NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, February 06, 2018 (
Tuesday )
To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the
information line editor,
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397
(384-NEWS)
** Jules Cormier noted a different appearing sparrow in his Memramcook
feeder yard on Monday afternoon. Ghislain Cormier got a photo of it that clearly
shows it to be a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW [Bruant des plaines], a
very welcome visitor that summers to the west of us and winters in the south,
but has found its way to a good buffet in Memramcook. Gilles Belliveau has
confirmed the bird's identity. The leg color and beak color are pale for a
Clay-colored Sparrow in the photo, however the pale lores lacking the black
stripe in front of the eye clearly eliminates a Chipping Sparrow. The contrast
between the fairly white malar area and the moustachial and lateral throat
stripe is much more prominent than in a Chipping Sparrow. The gray neck band is
also brighter in the Clay-colored Sparrow.
This is a special sparrow to get and is often confused with the Chipping Sparrow. This is the second one to appear in New Brunswick this winter with none appearing in many winters. Jules and Ghislain will keep us up to date on the presence of the bird. Jules noted it for the first time on Monday and he said that it seemed very comfortable and not skittish with lots of activity nearby. Ghislain got a video which hopefully everyone will be able to open at the attached link. If "this file can't be previewed" appears hit the highlighted "download" icon below, then "open" and it should display. Copying and pasting it into your browser should do it if all else fails. The video also shows the brown rump which is another field mark of the Clay-colored Sparrow, while the Chipping Sparrow would show a gray rump. Great visuals from Ghislain to show us the field marks of this bird.
This is a special sparrow to get and is often confused with the Chipping Sparrow. This is the second one to appear in New Brunswick this winter with none appearing in many winters. Jules and Ghislain will keep us up to date on the presence of the bird. Jules noted it for the first time on Monday and he said that it seemed very comfortable and not skittish with lots of activity nearby. Ghislain got a video which hopefully everyone will be able to open at the attached link. If "this file can't be previewed" appears hit the highlighted "download" icon below, then "open" and it should display. Copying and pasting it into your browser should do it if all else fails. The video also shows the brown rump which is another field mark of the Clay-colored Sparrow, while the Chipping Sparrow would show a gray rump. Great visuals from Ghislain to show us the field marks of this bird.
** The RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] that Mitch Doucet reported
in early January in Victoria Park in Moncton is still present and it appears
that it may overwinter in this great woodpecker habitat. Gilles Bourque saw it
and heard it vocalize there on Monday morning near the Cameron and John St.
intersection. It then flew towards the amphitheater area. Gilles also comments
that people saw one on Winter Ave., on the other side of Mountain Rd., and it
then headed back towards Victoria Park in the afternoon.
** It is a bit surprising to see the fresh looking
mushroom specimens being contributed recently. It must be flash frozen specimens
that have been protected by snow and have now been exposed looking like they
just emerged. John Massey photographed a growth of ORANGE JELLY MUSHROOM on a
conifer stump. This one is often confused with Witches Butter which is more
yellow and grows on hardwood. John's specimen sure does look super
fresh.
Nelson
Poirier,
Nature
Moncton
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. FEB 5 2018. GHISLAIN CORMIER
ORANGE JELLY MUSHROOM.FEB 5, 2018. JOHN MASSEY
