Dec 10 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE,  December 10, 2018 (Monday)

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

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Please advise the editor if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling. Note that corrections, deletions, or delayed additions may not appear on the Info Line and email transcript but will always appear on the BlogSpot. For this reason, it is recommended that those wishing to look at historical records use the BlogSpot rather than the email transcript. The BlogSpot can always be accessed from the website.

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

Editor: Nelson Poirier   nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: David Christie  maryspt@mac.com>

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

** A full report on the line-up for Tuesday night’s December meeting of Nature Moncton is repeated at the end of this message. Don’t forget to collect bird feeder information, photos, etc. for the second half of the meeting.

** Doreen Rossiter reports she encountered something that she had never seen before in all her years of feeding birds. An AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d’Amérique] was eating seeds from a feeder in the –16°C dawn cold. She promptly put out apples.

A male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] re-appeared after a two-week no-show to her Alma feeder yard. My male Red-bellied Woodpecker that had been quite faithful has not been seen for several days, however, was replaced by a NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic flamboyant].

** Stella and Jean-Paul LeBlanc noticed a MALLARD-BLACK DUCK hybrid [Canard colvert x Canard noir] among the hundreds of Mallards near the Bouctouche lagoon. They have seen little of that hybrid that is so often seen with the Mapleton Park troop of Mallards. The Mallard-Black Duck cross is not sterile, as some hybrids are, and is able to reproduce. They also saw a NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet] at the Bouctouche lagoon on Sunday.

They also comment that a new visitor has appeared in their Bouctouche feeder yard, a GRAY SQUIRREL [Écureuil gris] that has become a big competitor for the black oil sunflower seed. It was a similar scenario at our own Moncton feeder yard, with only one or two appearing in winter, the past 12 years. This year seemed to produce an explosion of them, with up to 8 at the feeders and putting the run to the birds. Some ecological re-location had to take place, which seems to have levelled out the playing field.

* The Nature Moncton meeting is coming up tomorrow, Tuesday evening, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge, across from the former Cabela’s.  A few folks do head south for the winter, but all of us will get a chance to go even farther, for a trip to visit Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday night. New Nature Moncton member, Uli Irlich, who worked with the municipality of Cape Town for six years and is an avid naturalist will tell folks about the region that has been labeled the “most diverse urban area in the world”, being custodian to 3300 plants, 365 bird species, and 83 mammal species, that really could outdo good old New Brunswick! Don’t miss this spectacular show in a warm room, with the cold outside. The write-up is attached:

Nature Moncton December Meeting
“Cape Town: Its Unique Biodiversity and the Work the Municipality Does to Protect it”
Date: December 11th, 2018
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge
Speaker: Ulrike Irlich

Cape Town (South Africa) is located within the Cape Floristic Region, one of six floral kingdoms on the planet.  Cape Town is a global biodiversity hot spot and has been labeled as the “most biodiverse urban area in the world.”  Cape Town is the proud custodian of over 3300 plant species, 365 bird species and 83 mammal species, and much more.  On top of this, the city boasts high levels of endemism.
This presentation will showcase the unique biodiversity found within the city and highlights some of the work the municipality does to protect its natural heritage.  Uli worked for the municipality for 6 years and will talk about Cape Town’s biodiversity and some of the special adaptations and conservation projects around the city.

The second half of the meeting theme is bird feeding, to be filled with photos, bird lists, different types of feeders, or anything bird-related, with a “show and tell” table. This will all be done with members’ contributions, so get ready now to bring in anything you have to get and give ideas to keep our yard visitors happy and coming. This part of the notice will be repeated on Monday’s and Tuesday’s editions.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

 

GREY SQUIRREL. DEC 6, 2018. JP LEBLANC

MALLARD X BLACK DUCK (HYBRID) DEC 9 2018. STELLA LEBLANC