Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Thursday, 17 December 2020

Dec 17 2020


NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, December 17, 2020 (Thursday)  

 

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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)

 

 

** We haven’t been hearing much about BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] lately until Jamie Burris spotted a large flock in Riverview a few days ago, and on Wednesday Daryl Doucet spotted a large flock foraging actively at a flowering crab tree near his north end Moncton home to get some nice photos. Daryl comments that there was 100 plus birds in the flock.

 

** Margie and Jack Rogers were yet another to join the elite “Cardinal Club” and had a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS [Cardinal rouge] visit their Memramcook feeder yard on Wednesday.

 

** Susan Richards, Fred Richards, and Roger Leblanc did a section of the Memramcook Christmas Bird Count on Tuesday. Along the Memramcook River they saw hundreds of AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir], and MALLARD DUCKS [Canard colvert] along with other expected regulars. They spotted a flock of COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] fly over and a very special sighting was an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER [Paruline verdâtre] near the Memramcook reservoir. They spotted over 21 species over the day. It is great to hear Christmas Bird Count reports coming in of what many eyes are seeing in December.

 

** Anita and David Cannon live in a habitat off the Ammon Rd. that is very attractive to woodpeckers. They have several HAIRY WOODPECKERS [Pic chevelu] and DOWNY WOODPECKERS [Pic mineur] that are almost always at the feeders with several lined up in the trees waiting for their turn. David got a nice photo of the larger Hairy Woodpecker (think “Harley”) with the smaller Downy Woodpecker (think “scooter”) side by side at feeders. They also have a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine rousse] with a very elongated bill that is slightly upturned similar to the WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES [Sittelle à poitrine blanche] that they have coming regularly with the Red-breasted Nuthatches. It seems to be feeding ok.

 

** Brian Stone photographed the waxing crescent MOON with the planets JUPITER and SATURN on Wednesday evening in case it would be cloudy during their close conjunction on December 21st. He also got a closer photograph of Jupiter to see 3 of its visibly brightest 4 moons. The 4th bright moon is behind Jupiter in the photograph which happens regularly to them all at times as they change positions nightly. Jupiter actually has 79 known moons at present (depending on which source one uses) and smaller Saturn, above Jupiter in the image, is the winner with 82 so far but none bright enough to show without stronger magnification. Brian labeled them all before the unlabeled photo appears below.

 

Jack Frost creates some striking configurations. Brian Stone got some photos of Jack’s work on some of the windows at his home. The sudden wind chill was no doubt quite a help to Jack Frost’s creativeness.

 

** Sally Jackson was very pleased to watch a male NORTHERN CARDINAL [Cardinal rouge] across the street from Fort Howe in Saint John on Wednesday afternoon. Sally comments that for her “it was a Christmas miracle”.      

 

 

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton




 


BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. DEC 16, 2020.  DARYL DOUCET

BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. DEC 16, 2020.  DARYL DOUCET
NORTHERN CARDINAL (PAIR). DEC 16, 2020. MARGIE SCOTT-ROGERS


RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (ELONGATED BILL). DEC.16, 2020. DAVID CANNON


HAIRY WOODPECKER (LEFT) AND DOWNY WOODPECKER (RIGHT). DEC 16, 2020. DAVID CANNON

FROST. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE

FROST. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE

 
JUPITER AND SATURN. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE

 JUPITER AND SATURN. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE

MOON, JUPITER, SATURN. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE

MOON, JUPITER, SATURN. DEC. 16, 2020. BRIAN STONE