NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Nov.
10, 2020 (Tuesday)
Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or
photo labeling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com
Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Susan Richards susan_richards@rogers.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
To respond by e-mail, please address
your message to the information line editor nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com.
**The sunflower seed load from New
Brunswick Sunflower seed farmer Mike Dickinson will be arriving this afternoon
Tuesday November 10th to be picked up between 4 and 6 p.m. at the
corner of the Coliseum parking lot. Mike
plans to arrive by 3:30 p.m. so if you can be early all the better. The demand is high this year with almost 200
bags arriving.
Dale Gaskin suggests folks try
to have the right cash/change to make things move promptly. The cost is $17 per bag.
Dale has done a tremendous job of taking
orders and recording names and all thanks to Dale for this effort. Dale’s contact number is 734-2197.
**Clarence Cormier reports the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
[Tyran à gorge cendrée] was
still present on Monday and was very co-operative for birders in the 10 to 11:30
a.m. time slot. It also pleased visiting
birders in 12:30 to 3:30 time slot so it appears no one left disappointed
during those times and a wonderful warm day for bird and birders. Clarence reports 3 COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin
flammé] arrived at 2 p.m. for
the first visit to his site and 4 PINE GROSBEAK [Durbec des
sapins] also got lots of
attention from cameras.
Again, thank you to Clarence for welcoming the
star of the days’ audience.
**Carmella Melanson
captured a striking photo of the ASH-THROATED
FLYCATCHER (Tyran à gorge cendrée) and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (Bruant
hudsonien) having a chat on Monday. These two species have very different
ranges and the chance of them being photographed side by side have to be very
remote. Suspect they will have quite a story to share with their kin!
**Verica Leblanc visited Neguac on
November 8 and enjoyed watching BOHEMIAN WAXWING [Jaseur boréal] and Pine Grosbeaks feasting in a flowering
Crab tree and spotted a flock of twelve birds foraging on Birch catkins in a
nearby tree to realize it was a flock of Common Redpolls. The catkins were plump and most of them very
full to appear like the redpolls had recently arrived. In a winter when we have redpolls visiting,
they often do not come to feeders until later in the season when the Birch
catkins get consumed. Of course, that
depends upon the catkin crop and the number of redpolls that come. It is starting to look like a potentially
good year for the northern visitors and vagrants.
**Music to the ear to listen to more NORTHERN CARDINAL
[Cardinal rouge] reports.
Doreen Rossiter had a pair arrive to her
Alma feeder yard on Sunday afternoon. It
is interesting to note we have had several reports of pairs - hope this is a
sign of things to come. Doreen also had
a lone Pine Grosbeak arrive to her flowering Crab tree fruit to leave a floor
of pulp on the ground as it picked out the seeds. A YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à
croupion jaune] also enjoyed
the birdbath and foraged for insects around windows.
**Stella and Jean Paul Leblanc are getting
RING-NECKED
PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] to
their Bouctouche yard for the first time in a few years. Stella took note of one male that is showing
abnormally wide bands of white on the head.
Hard to decide whether this is a genetic quirk or it is showing a type
of albinism…the jury is out.
**Eric Wilson had a flock of 14 Evening
Grosbeaks arrive to his Moncton feeder yard.
Eric comments, this is the first time since 1973 that he has had EVENING GROSBEAK [Gros-bec
errant]. From all the reports it sure is looking like
a great winter for bird watching in our yards.
Evening Grosbeaks were very abundant in the 1970’s into the early
1980’s.
**Bev Schneider came across and photographed a very interesting mushroom at Victoria Beach on the Saint John River, north of Westfield recently. It is the PURPLE-SPORED PUFFBALL. It may not be as uncommon as we may think, as it will look like other puffball species until it bursts to send out its characteristic purple-blue spores which Bev spotted at the right time to identify it and got excellent over and under photos. I suspect many of us have either overlooked it or possibly it is less common in New Brunswick than we thought. It is common in the prairie grasslands of North America and Australia to make encountering it on a beach seemingly, unexpected.
Alfredo Justo, Mycologist at the New Brunswick Museum, shares a link to mycoquebec.org that shows how similar it can appear to other puffball species in the early ages. Check it out at the link below:
https://www.mycoquebec.org/bas.php?post=calvatia&l=r&nom=Calvatia%20cyathiformis%20/%20Vesse-de-loup%20cupuliforme&tag=Calvatia%20cyathiformis&gro=12
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
