NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
March 20, 2023
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Nature Moncton March meeting is on for tomorrow night, Tuesday. The announcement is repeated at the end of this edition.
The duck variety in that ice-free pond continues to grow; currently, there are Common Goldeneye, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Mallards, Blacks, and, occasionally, Canada Geese. Iceland Gulls continue to linger, and Ring-billed Gulls are again a daily presence.
**Cathy and
Evar Simon were walking in the Irishtown Nature Park and were surprised to come
across a female Ruffed Grouse who was very comfortable with walkers
passing by in close proximity.
**Georges Brun confirms the presence of 2 Short-Eared
Owls in Riverview Marsh near the outlet Trans-Aqua. George saw one in late
November flying from the Jonathan Creek side of Vaughan Harvey Blvd (near
Pollinator Park - Assomption Blvd). He was able to get a few photos
then but could not get visual markings of the underwings. He was not able to
locate them in the marsh Dec., Jan., or Feb. until reports from Sue Berube earlier
this month. Most feeding areas were frozen closer to Moncton. The south
area has a greater number of Cattails, which helps sections to take up water
and there is less freezing. A female Northern Harrier has stayed in
the area off and on for most of the fall and winter. The Northern
Harrier was not impressed with the Short-eared Owl the day he saw it.
Spring Turnover is ongoing along the banks of the
Petitcodiac River at the moment. A Crow also got into the act to harass
the owl.
Above the new bridge in Riverview-Moncton, very
large flocks of gulls have decided to use the bridge and they approach for cover
from the northeast winds.
There is a pair of Bald Eagles probably on Mac
Wilmot’s land who seem to be setting up housekeeping.
**Fred and Lynn Dube put out cracked corn in their Coverdale driveway, which was found very quickly by Mallard Ducks earlier in the season.
In the
past week, it has attracted other wildlife that was not expected. It would
appear 2 Coyotes are visiting nocturnally, and a juvenile Northern
Goshawk has made at least two visits for a duck dinner.
The snag tree Fred has erected with cavity-filled suet has become a major
attraction to several species of suet connoisseurs.
**Shannon Inman did a quick trip around the block in the Harvey area and spotted an American Woodcock and approximately 15 goldeneyes, some of which were performing male Common Goldeneyes.
(Editor’s note: always pleasant to see those first arriving American Woodcock (timberdoodles!) and we will soon be hearing/seeing the males do their dramatic courtship displays).
**On Saturday, Brian Coyle was out to his trail
cameras (he has 8 trail cameras out) and came upon fresh Coyote and Raccoon
tracks and sign. (Editor’s note: note the human hand-like print of the fore
paw of the Raccoon).
In addition, he observed a half dozen Black-capped Chickadees
in a Tamarack tree, seemingly feeding on the tender buds. Upon arriving at his
home, he sat on the back deck and was able to get some additional photos of one
of the pair of resident Brown Creepers in his backyard, at times feeding
on the ground at the base of Spruce trees.
**The Nature Moncton March meeting will take place this coming Tuesday night, March 21, at 7:00 PM, when Kelsey Wilson, Executive Director of the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance, will give a live presentation at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge. It will also be available virtually.
The
presentation write-up is below:
March
21, 2023, at 7:00 PM
Mapleton
Rotary Lodge
Presenter:
Kelsey Wilson, Executive Director, PWA
“Petitcodiac
Watershed Alliance update”
The
Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance has a wide variety of current and past projects.
Generally, these fit into 4 general categories: scientific monitoring, habitat
improvement, environmental assessment, and education & outreach. Together,
these themes provide a rounded approach to restoring and protecting the
ecological services of the water systems that flow into Shepody Bay through
science-based research, action, and public outreach.
This year the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance is celebrating 25 years of
incorporation, and 26 since its inception. To celebrate, the PWA is ramping up
in some key areas to increase its impact and improve environmental monitoring,
health, and education in our watershed. The organization has launched new
branding, communications strategies, and a new website that better highlights
their work and includes interactive features to learn more about the PWA’s
work, the watershed, and some key aspects of environmental management in the
region. The PWA has also moved to a new location that increases its capacity
and the types of activities it can pursue, while also taking on some new
projects to revitalize its work and increase impact. At the same time, the
organization continues to pursue its long-standing projects in green
infrastructure, water quality monitoring and restoring fish passage for species
such as the endangered iBoF Salmon. PWA Executive Director Kelsey Wilson will
share updates on these projects -- comprising some results from their 2022
field season -- and give us a glimpse of what is coming to launch the
organization into its next 25 years, including ways to get involved in hands-on
projects that improve the health of our local waterways.
This meeting will be in person at
the Mapleton Rotary Lodge, but anyone is welcome to join virtually from
anywhere at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87467213229?pwd=elZ5cFA4V3pjUDNnYURZcVRQd1NFUT09
All
are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
Nelson Poirier
Nature
Moncton