Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 23 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 23 2019 ( Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com.

Transcript by: Judy Marsh marshj@nbnet.nb.ca

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

**Wendy Sullivan captured an excellent photo of a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun], that made a successful EUROPEAN STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet]capture in her Riverview yard on Tuesday. Identifying Sharp-shinned Hawk vs. Cooper’s Hawk from a photo means checking a few field marks. Wendy’s photo nicely shows the ‘hooded’ head (crown and nape all uniformly dark) vs. The ‘capped’ head of the Cooper’s Hawk (dark crown and grey nape) and also shows the eye placement in the middle of the head while the Cooper’s Hawk eye is usually nearer the bill. Also the square tail edges are obvious to show the outer tail feathers are not shorter as one would expect them to be in the Cooper’s Hawk. This photo is a nice learning photo.

Wendy is yet another who had COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin flammé] visit her feeders on Monday for the first time this season.

** Mac Wilmot reports his female RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] continues to make regular visits to his Lower Coverdale yard. He doesn't see it everyday, but knows it is at his brother's next door or at Sandra Doyle's feeder just down the road. It very much favours a blend of partially melted raw suet pellets , blended with oatmeal. Mac gave me a block to try and my male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] has indeed been sampling it as well as HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] and DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur].

**The COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin flammé] flocks are swelling and we will not tire of seeing photos of them for awhile. Yvette Richard had them arrive at her Cocagne Cape feeder yard, now 60 strong. Yvette also enjoys a handsome cock [RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] that strolls about her feeder area.

**Brian Stone walked to Mapleton Park on Tuesday after the freeze-thaw weather event. He found an AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique] hiding in a tree, the MALLARD [Canard colvert] ducks waiting in the cold for the Nature Moncton Feeder Tour to drop by on Saturday, a closeup of a MALLARD [Canard colvert] duck hybrid and an interesting photo of some clinging apples that seemed to get interrupted by the thaw and freeze as they were releasing their liquid.

** A heads up on the Nature Moncton Field Trip this coming Saturday, January 26 for the Annual Feeder Tour. The weather forcast so far is looking like all is a go ahead. Meet at the Moncton Coliseum parking lot at 8:30 am, north- east corner and head off as a group to the first stop at the Renton's, an always lively feeder yard in Stilesville with some baked beans waiting as well as some culinary contributions from participants . The second stop will be a visit to the Mapleton Park duck troupe, then on to 2 or 3 other feeder yards with a final stop at Nelson and Pat Poirier's home for an end of the day lunch, watching who will drop by those feeders for a late afternoon snack. Hopefully the male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER [Pic à ventre roux] will drop by then, but he has not commited! The general write up on the web site is attached below.

NATURE MONCTON BIRD FEEDER TOUR

Nature Moncton’s annual bird feeder tour will take place on Saturday January 26^th. Participants are asked to meet at 8:30 AM at the northeast corner of the coliseum parking lot. The first stop will be the Renton’s in Stilesville to see the many birds in their well-stocked feeder yard while socializing over a delicious pot-luck breakfast. Participants are asked to bring food contributions. After leaving the Renton’s, the group will travel to Mapleton Park for a quick stop to see the ducks, then on to a few other feeders to finally end up at Nelson and Pat Poirier’s in the afternoon. Come and enjoy a day with fellow birding enthusiasts along with the excitement of seeing what turns up at the visited feeders. All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

**It may seem an odd time to be talking about spiders, but Bug Guide has just confirmed the identity of 2 photographs submitted last summer, with some identity clues for spider interests. The first one is the CAT-FACED Spider AKA, the JEWEL Spider, that builds its web on the side of buildings near lights, where insect prey gathers. They are easily identified by 2 orange shaped growths on their relatively large abdomen. The female dies after laying thousands of eggs in a sac that survives the winter. The attached photo was submitted by Jill Greening in Edam, Sask., but the species is present here as well. A clear BugGuide photo is added as well. The second spider is one Marguerite Winsor took of a barn spider in Salisbury. This nocturnal orb-weaver tends to be predominantly yellow and brown in colouration with stripped legs, with webs constructed on human structures. When they detect prey in the web, they rush over and wrap it in silk. They are commonly noted in New Brunswick in the autumn.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton