Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 28 2016

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of an OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] checking a fyke net at Hay Island on Saturday morning The fishermen use fyke nets to trap eels.

** The Nature Moncton shorebird workshop and field trip went off in ideal conditions on Saturday. Many, many thanks to Roger LeBlanc, for preparing the classroom section and scouting out the Petit-Cap and rue Niles area to set the stage for perfect timing to experience an extravaganza of 12 shorebird species, to get practice identifying them by appearance, calls and behaviour expected from each species. The species seen were BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté], SEMIPALMATED PLOVER [Pluvier semipalmé], GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier], LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Petit Chevalier], RED KNOT [Bécasseau maubèche], SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER [Bécassin roux], RUDDY TURNSTONE [Tournepierre à collier], SANDERLING [Bécasseau sanderling], WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau semipalmé],LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule] and WILLET. An estimated 2000 shorebirds were in the Petit-Cap area, with great observations as the low tide gradually brought them nearer to participants for close observation. Value-added bonuses beyond the shorebirds were CASPIAN TERN [Sterne caspienne], COMMON TERN [Sterne pierregarin], NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin], BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche], COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet], sparrows, gulls, especially BONAPARTE'S GULL [Mouette de Bonaparte], OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] and more. There will no doubt be more great photos to go out in coming days from this image-filled event.

** As sunset came on, Brian Stone and I went to the Robichaud wharf, where Brian was able to get photos, as we watched the close conjunction of VENUS and JUPITER, descend to the western horizon, with SATURN, MARS and ANTARES watching from the southern sky.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton