Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 10 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, November 10, 2019 (Sunday)

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Edited by Nelson Poirier, <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Transcript by David Christie, <maryspt@mac.com>

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

** A nice find for Aldo Dorio at Hay Island on Saturday, when a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE [Oie rieuse] provided him with photo ops. This is a special, uncommon goose that pops up in New Brunswick, often in company with CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada]. However, this bird was solo. Aldo spotted it just past the bridge, on the left hand side of the route onto the island. As Dave McLeod points out, the white area behind the pink-orange bill at the front of the face shows up nicely. Peter Gadd happened to be present, just as Isiae Comeau came to see the goose and got a nice open-wing photo of it. They watched it for 10 minutes before it flew back across the bridge and was not seen after, so it may or may not have left Hay Island.

Peter went around the northern tip of the island and saw a COMMON TERN [Sterne pierregarin] in juvenile plumage, a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté], 4 SANDERLINGS [Bécasseau sanderling] and 3 DUNLIN [Bécasseau variable], so November birding activity is still good at Hay Island, seeming not to be troubled by Friday’s storm.

** With WILD TURKEY [Dindon sauvage] in New Brunswick now being recognized by the New Brunswick Bird Records Committee, a contingent from Salisbury went on a Wild Turkey sleuthing mission to St. George and St. Stephen on Saturday, and Ron Steeves reports that they were not disappointed. They counted 103 birds, the largest group being a flock of 27. They have obviously become established, apparently coming in from Maine with no border or customs concerns.

** Georges Brun estimated a group of 100+ DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes] settled on Jones Lake on Friday. This would probably be a flock in migration that stopped for a rest, or possibly a re-fueling stop, as minnows are plentiful in Jones Lake.

** The ASIAN MULTI-COLORED LADY BEETLE (Harmonia axyridis) is the most common lady beetle we have overwintering in homes and especially in buildings that are only minimally heated in winter. Larry Sherrard and I came across a group overwintering in a high corner of a summer place in Parkindale on Saturday. This lady beetle is not native, but introduced. They normally have 19 spots on the elytra but the occasional one has no spots or just a few, as shown in the photos of the beetles in overwintering cluster.

Also in the Parkindale area where we were, there were many AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d’Amérique] in the 50+ range that seemed to be targeting over-ripe CHOKE CHERRIES [Cerisier à grappes], although other wild berries were available.

Nelson Poirier <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Nature Moncton