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Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Thursday 21 October 2021

Oct 21 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 21, 2021 (Thursday)

 

 

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com



**Great to hear the cardinal word again. After noting the surprising number that overwintered with us in northern and eastern areas of New Brunswick last season, few seemed to stay and set up housekeeping.

Paula Lansdale had a male Northern Cardinal to her Alma home yard for a day this week. Paula also was pleasantly surprised when she spotted a small flock of birds in her Hydrangea plants to find they were Golden-crowned Kinglets.

 

**Don Pellerin came across a small, Blue-spotted Salamander out on a mission on Wednesday. This salamander can be quite variable from a lot of pale blue spotting to very little. This little guy seems to have had part of its tail removed, assumedly a bite from a predator. However, it has the ability to regenerate that section so will likely end up being a short cosmetic incident.

 

**It’s that time of the season we can expect to see lots of Black-bellied Plover in nonbreeding plumage. Aldo Dorio noted 9 at Hay Island on Wednesday, some more of a brownish cast seeming to travel together so interesting to rule out American Golden-Plover with a more distinct pronounced white supercillium, smaller bill than the Black-bellied Plover, and the American Golden-Plover has more of a ‘petite look’. The American Golden-Plover tend to favour open fields more than the Black-bellied Plover.

 

**It’s that time of year when our gulls molt into their winter plumage and immature gulls will take on their plumage of their 1st to 4th winter plumage depending on the number of years that particular species takes to reach mature plumage. Gull watching now can be interesting to see the newest winter plumage as well as northern gulls will be arriving to spend the winter with us.

Depending on winter severity some of the Ring-billed Gull population may migrate southerly but many may not. Brian Stone recently got a photo of an adult winter Ring-billed Gull aside a 1st winter Ring-billed Gull. The Ring-billed Gull takes 3 years to reach mature plumage.

 

 

 

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. OCT 20, 2021.  ALDO DORIO

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. OCT 20, 2021.  ALDO DORIO

RING-BILLED GULLS (ADULT AND 1ST WINTER PLUMAGE) AND RING-NECKED DUCK. OCT. 18, 2021. BRIAN STONE

BLUE-SPOTTED SALAMANDER. OCT 20, 2021.  DONALD PELLERIN

BLUE-SPOTTED SALAMANDER. OCT 20, 2021.  DONALD PELLERIN