Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 27 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Oct 27, 2022

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Georges Brun noticed a tall slender plant we were unfamiliar with near the new bridge crossing the Petitcodiac River on the Moncton end.

A consult with Gart Bishop identified it promptly as Biennial Wormwood (Artemisia biennis). Gart comments it is a plant he does not know well. It is an introduced plant (native in western US) that has a scattered distribution throughout NB.

It is obviously a hardy plant tolerant of brackish water and is still staying bright green with others around it having died back for the season.

**Phil Riebel had a pleasant surprise visitor to his Miramichi yard on Tuesday when 2 White-tailed Deer dropped by, one of which was piebald pelage. It was a very striking animal with the white and brown spotting very delineated and Phil got excellent photographs.

Phil comments it may be a great camouflage for winter but hardly suitable for White-tailed deer hunting season which is on at the moment. However, as there is no sign of antler development this deer is potentially female. I stand to be corrected but think no doe permits are available in the Miramichi zone.

** Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins noticed a different woodpecker in her yard birch tree and through a somewhat dirty window and fog, got a documentary photo of a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. She has never seen one in the birch tree (it was always in the maple) but has also never seen one at this time of year. (Editor’s note: the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is indeed a species that tends to migrate early in the fall and has normally left us by now).

**Escuminac Point, which projects out into Miramichi Bay just as Point Lepreau does into the Bay of Fundy, is a very special site in New Brunswick. It is therefore a rallying point for coastal wildlife and migratory birds that follow the coastline.

256 hectares of land/habitat on either side of Escuminac Point is now owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada with this rare ecological treasure preserved into perpetuity. It consists of bog, forest, saltmarsh, sandy beach, and eelgrass beds bordering Miramichi Bay on one side and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the other side. A dirt road (a bit bumpy in spots) provides access to the point from the Village of Escuminac.

Deana and Peter Gadd made a visit on Wednesday morning to the fog shrouded Escuminac Point, with the repeated foghorn (a large lighthouse is at the point) making conversation difficult at times. Nonetheless they were able to record 21 bird species, but not a shorebird amongst them. Maybe they don’t like fog horns! Noise tolerant birds included two American Tree Sparrows, a Hermit Thrush, A White-crowned Sparrow, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. They walked along the shore to the west and were amazed somewhat to see how the recent storm Fiona took several meters of peat cliff from the shore. Much of the peat was deposited on the shore along with much of a seaweed mixture. They wondered why the cliffs seemed lower, then realized it was because they were walking on a couple of feet of built-up debris. They are hoping of course that a colony of Bank Swallows will re-establish their colony there next year. In places it seemed there were a lot of small tree roots and branches sticking out which are ancient trees exposed by Fiona.

As they were leaving, fog as thick as ever, they met Pam Watters and Phil Riebel approaching the point. Pam phoned a few minutes later, being once again this week the ‘bird magnet,’ to advise of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the area they had just left. So once again they followed Pam and when they got back to the point, the sun was shining and a little while later the Yellow-billed Cuckoo posed for a photograph.

**It is always a rewarding treat to have a Brown Creeper drop by a feeder yard. Lois Budd experienced exactly that when a Brown Creeper paid a visit to sample some dropped suet. (Editor’s note: they also seem to have a taste for peanut butter).

**A photo of the Crested Coral Mushroom contributed yesterday by Fred Dube was accidentally dropped from yesterday’s photo lineup. It is reattached today, and one can scroll back to yesterday’s edition for the commentary.

**Fred Richards and Nelson Poirier visited the area behind the Moncton Press Club on Wednesday morning off Assomption Boulevard to monitor the arrival of the Tidal Bore and decide on a site where the RCMP Pipes and Drum Band will greet the arrival of the Tidal Bore to start off Petitcodiac River Appreciation Day coming up on November 5.

The tidal bore arrived slightly ahead of its scheduled time and it was a pleasant experience to watch the very calm riverbed suddenly come alive with the rush of water. Attached photos document the arrival!

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton