Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 8 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 08, 2020 (Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Brian Stone photographed a WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] back on December 18^th, 2019 that showed discolouration coming from the base of its antlers. We wondered at the time if this may have been an indication of antlers about to drop off. Dwayne Sabine of the Department of Natural Resources in Fredericton was asked for his comments. Dwayne comments that he didn’t see anything in the photo that would suggest the deer was in the process of shedding antlers. In any case the process is quite quick. Antlers go from on the head to off the head quicker than it takes to write about it, either accidentally by the antlers striking something while the animal moves about or deliberately by the deer rubbing them against the ground or a tree for example.

** Aldo Dorio came across a flock of 25 AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] feasting on Mountain Ash around the Neguac wharf on Tuesday. A photo of the berry clusters as they are now shows them shrunken, which means that there is less liquid in them so I suspect that they are sweeter and are good nutritionally as well.

** In yesterday’s edition there was a photo of an interesting bird feeding enclosure which I made an erroneous comment about regarding its purpose. Georges Richard, the creator of it, explains. The enclosure was built as a deer deterrent. They have a big problem with deer in Quispamsis. The feeder once had electric wire surrounding it. The inverted basket is made from large cedar branches that have a natural curve. They are from a tree that fell last year during the Arthur storm. He installed 8 ribs (a joke to his family was that he had an Acadian spider in the back yard) that are attached to ground and post. He wrapped it with 2x4 in. page wire and then with smaller cedar branches to create a basket look. He will finish it in the spring with a few more small branches. The birds don’t seem to be bothered by it and most can come and go either under it, through it, or from the top. The photo of that enclosure is reattached today.

** Carol Shea in Upham noticed a nice LUNAR HALO around the waxing gibbous Moon on Tuesday evening and got a photo of it. Perhaps it is heralding the predicted bad weather that appears to be on the way.

John Massey was startled by the sudden appearance of a NORTHERN GOSHAWK to his LeBlanc Road, Dieppe yard. One of John’s resident RAVENS, the larger male, took after it in no uncertain terms screaming at it as it retreated into the woods. Morel of the story, even if you are a raptor, don’t mess with one of these big black pseudo raptors!

** Brian Stone came across a handsome male PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand pic] doing its thing in Mapleton Park, very near all the pedestrian traffic. The MALLARD DUCK [Canard colvert] flock continues getting cracked corn, having the good Samaritans well trained. On the way home a cloud rimmed with iridescence put on a striking show lasting for several minutes. If the clouds are moving fast these shows can be very short. A link to a site that explains this phenomenon is attached below.

https://www.atoptics.co.uk/droplets/irid1.htm

Back at home Brian’s pot of earth continues to provide almost daily surprises. More spruce seedlings are showing up and he was able to photograph one as it emerged, shedding its seed capsule. The mushroom being followed is now showing itself to appear to have a brown spore print by the colour of the upper stalk and the top of the partial veil attached to the stem.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton