Nature Moncton Nature News: December 5 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 5, 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.

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Lance Harris walked along the Dieppe dyke marshlands towards Moncton on Wednesday to spot five Muskrats among the Mallard Duck families enjoying the sun in the small brook. Lance also walked east off the Rotary Park entrance to note four male and five female Ring-necked Pheasants enjoying a stroll.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a female Dark-eyed Junco at his Neguac yard on Wednesday. We are more accustomed to seeing the males staying late in the season and around feeder yards, but this gal may be still making up her mind.

**Norbert Dupuis sends yet another gorgeous photo of the male member of his Northern Cardinal pair.

(Editor’s note: the editor wishes one of his four Northern Cardinal patrons would seek to have their portraits taken as does Norbert’s!)

**Brian Stone visited Nelson Poirier on Wednesday morning to see and photograph his new Lincoln's Sparrow feeder patron. The bird was cooperative and showed up on and off the whole time Brian was there. A sudden surprise visit of a Nashville Warbler took them by surprise but that only lasted a few minutes before the bird flew off to parts unknown. A White-breasted Nuthatch, several American Tree Sparrows, a White-throated Sparrow, and a male Downy Woodpecker were also photographed in the yard.

Brian later drove out to the coast again and checked the wharves along the way with not much seen to report. At Cape Tormentine though it was a different story. As Brian walked out along the old roadways past the old wharves, he was happy to find a small group of three Snow Buntings foraging together and occasionally resting on the rocks.

Seeming like that might be his best catch of the day out there Brian was feeling satisfied but was soon given another shot of luck when he was walking the narrow path alongside the crumbling breakwater and came upon a Snowy Owl resting on the decaying wooden beams. It was well hidden until Brian came almost beside it and its unmistakable soft white head appeared.

Brian froze and stared for a moment, expecting the owl to fly off immediately but it looked back at him for a second and then ignored him, content to remain in his spot and not appearing to be disturbed. Brian took the opportunity to take a few quick photos and then began to back away slowly when a gull appeared and began noisily harassing the owl. The owl tried to ignore this new irritation but soon tired of it and flew off, passing close enough to Brian to more than fill his camera's field of view and left the area to perch on the far end of one of the decrepit old wharves where it was undisturbed.

(Editor's note: note the fully feathered legs of the Snowy Owl to provide warmth and built-in snowshoes for a snowy cold environment.)

A last photo opportunity of the day for Brian was the close conjunction of the planet Venus with the 13° illuminated waxing crescent Moon, making a nice pair in the early evening sky.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton