NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 18, 2019 (Wednesday)
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Transcript by: Info Line # 506-384-6397
(384-NEWS)
Frank Branch found a juvenile SABINE’S
GULL on Tuesday afternoon at the Tracadie lagoon. He found in the first lagoon chumming
about with a group of a few hundred Bonaparte’s Gulls, one of which is in the
right corner of Frank’s photo. This is a special finding as the Sabine’s Gull
is a very pelagic gull and is considered rare on the East Coast. It overwinters
mainly at sea in the southern hemisphere and breeds in the northwest of Canada
and occasionally seen in migration on the west coast of North America.
There is a pelagic bird trip planned
off Grand Manan for this coming Saturday, September 21 and there are still
spaces left. This could be potentially a very productive trip as Dorian’s birds
may be dispersing from Nova Scotia. It will be with Capt. Russell Ingalls on
Saturday with Sunday as backup date if weather is a challenge. This may be the
last kick at the can to get out on the Bay of Fundy to appreciate its
inhabitants, both birds and mammals. Phone Alain Clavette at 872-0997 or Roger
Leblanc at 852-0863 to reserve space.
The Gull-billed Tern continued its stay
off Cassidy Lane at Maces Bay as of Tuesday. Many birders have been able to get
great observations of this bird.
The Mount Allison Shorebird Research
team led by Diana Hamilton and Environment and Climate Change Canada under
direction of July Paquet at Bird Studies Canada do some amazing research in
learning more about the massive shorebird movement through Atlantic Canada
especially in late summer and fall. They have several monitoring towers in the
area to track bird movement and hurricane Dorian was not kind to their towers.
Diana Hamilton reports that after several days of work they have them repaired
and back up and running and other researchers in in the region have their
equipment back up and running as well. Diana comments one student helper said
as they drove along the road with truck full of broken antenna and mast bits
that she could really relate to the power repair crews the met along the road!
The attached photo is one tower taken
in the Bouctouche area begging for help. The Barachois one was even worse, flattened and buried in the
ground.
Clarence Cormier has had several White-tailed
Deer around his Grande-Digue site and now wondering if some are young of year
or last year’s young chumming with an adult doe as there is no evidence of the fawn
spotting. It is that time of year when fawns born early in the spring will
start to lose their spotting while those born later in spring or early summer
may still have some fawn spotting. They are changing, just like the birds are
into the next pelage.
Jack Perry is another to report a lone
Ruby-throated Hummingbird being a regular patron to a feeder outside his Saint
John apartment window.
The first Nature Moncton meeting of the
season on Tuesday night turned out to be a very successful one. Cheyenne Currie
and Laura Douglas gave an outstanding presentation. They visited some of the 62
Nature Trust locations for samplers to whet our appetites. Cheyenne gave us all
a real understanding of the Acadian Forest we live in and briefly talked of
several of those trees that are components of it, how they are faring, and identification
features.
All this will be followed up by a field
visit the Elgin Mapleton Forest on Saturday, September 28. This is one of the
few old-growth Acadian Forests left in New Brunswick. Directions to the site
will be given as the event draws nearer. It just so happens that one of those famed
fall public suppers is being put on by the Elgin Women’s Institute later that
afternoon so a great chance after the field trip for fellowship and homemade vittles.
Thank you very much Cheyenne and Laura
for taking time to come and join us.
The second half of the meeting was a
busy one as participants had brought in lots of mushrooms they just found and
we all enjoyed identifying them to be able to call a few more by their first
names.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
SABINE'S GULL (JUVENILE) SEPT 17, 2019. FRANK BRANCH
TOWER OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA AND MOUNT ALLISON SHOREBIRD RESEARCH TEAM (DORION DAMAGED). SEPT ,2019. DIANA HAMILTON
