Nature Moncton Nature News: 2016-10-16

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Oct 22 2016

**The Nature Moncton field trip scheduled for today, Saturday, will take place tomorrow, Sunday, October 23rd, with the same itinerary, which is repeated below. Contact numbers to join the group or contact at any time are 852-0863 or 866-2752.

Fall Birding and Tour of the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail

Fall has arrived and with it some very special outdoor experiences. One of the most spectacular is surely the appearance of autumn colors, which occurs with the passage of deciduous trees to dormancy. On Saturday October 22^nd, Nature Moncton is offering a chance to experience the beauty of autumn with a double-pronged activity lead by Roger Leblanc. We will assemble at the Moncton Coliseum parking lot at 8:30 am. After consolidating vehicles, we will proceed to do some birding (a given with Roger) in promising areas on route to Elgin. The exact itinerary for this first part of the outing will be adjusted in the context of what has been seen between Moncton and Elgin in the days before the outing and where Roger thinks we might find interesting birds, but the Salisbury region would seem like a probable destination. We will then head to the village of Elgin just South of Petitcodiac off of route 1. After having our lunch (pack all you need as apparently the very nice country store in Elgin has closed) Matt Steeves, a member of the Elgin Eco Association, will meet us there. Matt will explain the ins and outs of the preservation of a mature forest stand near Elgin that this organization has managed to secure.

The Mapleton Acadian Forest trail is an interpretive nature trail constructed and maintained by the Elgin Eco Association. The trail provides an opportunity to learn about the mature Acadian Forest and how it responds to a variety of human disturbances. The trail features interpretive signs, and it crosses a wide variety of forest types and conditions. Matt will bring us to the trail and from there we will proceed to hike it for a couple of hours, all the time exploring what might be found along it bird-wise, but also looking at trees, plants and mushrooms and whatever else we can find. The trail is of medium difficulty but do expect some good inclines and think of appropriate clothes and footwear. If you choose to participate in only the hike, you can do that too by joining us at around noon in the parking lot of the old general store in Elgin.

When you come off the Highway 1 at Petitcodiac from exit 233 you will take route 905 towards Elgin. This route will become route 895 at one point before you get to Elgin.
Once in the village were route 895 turns at 90 degree you will see the general store to your left and our party will be in the parking having lunch. We will be meeting Matt Steeves there at 1 PM”.

So come join us for some fall birding and a nice hike in the glorious autumn colors of a mature Acadian forest.

**For those who have not seen it, there is a great viewing stand built overlooking the Cap-Brûlé lagoon. Rose-Alma Mallet sends a few photos of it. Rose-Alma advises it was a community project of Beaubassin East. A mound was built first, which did not work well, so with the advice of Les Ami.e.s de la Nature, it was decided to build something safe and secure, which was surely done. Rose-Alma comments Les Ami.e.s had been trying for many years to get an elevated viewing area. Their efforts were very effective and will be appreciated by many.

Penny Clark photographed two sharply dressed male Hooded Mergansers in the Little Bouctouche River in front of her summer cottage at McKees Mills on Friday.

**Aldo Dorio shares two excellent photos from 2013 that need to be shared. One shows the striking plumage of the WILLET [Chevalier semipalmé] that shows when it lifts its wings in flight, and another is of the relatively uncommon shorebird visitor to New Brunswick, the HUDSONIAN GODWIT [Barge hudsonienne] that we could still see. Note the long upturned bicoloured bill, black tail, and black legs. The Hudsonian Godwit is a large shorebird at 15 ½ inches average. Aldo also submits a photo of a WEASEL [Hermine] in its winter pelage, taken in November of 2010. We should soon expect any Weasel seen to be making the transition from summer brown to winter white.

