NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, February 19, 2020 (Wednesday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** A big thank you to Gary Griffin for
coming to Nature Moncton to share his experiences over the years with several
factors that he has worked with to act in the interests of the integrity of the
Petitcodiac River. Gary pointed out how important it is to care for the
very large number of streams to create a watershed that will become the
Petitcodiac River. Gary also stressed the unintended harm that resulted from
closing off the community of life in that watershed by creating a barrier at
the causeway which is now in the process of being remediated by many involved
groups.
The second part of Tuesday evening’s
meeting on methods to protect and rear Monarch Butterflies from egg to adult
and to send them on their way to overwinter in Mexico is also hoped to
encourage more folks to take on this very rewarding experience.
** The CEDAR WAXWING [Jaseur
d'Amérique] numbers would appear to be increasing in the area but still with
only a small smattering of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal]. Clarence Cormier
reports that he had his Cedar Waxwing troupe increase to 7 on Tuesday, and 10 AMERICAN
ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] were about the site on Tuesday as well.
** On Monday, February 17th,
Suzanne and Yves Poussart drove along the coast to check for birds and the
extent of ice. The first stop in Shediac allowed a side by side photograph of a
male COMMON GOLDENEYE [Garrot à oeil d'or] and a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
[Garrot d'Islande]. Later an interesting scene in Bouctouche Bay gave the
opportunity to see the close interaction between a large group of Gulls and 2
fishermen collecting smelts at their fishing site. As the fishermen kept the
smelts and discarded the fish that do not have a commercial value to them the
Gulls were actively waiting and fighting for such gifts. Yves watched a GREAT
BLACK-BACKED GULL [Goéland marin] holding a good sized Flounder in its beak. It
was then possible to get many photos illustrating the successive attempts
lasting approximately 10 minutes that this Gull had to perform before it was
finally able to swallow it completely head first. Yves comments that it is hard
to believe that prey of that size can be swallowed whole.
** Yvette Richard comments that she wonders
if the bright sun may be the important factor this time of year even if the
temperature plummets. She photographed 3 ROCK PIGEONS [Pigeon biset] appearing
to bask in the brilliant sunshine and seeming to not be concerned by the -20 ° Celsius temperature on Tuesday morning. That
may have an interesting point to ponder … just fluff up and enjoy the sun’s
warm rays.
** As my dog Sadie and I checked out
the back yard predawn on Tuesday morning it was hard not to be awed by the only
light in the sky, the waning crescent Moon. The 23.8 percent sunlit crescent
was balanced by the rest of the Moon dimly lit by reflected “earthshine” to
make a beautiful image. The day had to be starting right even though the
evening sky was not as glowing on Tuesday night.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
COMMON GOLDENEYE (MALE ON LEFT) BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (MALE ON RIGHT). FEB 17, 2020. YVES POUSSART
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL ENJOYING FLOUNDER DONATED BY SMELT FISHERMAN . FEB 17, 2020. YVES POUSSART
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL ENJOYING FLOUNDER DONATED BY SMELT FISHERMAN WITH 1ST WINTER GBB GULL LOOKING ON. FEB 17, 2020. YVES POUSSART
GULLS ENJOYING FLOUNDER DONATED BY SMELT FISHERMAN. FEB 17, 2020. YVES POUSSART
MOON (WANING CRESCENT). FEB 18, 2020. NELSON POIRIER
ROCK PIGEONS FEB 18, 2020 YVETTE RICHARD