NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
February 18, 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
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
**The February Nature Moncton meeting will
be taking place tonight Tuesday, February 18, at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge with
the always special guest Jim Wilson. The write-up is below.
Nature Moncton birdfeeders will be available for purchase.
**FEBRUARY MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION
Sixty-plus Years
of Birding in New Brunswick
Tuesday, February 18,
2025, at 7 PM
Mapleton Rotary Park
Lodge
Presenter: Jim
Wilson
This presentation will provide a retrospective look at
the many changes in New Brunswick bird populations since Jim began birding and
keeping a regular journal about New Brunswick birds and nature in 1963. At
least one bird species has been extirpated in the province and many other
populations have declined. Some have declined but later rebounded to their
former numbers; others have expanded their breeding ranges into the province,
and one entirely new bird has been recognized by scientists. This presentation
will provide some insight into why and how these shifts happened and what we
might expect next.
Jim Wilson, who many of us have met in the field, has
been an active naturalist and birder throughout most of his life. He
has contributed to the natural world in numerous ways including serving on the
board for Nature NB and establishing the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, an
important spot for recording seabird migration along the Fundy coast. Jim
was awarded the Roland Michener Conservation Award from the Canadian Wildlife
Federation in 2018, and he received the Order of New Brunswick in 2019.
Come join us for what will be an enlightening and
entertaining evening. This will be an in-person presentation at the
lodge, but anyone can join via Zoom at the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89179802982?pwd=3W1zwXJKMh4eGsizqfvAF3NbnyAfz5.1
All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**John Inman photographed a juvenile sharp-shinned
hawk that came in late in the day looking for a meal.
(Editor’s note: note the much wider vertical stripes in
the juvenile sharp-shinned hawk compared to the cooper’s hawk and they extend
further down the chest/breast than the juvenile cooper’s hawk.)
A coyote strolled into the backyard in early
dawn, doing the same thing.
**Mac and Brenda Wilmot continue to have their pair of Carolina
wrens as regular patrons in their Lower Coverdale yard. They favour feeding
on peanut butter suet blocks.
They were able to get some great action photos with their
Blink camera. Check out the action below:
(Editor’s note: We do not have many Carolina wrens in New
Brunswick but pairs that do adopt a territory tend to stay in that territory
for the winter. There has to be a good chance that this pair nested on the
Wilmot’s property this past season, as their vocalizations were clearly heard
all last summer.)
**Brian Stone felt the need for a little fresh air on
Monday afternoon, so he went for a walk in Mapleton Park and got more air than
he bargained for. The wind was intense, and the 'light snow flurries" were
being blown at him at nearly a sand-blasting level. All in all, it still made
for a satisfying outing, and Brian still managed to get a couple of photos. He
noticed an odd duck in the small group of mallard ducks that are
remaining at the Halls Creek bridge at the Gorge Rd. end of the park that
appears to be a hybrid mallard/black duck. Brian also photographed a
lone American black duck in the same group and a black-capped
chickadee that stopped by begging for a treat. While he was walking along
one of the trails, a small falcon flew fast overhead that wasn't able to
be identified but possibly was a merlin.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
