Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 1 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Dec. 1, 2020 (Tuesday)

Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Susan Richards susan_richards@rogers.com

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

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**Paul and Rhonda Langelaan found a CACKLING GOOSE [ Oie caquetant] on Monday with a flock that comes to a private property at 714 McLaughlin Road. The owner is welcoming birders but anyone who wishes to visit is encouraged to ask first if they can look for the rarity.

Mitch Doucet got some great photos and shares them. The Cackling Goose is a smaller Goose, to help pick it out. In Mitch’s photos note the very rounded head, shorter neck and stubbier bill compared to its larger kin. The Cackling Goose tends to stay more in the middle of North America and is notably uncommon to be found in New Brunswick. This finding, again, points out the value of perusing flocks of CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada] at the moment for unexpected tag-alongs.

Paul and Rhonda spotted the flock in the back yard of a residence from the Trans Canada Highway and went to check them out to find the Cackling Goose among the flock. The property owner feeds cracked corn and the geese come for it. Paul and Rhonda got some nice photos of the Cackling Goose among the flock that really helps to point it out.

** Yvette Richard headed out along coast on Monday to get a nice variety of waterfowl and plumages. A Black Scoter was photographed at St Thomas wharf. It was very brown in color with beak showing yellow developing to assume this may be a juvenile bird going into its 1^st winter plumage.

A female Common Eider was photographed at the Cap Lumiere wharf.

Two female Harlequin Ducks were at Cap Lumiere wharf. They were unfortunately far out and water was choppy but Yvette was pleased to see them as she has been chasing this species for awhile and it was her first sighting.

A Long-tailed Duck was on the Cap Lumiere wharf.

A male Northern Shoveler, molting into its male finery, was photographed at the Bouctouche Lagoon.

A male Ring-necked Duck was chumming with a Mallard Duck pair at the lagoon as was a Lesser scaup.

**Clarence Cormier reports that he has been seeing small flocks of COMMON REDPOLL [Sizerin flammé], approximately 20 in total, at his Grande Digue site foraging on Gray Birch catkins. It is common when we have redpolls overwintering in New Brunswick for them to forage on birch catkins until the supply dwindles then they tend to come to feeder yards. That will vary of course depending upon the birch catkin crop and the number of redpolls that arrive.

**Dave Christie comments that he hasn’t had much diversity coming to his Mary’s Point feeder yard but has been having up to 6 RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide] however, a juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK [Autour des palombes] has come on the scene with pheasant on mind and making the pheasants very wary, in fact, so much so some days he does not even see a pheasant, only lots of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE [Mésange à tête noire ]. Dave also comments on flocks of Canada Geese in the area seeming to be moving about erratically and not certain why.

** Brian Stone went to Wilson (Bell) Marsh Monday for an outing. Down along the trail a bit he saw 2 large dreys (the correct name we all recently learned for a squirrel’s nest) (at least they looked like the squirrel nests we have been talking about lately) There were 2 nests but one was in behind a bit and hard to see so Brian marked its location with a red arrow. He got one photo of it separately afterwards. They were larger than the one he photographed earlier in the week at Mapleton Park at large soccer ball size.

There was not much variety there, however hundreds of Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese with a photo cooperative American Tree Sparrow. There was a patch of grass with some liquid sounding twittering coming from it and he patiently stood there for an hour but nothing showed itself.

**Bob Blake monitors weather stats from his Second North River home to include morning temperatures, daily high temperatures and precipitation. I am attaching the table as Bob sends it, to compare November of 2019 and November of 2020. It is interesting to note the dramatic difference in snow fall, with significantly more in November 2019, yet rainfall this year significantly more than November 2019.

2019

2020

morning temperatures

daily highs and rainfall

morning temperatures

daily highs and rainfall

+18-1day

+7-1

+3-3

+2-4

+1-6

0-1

-1-4

-2-1

-3-1

-5-2

-6-2

-7-1

-8-3

45 mms. rain

26 cms. snow

+11-1

+8-4

+6-2

+5-2

+4-6

+2-5

+3-4

0-1

+15-2

+14-1

+11-2

+10-1

+8-1

+7-3

+6-2

+5-1

+4-1

+2-2

+1-2

0-2

-1-3

-2-1

-3-1

-4-2

-7-2

107 mms. rain

1 cm. snow

+19-2

+18-1

+16-2

+15-1

+14-3

+12-1

+10-1

+8-2

+7-1

+6-1

+5-2

+4-6

+2-2

+1-1

0-1

**Another reminder about the webinar coming up tomorrow night Wednesday, December 2^nd with Heather Loomer on the effort to increase protected natural areas in New Brunswick. Details to register for it are attached below.

Webinar: Getting Involved in New Brunswick's Nature Legacy
Speaker: Heather Loomer (Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development)
Date: December 2, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Heather will be speaking about the province’s Pathway to 10% initiative – an initiative aimed at doubling the amount of protected areas in the province – and will also be giving a tutorial on how to use the province’s new public website to nominate potential protected sites.
Click here for more information and to register.

Or https://nben.ca/en/nb-wildlife-webinar-series

** Today, Dec. 1 is the kick-off of the Winter Bird List monitored by Gilles Belliveau.

The Winter List period begins Dec. 1 and goes to the end of Feb. Gilles will be maintaining again this year which you can find at the following address: