Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Wednesday 30 November 2022

Nov 30 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

November 30, 2022

 

 

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor,  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

 

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


For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at
www.naturemoncton.com .

 

Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

 

 
 

**John Inman has had a female Brown-headed Cowbird join the blackbird troupe the last few days. It seems to be buddying up to John’s resident Dickcissel.

John is noting the Dickcissel had become interested in eating a lot of cedar cone seeds.

Yet another differently marked Rusty Blackbird has arrived as well.

 

**Louise Nichols is noting her feeders are busy this year with all the regular species.  She did have her first Northern Cardinal male and saw a female with the male one time, but neither have been seen now for several days.  She is getting anywhere from a dozen to two dozen Evening Grosbeaks every morning.  One female took special interest in a nest from last summer, even getting in to feel it out, possibly looking for decorating ideas for the spring.  Yesterday, Louise had a lone Common Grackle show up who dominated one feeder for a while, not letting the Blue Jays near.  On Tuesday morning, she noted several Pine Siskins who came for a snack.  So far, the number of birds seems to be greater than in other years as is the number of species, but Louise has not seen many Hairy or Downy Woodpeckers which is unusual.

 

**In the pre-dawn light of Tuesday morning outside Peter Gadd’s window (in Miramichi) the Mourning Doves were no doubt mourning the loss of one of their own. Quite a tussle for a few minutes, observing what Peter suspects was a juvenile (vertical chest striping) female Sharp-shinned Hawk that snatched one of their regular Mourning Doves as it was enjoying its own breakfast. The hawk took about 45 minutes to fill its belly; this allowed the light to improve so Peter was able to get a few photos (trial and error) and a video clip. Peter went on Friday evening to examine the corpse but all that was left was a spot of blood and a few feathers. (Editor’s note: a Mourning Dove is large prey for a Sharp-shinned Hawk suggesting it is a larger female as Peter pointed out. Raptors very efficiently waste nothing).

Looking at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Feather Atlas confirms the victim’s identity.

Short video clip https://flic.kr/p/2o34THP

 

 

**Aldo Dorio photographed what appears to be Witch’s Butter mushroom on decaying hardwood on Tuesday. One would suspect this jelly mushroom to be frozen hard at this point, but it does not seem to be from the photo


  Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

 

 

DICKCISSEL. NOV 29, 2022. JOHN INMAN

DICKCISSEL AND BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (FEMALE). NOV 29, 2022. JOHN INMAN

RUSTY BLACKBIRD. NOV 29, 2022. JOHN INMAN

EVENING GROSBEAK (FEMALE). NOV. 27, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

EVENING GROSBEAK (MALE). NOV. 27, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

PINE SISKIN. NOV. 29, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

PINE SISKIN. NOV. 29, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). NOV. 23, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

COMMON GRACKLE. NOV. 28, 2022. LOUISE NICHOLS

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (JUVENILE) ON MOURNING DOVE PREY. NOV 29, 2022.  PETER GADD

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (JUVENILE) ON MOURNING DOVE PREY. NOV 29, 2022.  PETER GADD

WITCH'S BUTTER MUSHROOM (SUSPECTED). NOV 29, 2022. ALDO DORIO