NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
February 8, 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
**There is a fresh supply of the excellent Nature
Moncton birdfeeders Lynn and Fred Dube have built waiting for new homes.
A few photos show one that is varnished and one that is weathered. A coat of
varnish is very suggested. Details of their availability are repeated at the
end of this edition.
**Lisa Morris went on a tour this past Wednesday of the TransAqua facility as part of RiverviewWinterCarnival.ca events.
They have another tour today Sat Feb 8, 10-11:30 am.
Lisa was curious as to what appeared to be a higher
number of ducks in the inner circle. Apparently, there’s a higher concentration
of ciliate composting bugs in that ring that the ducks like to snack on.
(Editor’s note: there are a lot of ducks in this group.
It could be interesting to check all of them for an “odd duck.”)
**Jane LeBlanc had a pair of Canada jays visit her
suet feeder on Thursday. Then, Friday, driving from St. Martins to Sussex, she
found a flock of wild turkeys hanging around a farm where she had seen
them several times this winter. There were approximately 20 birds.
**Georges Brun was watching the Tidal Bore moving up the
Petitcodiac River on Friday and noticed what appeared to be a school of fish
that was being carried along. He wondered whether this might be a late school
of spawning Atlantic tomcod or an early run of rainbow smelts.
**Brian and Annette Stone walked in Mapleton Park on
Friday and were gifted with several interesting bird sightings. While they were
feeding the black-capped chickadees by hand, a bright male northern
cardinal came near to check on the activity, and several evening grosbeaks
showed up to feast on maple samara seeds. Some gulls circled overhead, and
a red squirrel sat on top of a new-looking duck nest box and snacked on
seeds placed there. A nest was
noted (cedar waxwing suspected), about the size of a large apple.
(Editor’s note: Brian’s flight photo of the gull reveals it to be a great
black-backed gull showing the window (apical spot) to encompass the complete
tip of the primary feather 10.)
Brian later drove out to Wheaton Settlement to view the
large flock of snow buntings that were visiting the large farm on the
Wheaton Settlement Rd. (reported yesterday by Bob Blake) and stopped on the way to photograph a large group of European
starlings resting in a tree. The snow buntings at the farm were very active
and kept flying up and circling the farm, spending more time in the air than on
the ground and putting on quite a flight display.
**Nelson Poirier made a whistle-stop overlooking the open
water at the Foch Bridge in Shediac on Thursday. Barrow's goldeneye was
very much the predominant waterfowl species present, but it was different to
note one individual perched up on the bridge structure. We seldom see goldeneye
out of the water other than at nesting time.
A stop was also made at the Pointe-du-Chene wharf. The
only bird there other than gulls was a very busy song sparrow finding
something of great interest around the docks on the wharf. It nicely showed its
long tail that it often flicks and pumps to help identify it.
**Eileen Pike received a link to a very interesting field
trip, no commute required, from the Sea Duck Joint Venture. Eileen gives the
link below:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1ea8ef75ba834345bec3487be066281a
Eileen and Roy are keeping warm in Mexico at the moment.
On Friday, they went on a field trip with 15 of the Lake Chapala Birders (near Guadalajara). The group included very good birders from many parts of
Canada and the USA. They hiked 1.5 km up a ravine, elevation
1,700 meters, 14°C, to see the local birds and North American migrants.
Of course, it is always nice to find three squirrel cuckoos;
but they also enjoyed the process of identifying a small raptor perched in a
tree high on a ridge. All they could see was the breast. Eventually,
it flew along the ridge. Then, they were able to see clearly the square
tail and other field marks of a sharp-shinned hawk against the clear
blue sky.
**Lynn and Fred Dube have completed the first run of Nature Moncton birdfeeders that are ready for new homes in feeder yards. The excellent design of these feeders protects the seed inside from the weather with a dowel perch aimed so most birds using it will not defecate on the food.
The feeders will be available at Nelson Poirier’s home at
85 Mount Royal Blvd. for easier in-town pickup. For folks who would wish to
purchase one, send an email to nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com to say when you would like to pick one up, and they can be left on the doorstep to be
picked up when convenient.
The cost is $35 each ($40 for non-members) and can be
paid by e-transfer to naturemonctontreasurer2020@gmail.com
with no password necessary. If the transfer is inconvenient, cash or a check
can be left in the mailbox to be forwarded to the treasurer.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
