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”.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
