeon huard], and a COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet].

** SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] have obviously arrived in number. Louise saw a flock of 25 on the beach by the campground at Cape Tormentine. The lagoon at Port Elgin had lots of tenants to include 25 BUFFLEHEAD [Petit Garrot], a couple of COMMON GOLDENEYE some HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné] and SCAUP. There were also some BONAPARTE’S GULLS [Mouette de Bonaparte], and MALLARDS [Canard colvert] .Louise got a photo of two female SCAUP photos. It is very suggestive one was a GREATER SCAUP [Fuligule milouinan] with the rounded head profile and larger bill with a wider black tip. The other was suggestive of a LESSER SCAUP [Petit Fuligule] with a more peaked crown and smaller bill and smaller black tip. The LESSER SCAUP [Petit Fuligule] is smaller than a GREATER SCAUP [Fuligule milouinan] but this can be a hard feature to use.

** Dave Christie leaves some observations from Mary’s Point beach. On Wednesday morning the CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada] group had swollen to approximately 300 on the mudflat and also present there were 50 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS [Pluvier argenté], 40 DUNLIN [Bécasseau variable], and a few others too far away to identify. On putting binoculars on what he thought was a log at first turned out to be 3 WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie], a doe and two young-of-the-year swimming. They came from the tip of the point to the beach area making approximately a 2km swim. Dave comments he has seen single ones swimming before, but never three together.

He also comments that a report at the Tadoussac Bird Observatory at the mouth of the Saguenay River in Quebec they recorded the largest flock of COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé they have ever tallied, 1500 on Monday. No doubt it is going to be a REDPOLL year in 2 successive years.

** Aldo Dorio is noting more REDPOLLS on HAY ISLAND and at Malpac on Wednesday however another species appeared on the scene, 3 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] were seen on Hay Island on Wednesday showing the white wing scalloping,lack of yellow on the breast, white mark ‘under’ the eye only and the signature chestnut under tail covert is just visible. Hopefully this is an advance guard of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS to join us this winter for our abundant food supply.

**Kevin Renton found two very large HEN-OF-THE-WOODS MUSHROOMS under a large oak tree on Tuesday. The two together weighed approximately 25lbs. This is the time of year when this choice edible appears under mature oak. They seem to defy freezing temperatures. Jean is was busy coming up with different ways to preserve the bounty for winter. Kevin is keeping silent of the location as this mushroom can appear at the same location each year at this time at the same spot.

** I am adding a photo I took of this mushroom taken under an old oak tree in a cemetery in the fall last year before harvesting it.

**Clarence Cormier spotted a female RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis] at his Grand Digue home on Wednesday to make a pair present there. He does not often see CHIPMUNKS foraging in trees, but he has noted there are two forage items he sees them at repeatedly, the first SERVICE BERRIES in the spring and now the MANITOBA MAPLES. He saw 2 CHIPMUNKS in two separate MANITOBA MAPLE trees on Wednesday chowing down on the seeds of the samara. CLARENCE comments he has never seen them foraging on the many berries that he has around his home other than these two species.

**Brian Stone was up before dawn on Wednesday morning to catch the planetary conjunction of VENUS, JUPITER, MARS and MERCURY. MERCURY showed up just before the sun but the horizon was too bright to get it to show up in a wide-angle photo so he had to photograph it separately and inserted it in the photo of the other three which were above it.

Brian also had a good day sleuthing out Mapleton Park. A female HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné] was fishing in the pond. MEADOW HAWK DRAGONFLIES were abundant seeing at least 10, two juvenile Bald Eagles were flying back and forth over the park, and he got a photo of a solar halo.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton