Nature Moncton Nature
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well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share their
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**Volunteers are needed
for the Moncton Christmas Bird Count on December 20.
Nature Moncton is gearing
up for the annual Christmas Bird Count on December 20, and looking for
volunteers to join the fun. Whether you’re an experienced birder or just
bird-curious, you’re welcome.
You can spend part or the
full day birding with one of our existing teams, helping track species across
the count circle. It’s a great way to learn, explore, and be part of a
long-running community science tradition.
The day will be wrapped up
with an optional supper at the Tankville School—always a cozy way to share
sightings and stories.
To sign up, email MitchDoucet@gmail.com
**This past weekend Rhonda
Langelaan noticed a planet at dawn above the area of their Second North River
barn as she was looking from their house back patio. It looked like it had four moons. It was indeed the planet Jupiter showing four of its moons!
(Editor’s note: This is a
very special photograph from being in the right place at the right time with a
camera and a cooperative sky.
Brian Stone confirmed
Rhonda’s observation for us, as well as sharing some labelling and Internet
screenshots to expand on Rhonda’s observation.)
Rhonda saw sun dogs (arrowed) on each side of the sun on her way into Moncton on Sunday, and she took a photograph.
**This is a prime time to
appreciate gulls as the immature molting process is happening en route to their
next life cycle.
There are gulls at
the parking lot of the Moncton Coliseum, and Rhonda took note of a particular black-
backed gull that was there. She was wondering what stage it was in, as it
had some black on the bill with the red spot, and the head was a bit streaky.
(Editor’s note: an excuse
to give a bit of a gull course!
This is an advanced 3rd-cycle
great black-backed gull. This gull species, like most of our larger gulls, is
not adult until its 4th cycle, when it would have no black smudge on the bill
and a clean, unstreaked head.
The points that would make
it a 3rd cycle bird are the following:
• the black smudge near the end of the bill.
• the brown streaks on the head. One could expect more brown
areas on the body at this point, but molting in this specimen would seem to be
advanced further than its kin 3rd-cycle birds.
• The red spot at the gonys may simply be present as molting is
advanced, but a portion of our large winter gulls do take on a black smudge
with the adult red patch in winter.
• The bill is pale yellow. It would be bright yellow in the 4th
cycle bird.
• The molting cycle is usually easier to identify in an early December immature gull. This happens to be an interesting one that makes us look a bit closer!
I wish I had had these photos during a gull workshop in Saint John on Nov. 29.)
**Georges Brun
photographed a peregrine falcon on the big A logo of Assumption Place near
the nest box. “Our” pair stays with us all winter, some years on site. Some
winters, they move elsewhere, possibly a short migration south.
Georges also photographed white-tailed
deer in the Beaumont area. The group appears to be three sub-adults in one
area and doesn't include one who made a quick getaway, presumed to be the female doe (mother).
**Bob Blake maintains
daily weather statistics of morning low temperature, daily high temperature,
and monthly precipitation from his Second North River home and shares a table where
he compares those measurement observations of November 2024 with November 2025.
This may be from one location but does provide an interesting comparison.
Bob's observations
indicate generally higher daytime temperatures in November 2025 than in the
previous November. Morning temperature comparisons are interesting in that
November 2025 had some mornings warmer than 2024, yet November 2025 also had
some mornings colder.
There was notably less
precipitation in 2025, but weather predictions could change that over the next
week for December.
|
2024 |
2025 |
||
|
morning temperatures |
daily highs and rainfall |
morning temperatures |
daily highs and rainfall |
|
+14-2 days +9-1 +8-3 +7-3 +6-3 +5-1 +4-3 +3-1 +2-2 +1-3 -1-2 -2-2 -3-3 100 mms. rain 16 cms. snow |
+17-1 +16-1 +13-1 +11-1 +10-2 |
+17-1 +12-1 +11-1 +10-2 +8-3 +6-1 +5-2 +4-1 +3-1 +2-4 +1-4 0-2 -2-4 -3-2 -7-1 82 mms. rain 5 cms. snow |
+23-1 +18-1 +17-1 +12-1 +10-2 |
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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