Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 20 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, December 20, 2017 (Wednesday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Catherine Johnson johnson2@xplornet.comInfo Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
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**Peter Gadd advises the MISTLE THRUSH was only in their mountain ash tree about an hour Tuesday morning, gone by about 9:15am and did not appear as far as he knows. It is changing its pattern. 6 hrs on Saturday, 4hrs on Sunday, 2hrs on Monday and 1 hr on Tuesday. So it does seem to be letting us know, don't take me for granted and one day I'll be gone.

Alain Clavette had a good look around the neighbourhood on Tuesday, checking out mountain ash berries with no luck.

It did make an appearance Wednesday morning but soon frightened off by a Sharp-shinned Hawk so it is still in the area.

The number of visitors has slowed to a trickle but the total is close to 300. Peter thinks from 14 states and 3 provinces.

**Many folks swept the area from Shediac to Cap-Lumiere in search of the GYRFALCON on Tuesday but to the best of my knowledge no one relocated it. If it follows the behaviour of other gyrfalcon visitors to NB it will be relocated somewhere in the area.

A nice consolation prize at the Cassie Cape wharf was a juvenile GREAT CORMORANT. Note the orange throat pouch bordered with white and white belly contrasting with streaked brown neck and breast. A SONG SPARROW was also at the wharf. Along the shore we saw a nice example of an adult RING-BILLED GULL in winter plumage showing the streaked head of winter plumage. We don't see this often here as the ring-billed gulls usually tend to go southerly when the cold weather arrives.

We also saw a nice example of a second winter HERRING GULL. Note the black bill tip, some grey feathering showing on the mantle and the eye yellowing. A few RED-TAILED HAWKS were seen, one adult poised briefly to show its sharp plumage.

At last light Mitch Doucet lucked into a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW at the Caissie Cape wharf. One more reason to return to the wharf this winter, it may be hanging in there. It was seen again on Wednesday morning by Carmella Melanson

It also was bird #301 for Karen Miller doing her big year.

**Jamie and Karen Burris again spotted the COOPER'S HAWK in a tree on Coverdale Rd., just before Patricia Dr. on Tuesday. It was in a tree close to where they had seen it last week. This means it made the Moncton Christmas Bird count period. Again a mature BALD EAGLE was on the opposite side of the road. They drove around the subdivision to note a sizeable population of ROCK PIGEONS, which may be the attraction. Jamie comments it surprises him how his resident NORTHERN FLICKER continues to forage on Virginia creeper berries, which he adds is a bumper crop of berries this year on the vine in his Riverview yard.

**Georges Brun shows some excellent photos to show the sudden change at the mouth of Halls Creek with the Petitcodiac River in one week between December 12-December 19. Georges points out most of the white you see is the frozen fresh water sections that freeze first. Later the fresh water with salty sediments freeze as it gets colder. Over time the darker sediments freeze and become almost like steel. It will take more energy for them to thaw in the spring.

Georges also got a few great photos of AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS feeding on the goldenrod seeds riverside by Chateau Moncton. The feature bicolored bill and rust eye line show up nicely.

**Aldo Dorio had a lone CEDAR WAXWING visit his Neguac yard on Tuesday to enjoy the large amount of mountain ash berries waiting for its kin.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton