Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 17 2015

** It’s last call for Nature Moncton November meeting tonight at 7 pm at Mapleton Rotary Lodge across from Cabela’s. Tony Diamond will be giving a presentation on wildlife in the Bay of Fundy that is certain to have lots of take home information!

** What a treat to hear the NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] reports continue. Connie and Pearl Colpitts have had a female Northern Cardinal visiting their Salisbury feeder yard intermittently for the past few weeks. A friend of theirs who lives in the Salisbury back road near the Sanitorium had a female Cardinal drop by on Sunday. Interesting how many of the reports are female. Nice seed for the future.

** Elaine Gallant got some photos of her BROWN CREEPER [Grimpereau brun] that is enjoying her suet feeder in her Parlee Beach yard.

** Jack Perry in West Saint John leaves some interesting comments on the MOUNTAIN ASH berry crop there. The Moncton area surely has a bumper crop but Jack comments he usually gathers some to freeze for late winter patrons but was not able to do that this year as the local crop was very poor. Large mature trees seemed not to have few blossoms in the spring and consequently few berries; however, the fall and winter of 2014 had a large crop in his area.

** Brian Stone got some photos of a MALLARD [Canard colvert] HYBRID that would appear to have possibly more genetic influence from more than the common BLACK/MALLARD HYBRID. The jury is out on what may be present. Brian also got some nice closeups of a WOOLY ALDER APHID colony.

** Andrew MacFarlane’s female SUMMER TANAGER [Tangara vermillon] was still enjoying its 19 Jolicocure Rd yard on Monday. The forecasted snow and wind were a no show, and several of us got great observations of it and photos again to show the massive bill of this species. It’s main food interest continued to be Mountain Ash berries.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton