Nature Moncton Nature News: November 25 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

November 25, 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 and proofreader Louise Nichols at Nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**The Memramcook-Hillsborough Christmas Bird Count will take place on Thursday, December 19th, with a rain date the next day. The compiler is Yolande LeBlanc, and she can be reached at yolandeleblanc834@gmail.com or 506-758-9234. Tally will be done at the arena where participants will enjoy pizza and friendship.

Residents are encouraged to count birds at their feeders and report their data; this way, we skip their houses. Registering is a must to better distribute teams in the field.

**Shannon Inman photographed Snapdragon in full bloom which is a bit of a latter November surprise.

Shannon also came across a Netted Stinkhorn mushroom, approximately 4 inches tall, with one very contented slug on it, which also would seem late in the season. But then again, we have not had frost and lots of moisture, which puts mushrooms in ecstasy.

**The Nature News received two interesting comments to share about the Pine Warbler photos in yesterday’s edition, with those photos repeated today to refresh the comments.

Tony Diamond commented that the Pine warbler in the photo has strikingly yellow feet, which might confuse an observer who is aware that yellow feet are a feature of the Blackpoll Warbler. Tony agreed all the other features are clearly Pine Warbler though.

Gilles Belliveau commented “This is the second set of Pine Warbler photos I’ve seen this weekend where the toes appear quite yellowish, even on the top of the toes. They do typically have yellow on the underside of the toes, which can come up quite high on the sides of the toes, and I’ve noticed this several times in the field and on photos. Perhaps having a slight yellow tone on the tops of the toes may not be that unusual but may simply be something we don’t often notice on birds moving around, but it would stand out more in photos.

As Tony mentioned, 'This is a trait that people associate mainly with Blackpoll Warbler', but there are other species like Pine Warbler and Northern Parula (and maybe others) that also have yellow on the underside of the toes and with Parulas, I have seen varying amounts of yellow on the top of the toes as well.

Of course, with Blackpolls, depending on age and time of year, the entire leg and foot can be that yellow-orange colour, or it can be limited to the toes.”

(Editor’s note: maybe the real message to take from the comments of these two experienced birders is to base identification on as many clues as a photo allows and keep the time of year in mind.)

**Nelson Poirier wonders if maybe the House Finch had a very good season. They are noticeably more abundant than usual coming to his feeder. Nelson has not had any Purple Finch appear yet. These two species can be confused when one is not accustomed to seeing the House Finch as it tends to be a very urban species.

The House Finch is very variable in its plumage, especially at this time of year. The male House Finch takes on its red blush at this time of year in its first year of life, while the male Purple Finch does not take on its reddish plumage until its second fall of life.

Nelson feels the two birds in the photograph at the green feeder are the drab female even though one has a slight tinge of red which the occasional female has. The bird in the photograph at the bell seed feeder is the most typical plumage of an adult male, but that can vary as well, with the occasional bird showing yellow or orange tones.

One may also want to note the curved culmen (top mandible) of the House Finch.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton