NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
January 25, 2025
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
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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
**Jane LeBlanc had lots more birds after an 18-20 inch
dump of snow Thursday night, including an American Tree Sparrow.
Finding bare ground at the beach at low tide, she walked
her dog and noticed two Bald Eagles and lots of Crows at something on the beach.
After the birds had flown, she walked down and found a Skate.
(Editor’s note: the Skate is a cartilaginous
bottom-dwelling fish. Its unique shape allows its flattened body and large
pectoral fins to live close to the bottom where they bury themselves to avoid
their predators as well as ambush their prey.
They have been harvested in the past [not sure about the present].
Pectoral fins are cut into scallop-sized portions and are sometimes referred to
as false scallops.)
**Lynn Dube updates on their feeder yard birds on
Friday that included a White-breasted Nuthatch and the regular Pileated
Woodpecker. The yard was very active with approximately three dozen +
American Goldfinches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy
Woodpeckers, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, a Mourning Dove, Crows,
and the Brown Creeper.
**Barb Curlew and Rick Elliott have a Fox Sparrow continuing to visit their Waterside yard for the past eight days. This is the
longest time they have seen a Fox Sparrow stay. Other than these brief visits
to their yard, Barb and Rick look forward to finding this species on their
visits to northern Newfoundland and Labrador where they are relatively common.
(Editor’s note: it is interesting to note that possibly
more bird feeder yards in New Brunswick are hosting a Fox Sparrow this winter
and they did fine during the recent cold snap. The Lincoln’s Sparrow Nelson Poirier
had been hosting has not been seen in two days following the temperature dip.)
**Jamie Burris was just sitting at the kitchen table, and
a young Sharp-shinned Hawk came in and grabbed a Mourning Dove right in front
of him. He opened the deck door, and it had the dove by the back. It picked it
up and flew into a neighbour’s backyard. Jamie took a walk down the street so
he could see into their backyard, and sure enough, the hawk was standing over a
pile of feathers. Jamie comments, “They don't take too long to consume their
prey, I must say!”
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