**It seemed like an odd scenario to receive photos of SHAGGY PARASOL Mushrooms [Lépiote déguenillée] on consecutive days; this is a Mushroom I have never found on my own or have never had brought in to Mushroom presentations. Jeanette Petrie in Wheaton Settlement sent a photo of what appeared to be a pair of huge Shaggy Parasol Mushrooms, and I couldn’t resist going out to see them. They were indeed Shaggy Parasol Mushrooms, happily growing in a compost pile, one measuring 10 ½ inches / 27 cm across the top, which according to the guides is a huge one. Photos are attached of the two in situ, and another showing the underside to show the partial veil style and stalk type. It appeared like there were more to come beside the two photographed. They are in preparation to go to the New Brunswick Museum archives.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

HOODED MERGANSER (MALES). OCT 21, 2016.PENNY CLARK

HUDSONIAN GODWIT.2013.ALDO DORIO

OBSERVATION DECK AT CAP BRULE LAGOON.0CT 21, 2016.ROSE-ALMA MALLET.

SHAGGY PARASOL MUSHROOM..OCT 22, 2016.NELSON POIRIER

WEASEL.2010.ALDO DORIO

WILLETS.2013.ALDO DORIO

Friday, 21 October 2016

Oct 21 2016

** There is a forecast for a break in the weather on Sunday, so the Nature Moncton field trip to the Elgin Mapleton Acadian Forest that was to take place this Saturday will be rescheduled for Sunday morning. Sunday morning is not a time when field trips get slotted, but considering the time window left to see this special area, the rescheduling was done. If folks want to take in the afternoon hike only, take note of the meeting place in the attached write-up. The contact numbers to find where to meet the group if necessary are 852-0863 or 866-2752.

Fall Birding and Tour of the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail

So come join us for some fall birding and a nice hike in the glorious autumn colors of a mature Acadian forest.

** Dave Miller has had some awesome moments with a cow MOOSE [Orignal] and a pair of interacting GREAT HORNED OWLS [Grand-duc d'Amérique] on the Buckley Rd., off Rte 112 in the Second North River area. He watched the two Great Horned Owls interacting for over a half hour. The moose didn't seem to mind him much except she did raise her neck hairs occasionally. Take note of Dave's photo of the rear view of the moose. There is an area in the rump that appears to be rough. This may well be the area where moose ticks overwinter and cause lesions, which is a usual scenario.

** Nature Moncton’s new treasurer, David Cannon, was accidentally omitted from the list of election of officers at the Nature Moncton AGM on Tuesday evening. David brings some excellent experience to that position and Nature Moncton is fortunate to have him on board as he as well is secretary and active on the Irishtown Nature Park committee.

** Brian Stone got some mushroom photos on the Dobson Trail this week. One is of the LATE FALL OYSTER MUSHROOM with a top and bottom view. This is normally a late mushroom that grows on trees and is considered an edible mushroom. The other is the RED-BELTED POLYPORE with top and bottom views. The red belt is not obvious yet as this is a young specimen. Note the pale yellow blush on the underside. It happens to have a pleasant odour, but is too tough to be considered as an edible. Brian also photographed a grape-sized mass on a tree trunk that is strongly suspected to be a spider egg mass to overwinter as such.

** A very interesting scenario with the SHAGGY PARASOL MUSHROOMS that Jamie Burris recently posted from his Riverview backyard. The message was picked up by the New Brunswick Museum to note that they did not have a known specimen or records of the species from the Maritimes. Fortunately, some specimens were still beautifully intact in Jamie's yard and are now being prepared for a permanent museum collection. The other interesting scenario is how these specimens ended up growing in Jamie's yard. He had found some three years ago and collected them, placing the mushrooms and some duff obviously with mycelial spawn attached in his backyard under a conifer tree. And voila! Three years later, a nice crop of this choice uncommon-to-New Brunswick mushroom in his yard. All kudos to Jamie.

** Woodpeckers are among the species that will use nest boxes for overnight refuge in winter. Louise Richard spotted a DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur] enter a swallow box at dusk on Thursday evening, and it seemed to stay put. They will be watching to see if this repeats itself in the months to come.

** Anna Tucker is visiting family in Burlington, Ontario and went to visit the Mountsberg Centre for Raptors in nearby Campbell. Anna very much recommends a visit to this facility for anyone traveling in this area. The raptors there are birds not releasable to the wild for various reasons, and Anna advises they are very well kept, so they can live out their lives and people can enjoy seeing them.

** This week's Sky-at-Glance is added to this transcription, courtesy of Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, October 22 – October 29
The Pleiades star cluster, which is located in the shoulder of Taurus
the Bull, is rising now in early evening as a harbinger of winter. In a
few weeks it will be rising at sunset. Due to its shape, this
eye-catching cluster has been mistaken for the Little Dipper by many
people. Most of us can count six stars in the Pleiades under good
conditions, but keen-eyed wonders have picked out twice that number from
a dark sky. A low power view of it in binoculars will show a couple of
dozen stars and it is one of the prettiest sights you will see in the
night sky. I always look for the hockey stick in the binocular view.

The name Pleiades likely comes from the Greek word “plein,” which means
“to sail” (Wikipedia). Sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea typically
began when the cluster was first spotted before sunrise. In mythology it
became the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, hence their common name
of the Seven Sisters. Somewhere along the way one of them got lost. The
cluster played a significant role on marking time for several ancient
cultures, including the Maori, Mayan, Aztec and some First Nations.

Perhaps you have seen the Pleiades while stuck in traffic and just
haven’t realized it. The six-star logo of Subaru depicts the Pleiades,
as Subaru is the Japanese name for the cluster. The name, which means
“united,” was chosen because the company was formed from a merger of
several. Building on its stellar heritage, the Subaru Company is
promoting light pollution abatement in their advertising and it is a
corporate sponsor of the RASC.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:46 am and sunset will occur at
6:20 pm, giving 10 hours, 34 minutes of daylight (7:50 am and 6:26 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:56 am and set at 6:09
pm, giving 10 hours, 13 minutes of daylight (8:00 am and 6:15 pm in
Saint John).

The third quarter Moon occurs this Saturday, rising before11:30 Friday
evening and setting by 2:30 Saturday afternoon. Mercury passes behind
the Sun in superior conjunction on Thursday. Venus is gaining prominence
now with the earlier sunsets, making its way toward Saturn and Antares
in the southwest. In a couple of weeks it will pass between those two.
Mars is holding its position toward the south in twilight, watching the
slow parade of stars passing by in their seasonal westward migration.
Jupiter is higher in the east each morning and plays host to a crescent
Moon next Friday.

The Saint John Astronomy Club (RASC NB) meets a week early at the
Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre in Saint John on October 29 at 7 pm.

Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

GREAT HORNED OWL..OCT 20, 2016.DAVE MILLER.

LATE FALL OYSTER MUSHROOM (UNDERSIDE). OCT. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

LATE FALL OYSTER MUSHROOM. OCT. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

M45_Taurus

MOOSE (COW).OCT 20, 2016.DAVE MILLER.

MOUNTSBERG RAPTOR CENTER SIGN IN CAMPBELL,ONTARIO.OCT 2016.ANNA TUCKER

PEREGRINE FALCON AT MOUNTSBERG RAPTOR CENTER SIGN IN CAMPBELL,ONTARIO.OCT 2016.ANNA TUCKER

Pleiades

RED BELTED POLYPORE MUSHROOM 24. OCT. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

RED BELTED POLYPORE MUSHROOM (UNDERSIDE). OCT. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SNOWY OWL AT MOUNTSBERG RAPTOR CENTER SIGN IN CAMPBELL,ONTARIO.OCT 2016.ANNA TUCKER

SPIDER EGG CASE (SUSPECTED). OCT. 19, 2016. BRIAN STONE

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Oct 20 2016

** The Black-necked Swans mentioned in yesterday's edition are in ponds as domestics. They are not rare birds visiting New Brunswick. I apologize for not stating that more clearly as some birders misunderstood the way it was worded.

** Doreen Rossiter had another new bird to her Alma feeder yard on Wednesday, a female NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge]. The Eastern Towhee was not seen on Wednesday, but is very likely still in the area. Doreen comments that she had White-crowned Sparrows come through for a week in the end of the September time window, which is earlier than she usually sees them, and at the moment Doreen is seeing a wave of Yellow-rumped warblers, Kinglets, Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows around her yard.

** Bob Blake came across a HERALD MOTH, a rather colorful mid-sized moth, this week in his yard woodpile. A photo is attached.

** The PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand pic] is well known to have a taste for berries and fruit this time of year. Larry Sherrard in Lower Coverdale has a handsome Pileated Woodpecker coming on a regular basis to enjoy the now ripe sweet grapes on the vines.

** Jamie Burris came across some very interesting mushrooms in his own Riverview yard on Wednesday ... the SHAGGY PARASOL. I have only come across this species once in New Brunswick and did not find it on my own but had it sent in for identification. The appearance of the mushroom and the reddening on bruising that is well shown in Jamie's photos are clues to lead to its identity. It is considered a choice edible which Jamie tested out.

** Janet Longaphie was wondering why her bird feed was disappearing so fast. A bit of evening sleuthing soon found the problem to identify the bandits, the bird feeder's nightmare ... Raccoons.

** Nature Moncton now has a full slate of officers after the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday night. President elect is Susan Atkinson, Vice President is Gordon Rattray, and secretary is Kat Atkinson. The new membership chairperson is Lynda LeClerc.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

THE HERALD MOTH.OCT 16, 2016.BOB BLAKE

RACCOON.OCT 18, 2016.JANET LONGAPHIE

SHAGGY PARASOL MUSHROOM(CHLOROPHYLLUM RHACODES). OCT 19 2016 JAMIE BURRIS

Nature Moncton

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Oct 19 2016

**Many of us get to see the Black-necked swans in the pond of Rick Eagles as we drive by it at Lower Coverdale. Ray Gauvin took a picture to show what they look like up close up. This swan is actually native to South America.

**Aldo Dorio got a photo of two species of shorebirds that often stay with us into the late fall, the DUNLIN and the BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER at Hay Island on Tuesday. Note the drooping tip of the bill in the Dunlin and the black, white and silver tones of the basic plumage of the Black-bellied Plover and the large bill.

Aldo also got a photo of a doe WHITE-TAILED DEER that stepped into his yard. Note the deer are taking on their heavier darker coats in preparation for winter from the warm brown of summer. It will take more than one mild winter to bring our deer herd back but with recent reports to this line, they did well last winter reproducing a nice supply of new recruits.

**A big thank you to Jeff Clements for coming to Nature Moncton on Tuesday night to share all the information he has collected on how our oceans take up a lot of the excess carbon dioxide the world is producing right now to make changes in the ocean PH to make it slightly, but significantly, more acid. Jeff described who is or will be affected and how they will cope or not cope with it. A very revealing look at our oceans and the community members there and how we can expect them to react. For those of us who live near the coast this information was very revealing to be aware of.

**Nature Moncton has a field trip planned to the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail in Elgin planned for this coming Saturday. At the moment the weather forecast is calling for rain. A call will be made on Friday, depending on the weather forecast, if this field trip will be a go, if things change, or re-scheduled. The fall colours will be awesome there this weekend, so hopefully it will be ago or rescheduled soon.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.OCT 18, 2016.ALDO DORIO

BLACK-NECKED SWAN.OCT 14, 2016.RAY GAUVIN

DUNLIN.OCT 18, 2016..ALDO DORIO

WHITE-TAILED DEER (DOE).OCT 18, 2016.ALDO DORIO

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Oct 18 2016

** Tonight, Tuesday, October 18th, is Nature Moncton meeting night at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge across from Cabela’s at 7pm. The guest presenter will be Jeff Clements who will have some very interesting up to date information on OCEAN CHANGES which may explain a lot about things happening at the moment. The write-up of Jeff’s presentation is attached.

NATURE MONCTON OCTOBER MEETING

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00 PM

Guest speaker: Jeff Clements, Scientist with the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans

Place: MAPLETON PARK ROTARY LODGE (across from Cabela’s)

Title: What Happens as the Oceans Become More Acidified?

Commonly known as the “other CO₂ problem”, ocean acidification is a recently-discovered phenomenon by which carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere dissolves into the oceans and lowers seawater pH, causing it to become more acidic. Unfortunately, when CO₂increases and pH drops, ocean-dwelling animals can be affected. Furthermore, on top of ocean acidification, these animals also have to deal with an increasingly warmer ocean and a swath of other environmental changes! This leads to much uncertainty and concern for the future of our oceans in a changing world.

In this talk, Jeff will introduce the topic of ocean acidification by discussing what is and how it works, and will highlight some of the biological, ecological and societal consequences associated with ocean acidification. He will also talk about the current state of ocean acidification research and will wrap up by highlighting some of the work that he has been doing right here at home in the Bay of Fundy.

** We have been trying to make the 2nd half of the meetings now predominantly items brought in by members to show and talk about with business being left to the Board to do. That will change for this meeting only as the AGM and Election of Officers has to take place. However, if time permits, members’ items will be shown along with sightings, so bring along anything you have in case there is time.

** Dale Gaskin reports the sunflower seed order from NB farmer Mike Dickinson will be delivered at the November 15th meeting. Dale has been taking down names of folks for the number of bags they have reserved, which is now up to 108, and unfortunately Mr. Dickinson will only be able to bring a maximum of 110 bags in a load, so things pretty well sold out! There are usually some that are reserved that don’t get picked up, so being there at the meeting in November may still have a few bags available.

** There are now 2 EASTERN TOWHEES [Tohi à francs roux] in Alma. Doris Hatt reported a female to her 8537 Main St, Alma, feeder on Saturday and Sunday and on Tuesday morning Doreen Rossiter has had a male Eastern Towhee arrive to her feeder yard. Interesting to hear of 2 of these species to put in an appearance in NB in consecutive days. Does this mean we may get a bit of an influx of uncommon species over the next days and weeks?

** There are several species of birds that, with patience, will accept food from human hands, especially the Black-Capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Pine Siskins, but not usually the Blue Jay. A BLUE JAY [Geai bleu] has Paul Nickerson completely trained to fetch peanuts when it wants them! A number of Blue Jays have been coming to Paul’s yard since the young fledged, but one has come to his hand for peanuts and staying there until it has a beak full and flies off with the bootie. If it is ignored when it returns, it will land at the window fluttering and squawking until Paul obeys its call. A content Blue Jay and a well-trained Paul Nickerson :)

** Signs of the season and of the changing of the guard, SNOW BUNTING [Bruant des neiges] are arriving. Aldo Dorio photographed some at Hay Island on Monday.

** In sleuthing for the pleasant fall scenes at the moment, Ray Gauvin shares a photo of fall leaves around St Bernard’s Church in downtown Moncton.

** Brian and Annette Stone and Danny and Nicole Sullivan made a day trip to Kouchibouguac on Monday to note several interesting items. They came across an APPLE TREE [pommier] full of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant], an uncommon event in recent years. Some small GREEN FROGS [Grenouille verte] were found around a small pond and fish that appear to be STICKLEBACK [epinoche], a Beaver Pond was active with fresh lumbering being done, seemingly to prefer BIRCH [bouleau]. Brian also photographed some mushrooms including the common BIRCH POLYPORE, WOLF’S-MILK SLIME mould, and a CHAGA mushroom growing on a Birch tree as it always does. This mushroom is black on the outside and brown on the inside, and has become very much in demand as a potential medical mushroom, which some literature now is suggesting it may be correct. They also visited the Perry Rd where the Greater-White Fronted Goose had been recently seen, but did not locate it among the very large Goose flock there.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BEAVER CHEWED TREE 02. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

BIRCH POLYPORE MUSHROOM 06. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

BLUE JAY HAND FEEDING.OCT 17, 2016.PAUL NICKERSON

BLUE JAY WAITING.OCT 17, 2016.PAUL NICKERSON

CHAGA MUSHROOM 01. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

CHAGA MUSHROOM(SECTION REMOVED). OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

EVENING GROSBEAK 02. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

FALL COLOURS AROUND ST.BERNARD'S CHURCH.OCT 17, 2016.RAY GAUVIN

GREEN FROG 02. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

HAWTHORNE BERRIES. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

SNOW BUNTING.OCT 17, 2016.ALDO DORIO.

STICKLEBACK FISH SPECIES. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

WOLF'S MILK SLIME MUSHROOM 07. OCT. 17, 2016. BRIAN STONE

Monday, 17 October 2016

Oct 17 2016

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE - October 17, 2016 (Monday)

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

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelson@nb.sympatico.ca Please advise if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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

Edited by : Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by : David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 18, is NATURE MONCTON MEETING NIGHT at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge, across from Cabela’s at 7 p.m. The guest presenter will be Jeff Clements, who will have some very up-to-date information on ocean changes that may explain a lot of things happening at the moment. The write-up is attached.

NATURE MONCTON OCTOBER MEETING

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00 PM

Guest speaker: Jeff Clements, Scientist with the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans

Place: MAPLETON PARK ROTARY LODGE (across from Cabela’s)

Title: What Happens as the Oceans Become More Acidified?

** David Christie got a few interesting telephone calls on Sunday morning. Doris Hatt had a female EASTERN TOWHEE [Tohi à flancs roux] appear below her feeders at 8537 Main Street in Alma on Saturday afternoon and it was still there Sunday morning. Eastern Towhees often have the habit of staying around a reliable food supply so it may stay in that area; be aware of the skulky nature of this species.

Also, John Inman had a BALTIMORE ORIOLE [Oriole de Baltimore], interested in berries, around his 225 Mary's Point Road yard on the weekend. He also spotted a DICKCISSEL [Dickcissel d'Amérique] on Sunday morning perched above where he places ground feed. It did not go down to the food as a NORTHERN GOSHAWK [Autour des palombes] flew in and put all the birds into the bushes but the bird knows where the food is and will probably return. In some years, John has had excellent turnouts of Dickcissels.

** It’s always amazing how WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] can adapt to survive within a city. My daughter Christie lives in downtown Halifax, and as she left for work on the morning of Sept. 30, she spotted several deer on the street in her backup camera. The first photo shows a mature doe with one yearling and two young of the year. One-year-old Deer will often rejoin their mother at this time of year. The action didn’t stop there, as a young buck appeared, following them, very attuned to upcoming mating opportunities.

** Aldo Dorio is continuing to see HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col] foraging in the wrack line at Hay Island, south of Néguac. Aldo also continues to see Merlin [Faucon émerillon] in that area. More Merlins seem to be staying with us for the winter in recent years, or maybe it’s just because they are generally more numerous, recovering on their own from DDT days.

** AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] are starting to establish winter roosts. Ray Gauvin noted a large group of crows gathering on the east side of the Pointe-du-Chêne bridge on Sunday evening. Ray comments that they just kept coming and coming, reminding him of the famous, old Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds.”

** I’m attaching another series of Brian Stone’s fabulous photos from the Nature Moncton zoo visit on Saturday. Brian has a Dropbox folder of all the files he saved. It can be accessed at the following link

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0wrnrh1wi5ph0kz/AACJvpBGFAOPwvOVJ557JDlOa?dl=0

Note the big difference in plumage between the male and female OSTRICH [Autruche]. Bruce Dougan pointed out that the dominant BARN OWL [Effraie des clochers]] is always the highest, so the one above the rest is the dominant one. He also commented that, in it’s native area, the MARABOU STORK [Marabout d’Afrique] is as common as gulls are to us. A big thanks to Brian for saving so many pleasant memories from last Saturday.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton