Nature Moncton Nature News: March 19 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 19, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

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.

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**A double bill Nature Moncton March meeting is on for tonight Tuesday, March 19. All details below:

The first portion will be an excellent refresher on the amphibians about to join us sooner than we realize. The write-up for the first session is below and the presentation will be virtual:

MARCH MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION

Topic: Amphibians and Turtles in New Brunswick

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Presenter: Shaylyn Wallace

Shaylyn Wallace has lots of experience with amphibians and turtles. She completed a BSc in Environment and Natural Resources at UNB in 2017, focusing her 4^th-year project on the Hyla Park Nature Preserve, specifically on Gray Treefrog Surveys. In 2020, she completed her MSc, which included research on the impacts of agriculture on Wood Turtles.

Shaylyn’s presentation for Nature Moncton will help you learn about amphibian and turtle species in New Brunswick and how to identify them. She will go through the species we have in the province, as well as look-a-like species. She will demonstrate what they sound like, which habitat types you can find them in, and what you can do to help these semi-aquatic creatures.

Don’t miss this chance to find out more about these fascinating critters that live in our woods and wetlands.

This will be an in-person presentation at the Rotary Lodge with a Zoom link for those who want to join in from home.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89214168888?pwd=bEIvZzlieXFUbGZTVUhiV0pJVWdJQT09

After the break, join us for "Tick Talk." Nelson Poirier will give an important presentation (in-person) on the increasing risk of the Black-legged Tick in New Brunswick. He will show us how to distinguish it from other non-problem ticks, what to do if bitten by one, and how to prevent that from happening in the first place. He will also talk about some very useful new techniques that have been developed to help us with prevention, identification, and treatment. Nelson will have some preserved specimens and removal instruments on hand to demonstrate.

**Last Saturday, as Brian Coyle was out at a Beaver pond checking his trail cameras, he came upon some very fresh River Otter tracks in the snow. The tracks show 5 toes, as well as webbed feet, with the tracks measuring approximately 2" wide x 3" long, and in pairs as the animal loped along.

To top that off, Brian’s trail camera captured a video of the River Otter bounding along making the tracks/trail before it plunged into some open water. Take a look at the action in the video below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dztrlsudvdcjnrqxbmyu3/STC_0001-Copy-39-_x264.mp4?rlkey=zfln4ljl3suc1o7iu6owc35sa&dl=0

**Shannon Inman had no luck finding the shorebirds she had spotted on Sunday but noticed about a dozen Ring-Necked Ducks on the Shepody River and a lone Honeybee on the floor of her car.

Back at home Shannon noticed a second Fox Sparrow, a female Evening Grosbeak, and a male Brown-headed Cowbird as first arrivals, and photographed them.

**Norbert Dupuis photographed an American Tree Sparrow sampling his interesting suet blend as well as a few American Goldfinch appearing to be in deep discussion about the season ahead.

**Eric Wilson had the luck of return tenants. A pair of Northern Cardinals have returned to Rural Estates Drive in the north end of Moncton. As is normal for many adult cardinals, they come to feeders closer to dawn and dusk, clicking with their classic loud abrupt and thick-sounding chuck call note. The best part of having a resident cardinal is its song from the tip top of the highest trees or antennas. The deep red male hasn’t begun feeding the brown, green female from beak to beak so their courtship hasn’t yet begun. Stay tuned for updates. Listers are welcome to pop by.

**Magda Kuhn and Grant Ramsey spotted Wild Turkeys in Myakka River State Park, Florida on March 16.
Grant got a photo of some males showing a very well-developed beard. Females do occasionally have a beard but of reduced size.
They also saw a swarm of Honey Bees at the same Park to make for an impressive photo!

**Alain Clavette gives a heads up of a birding event to take place on Thursday, June 6 to Sunday, June 9 in Grand Manan that folks may want to put on their calendars. One will have to Zoom in on the poster to get details.