Nature Moncton Information Line

Monday, 6 December 2021

Dec 6 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE

Dec 6, 2021 (Monday)

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

** Jane LeBlanc was taking photos out the window of her St. Martins home and caught an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW hiding in the Witch Hazel shrub, with a light dusting of snow on it. She also caught several AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES snacking on the seed heads of PURPLE CONEFLOWERS.

The coneflower is an excellent choice of a cultivar to a bird friendly yard. Finches, especially American Goldfinch, seem very attracted to the seed heads of this plant.

**Ducks Unlimited has generously donated 6 duck boxes to Nature Moncton. One of them has already been erected and hoping for patrons in the spring of 2022. A photo is attached, and a trail camera will be watching this box hoping for activity to share. Four boxes are still available but are still in Fredericton waiting for a runner to pick them up and bring them to Moncton for distribution. If anyone is in the Fredericton area and able to pick them up, it would be very appreciated. Email nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com for pickup details.

**Aldo Dorio got a nice close-up photo of a female Common Merganser showing it open winged and floating atop the water. We can expect to see the species all winter in open water areas with a preference for areas of less salinity.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

DUCK BOX. DEC 5, 2021. BRIAN DONOVAN

COMMON MERGANSER (FEMALE). DEC 5, 2021. ALDO DORIO

AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. DEC. 5, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. DEC. 5, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

Sunday, 5 December 2021

Dec 5 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE

Dec 5, 2021 (Sunday)

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Cathy Simon and her family were walking in Halls Creek on December 4th and came across two very vocal and active

Red-breasted Nuthatches. While having difficulty attempting to take a photo, husband Evar spotted a BARRED OWL in the same tree under the nuthatches and got a great photo moment. At the end of their walk, they also counted at least 350 Canada geese flying overhead.

**Jane and Ed LeBlanc were out for a drive on Saturday, Dec. 4th, 2021, and saw a raptor on the wing. Looking at the photos after they got home, they believe it to be an immature BALD EAGLE. There was a mature Bald Eagle flying nearby.

Jane’s photo shows the wide variance in plumage of the immature Bald Eagle.

**Louise Nichols was eating breakfast on Saturday morning when a hawk flew into the front yard and gave chase to the Blue Jays and Mourning Doves at the feeders. The hawk then settled for a minute or so on a nearby maple tree where Louise was able to get a look at it through binoculars and snap a few photos. The hawk is a juvenile accipiter. Louise felt that it was larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk and the fairly thin streaks on the breast made her label it as a Cooper's Hawk. There is also a white eyebrow, (supercilium) similar to the hawk Elaine Gallant photographed and shared a few days ago. Louise was pleased to add a Cooper's Hawk because that would be a new species for her Aulac property list.

The Cooper’s Hawk is a species that would appear to be doing very well and extending its range northward.

**Brian Stone tried again to photograph Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) at 6:20 am on Sunday morning but the same problem soon occurred. When he went outside the sky was completely clear and conditions were excellent, but before he could get the focus and light settings set on the camera the clouds rolled in and blocked the sky once again. It's a real battle sometimes to get a win against the weather. Brian sends the one result he did manage to get before the viewing conditions deteriorated which makes it still very clear what his target was.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BARRED OWL. DECEMBER 4, 2021. EVAR SIMON

COOPER'S HAWK. DEC. 4, 2021. LOUISE NICHOLS

BALD EAGLE (IMMATURE) DEC. 4, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

COMET LEONARD. DEC. 05, 2021. BRIAN STONE

Saturday, 4 December 2021

Dec 4 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE

Dec 4, 2021 (Saturday)

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**John Inman got a photograph of a female Rusty Blackbird that arrived at his Mary’s Point Road feeder yard on Friday. John still has a few Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles staying on.

With the decline in numbers of the Rusty Blackbird, winter visitors are always special.

**Continuing the discussion of yesterday on the hawk Elaine Gallant photographed at the bluff near Parlee Beach from Thursday. I had mistakenly not noticed Elaine had 3 more excellent photos of that hawk that clearly identify it as a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. The photos are all attached today nicely showing some of the Cooper’s Hawk ID features.

Note the fine streaks on the breast with the streaking reduced or absent on the belly, rounded tail apex and the white tail tip is much broader than the similar Sharp-shinned Hawk with the undertail coverts entirely white. Some juveniles may show a pale eyebrow (supercilium) which Elaine’s photo does. The yellow eye indicates immaturity with the adult being red.

The Cooper’s Hawk often perches on telephone poles and other structure, unlike the Sharp-shinned Hawk, which makes for better photographic subjects.

*Brian Stone visited the Hampton lagoons on Friday to find two of them frozen over and the main one open with just a few ducks present. Alongside a handful of MALLARD DUCKS was a small group of AMERICAN WIGEON DUCKS. Among these regulars was one pair of BUFFLEHEAD DUCKS. Heading back to his sister's place along the Titusville Rd., he noticed one PIEBALD WHITE-TAILED DEER feeding with several other normally coloured deer in a distant field.

Brian also got up at 5:00 am today (Saturday) to try and locate Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) in the constellation of Bootes. He managed to find it in binoculars, just barely, but as he set up his camera for an attempt to photograph it a band of clouds moved across the area as frequently happens and he had to be satisfied with his first, not so good, image. Good enough for now. He will keep trying on every clear morning now.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

RUSTY BLACKBIRD (FEMALE). DEC 3, 2021. JOHN INMAN

COOPER'S HAWK (IMMATURE). DEC 2, 2021. ELAINE GALLANT

BUFFLEHEAD DUCK (MALE AND FEMALE). DEC. 03, 2021., BRIAN STONE

BUFFLEHEAD DUCK (MALE). DEC. 03, 2021., BRIAN STONE

AMERICAN WIGEON DUCK (MALE). DEC. 03, 2021. BRIAN STONE

AMERICAN WIGEON DUCK (FEMALE). DEC. 03, 2021. BRIAN STONE

AMERICAN WIGEON DUCK (MALES AND FEMALES). DEC. 03, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WHITE-TAILED DEER. (ONE PIEBALD PELAGE) DEC. 03, 2021. BRIAN STONE

COMET LEONARD. DEC. 04, 2021.BRIAN STONE

Friday, 3 December 2021

Dec 3 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE

Dec 3, 2021 (Friday)

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

** The Nature Moncton Executive Committee is looking for a few members to join one of two newly formed committees. The first is to create a database of directions to places that people are trying to get to explore nature locally. (Editors note: this database could prove very very valuable to new members and visitors from outside the area. This is a very worthwhile project) The second committee will be to get the documents that a new member of the executive (or even a general member in some cases) and save them electronically in the Nature Moncton Dropbox. The committees will have a member of the Executive Committee on them, Roger Leblanc on the first and Susan Richards on the second, to assist. Once the tasks are completed these two committees will disband. So, if you can help out, please contact President Fred Richard’s at fredrichards@rogers.com or any other member of the executive.

** Activity has been low at Doreen Rossiter’s Alma feeders this fall. She has had a female Northern Cardinal off and on all fall, never 2 days in a row. A Yellow-breasted Chat visited for awhile mid-November but has come and gone. Other than that, it’s just been the usual; Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadee’s, Red-breasted Nuthatches (now gone), a few Mourning Doves, a couple of Song Sparrows, 22 pigeons!!, and little else. They have a male Ring-necked Pheasant that’s been coming around for years. At Doreen’s if it sees you outside it comes running full speed, tail straight up in the air. If you’re inside he gets on the deck railing and squawks until you feed him! She has no woodpeckers at all.

Things picked at Doreen’s Wednesday. She had a Fox Sparrow, 2 White-throated Sparrow’s, and a flock of 25 Dark-eyed Juncos. Doreen said they usually show up in mid-November, but last year it was Dec. 24 before they showed up. On Thursday morning, the White-throated Sparrow’s showed up in the brush pile (at least 3) and ; saving the best for last; a bird Doreen actually had to get her bird book for. She was able to get her binocs on it to realize it was a Carolina Wren.

All thanks to Kathy Carter for relaying Doreen’s message.

**Elaine Gallant photographed a raptor on Thursday on the bluff overlooking Parlee Beach. It turns out another like we had on yesterday’s edition that’s tough to confirm identity on this photo. Any comments would be appreciated.

**From the number of photographs coming in, it is appearing like Bufflehead are having a very good year. Aldo Dorio photographed a contented group off Hay Island on Thursday.

**Brian Stone was driving along the Titusville Rd. near Upham on Thursday and he came across a group of 4 WILD TURKEYS walking along the roadside. He stopped long enough to get some photos and some close-up views.

**It’s Friday and time to review next week’s night sky highlights courtesy of our favourite sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 December 4 – December 11

Soon many naturalists throughout the province will be busy performing Christmas bird counts. If you are on your toes and not too worn out you can add four stellar birds between dusk and dawn. Start with the easy ones around 6 pm by looking for the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle above the western horizon. The lowest of the three is Altair, the head of Aquila the Eagle, which is standing straight up on the horizon. The highest of the trio is Deneb at the tail of Cygnus the Swan, which is doing its signature dive. The third member is Lyra the Harp with its bright star Vega to the right of Altair. A few centuries ago celestial cartographers depicted the harp in the talons of an eagle or vulture, so maybe we can claim that as a fifth bird.

Midnight is your best chance to spot the elusive and tiny Columba the Dove, but you will need an unobstructed southern horizon. Look below Orion for Lepus the Hare, and then try to see stars near the horizon directly below. Very few bird counts will be missing the common crow but, in case you did, look about a hand span above the southern horizon around 6:30 am for a distinct quadrilateral of stars. There you will find Corvus the Crow hitching a ride on the tail of Hydra the Water Snake.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:44 am and sunset will occur at 4:34 pm, giving 8 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:46 am and 4:42 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:51 am and set at 4:33 pm, giving 8 hours, 42 minutes of daylight (7:53 am and 4:41 pm in Saint John). We are having the earliest sunsets of the year this week.

The Moon is new and at perigee on Saturday morning, causing extreme tides over the weekend and into Monday. Whereas the Moon orbits faster near perigee it reaches first quarter phase on Friday evening, but not before passing below Venus, Saturn and Jupiter on Monday through Wednesday, respectively. On Friday evening telescope users have a brief opportunity to see the shadows of two Jovian moons against Jupiter’s atmosphere, as Europa’s enters at 6:13 and Callisto’s exits at 6:16. Mars can be seen with binoculars in the morning sky rising an hour and a half ahead of the Sun. At the end of the week we might be fortunate enough to see some early shooting stars from the Geminid meteor shower.

On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

WILD TURKEYS. DEC. 02, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WILD TURKEY. DEC. 02, 2021. BRIAN STONE

HAWK. DEC 2, 2021. ELAINE GALLANT

BUFFLEHEAD. DEC 3, 2021. ALDO DORIO

Columba

Thursday, 2 December 2021

Dec 2 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE

Dec 2, 2021 (Thursday)

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 if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**On many occasions, Clarence Cormier has noticed Ring-necked Pheasants both male and female eating Burning Bush berries as well as the American Robins.

There is an abundance of Mountain Ash berries in the Grande Digue area. There is obviously something about Burning Bush berries that is interesting to birds. These berries have a large seed with very little pulp. It is interesting to note the

Ash-throated Flycatcher that Clarence had visiting earlier in this season also went for Burning Bush berries.

**Gordon Rattray reports the activity at his Weldon bird feeder yard for the first day of the winter count, Dec 1. The American Goldfinches are just getting back with 2 present on Wednesday. They were joined by: Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, many of Black-capped Chickadees, 11 Mourning Doves, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Blue Jays. The snow and colder weather seem to be making the feeder food supply more important. Gordon also made a trip down to Gray Brook marsh and reports it is completely frozen over.

**Brian Coyle decided to head out to the woods to see if there were any fresh tracks on Wednesday. It wasn’t long before he came upon the tracks of a pair of Coyotes, and where they scent marked.

Next, he found the tracks of a White-Tailed Deer in flight, likely from a predator. From bound to bound he measured 18 feet!

Highbush Cranberries are still plump and plentiful and will provide a late winter food source.

There was a group of what look to be large Oyster Mushrooms growing on a wild Cherry tree.

Next, Brian found a set of Coyote tracks that went across a rock pile where he had a trail camera set up and hoped that it would show up on video. Indeed it did. Take a look at the action in the attached link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6xby5a7n3lvxala/IMG_0003%20%284%29.MP4?dl=0

**Weather on Riverview Marsh was suitable to venture out on Wednesday for Georges Brun to photograph a Short-Eared Owl. He also photographed a Ground Spider and a Caterpillar on the road that leads to the Trans-Aqua outlet pipe.

When Georges first saw the Short-Eared Owl it looked like a gull from a distance with underside very white. I am including several of Georges’ photos. These are not easy to get!

Sue Berube reported what she felt fairly sure was a Short-eared Owl a week ago from the Riverview side, but not able to get a photo.

**Brian Stone drove to Upham on Wednesday for a visit with his sister and family. He didn't get a chance to have an outing there yet but after the lack of wildlife on Mountain Rd. in Moncton his sister's rural yard was just as good. In the snow just outside the house there were trails in the snow caused by a SHREW or VOLE type of little critter. At the feeders were BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, BLUE JAYS, HAIRY and DOWNY WOODPECKERS, PURPLE FINCH, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and at least 20 MOURNING DOVES. In the trees beside the yard a couple GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were following the chickadees around. At 10:00 pm Brian stepped outside to stargaze a bit and a bright meteor streaked across fully half the sky as if to reward him for braving the cold.

**From yesterday’s edition, Roger LeBlanc comments

“Looking at the 2 photos of the hawk Brian Stone saw in flight on Tuesday, I would say that it looks like a Sharp-shinned Hawk to me. For sure ID by photo is always iffy and all the more when you only have one shot, or in this case 2 but practically the same and at an angle from the back rather than straight on and of a notoriously hard ID. But this bird shows a couple of features that to me that make it look more like a Sharp-shinned Hawk than a Cooper’s Hawk. First the fact that the head does not seem to stick out like it should on a Cooper’s Hawk but is just in line with the bend the wing like a Sharp-shinned Hawk. At the other end of the tail, it does not look long enough for a Cooper’s Hawk which I always had a feeling looked like a flying cross while a Sharp-shinned Hawk is more like a T . Also the bird looks to me bulky and compact in flight like a Sharp-shinned Hawk but not elongated and tubular like a Cooper’s Hawk. As for the shape of the tail it does not tell us much since it seems like it’s molting with the central rectrices sticking out. That said, it’s clearly an immature with no rusty barring showing and a pale head. All in all the general gizz of the bird says Sharp-shinned Hawk to me rather than Cooper’s Hawk but for sure it would be nice to have more angles. But that is birding. They just don’t know they are supposed to pose for us.”

I have reposted Brian’s photos today for that second look.

**Jane LeBlanc was driving in West Quaco (St. Martins) and saw a NORTHERN HARRIER hunting the marsh. She got horrible (Jane’s words) photos she is not sharing. Further along the road, she put up a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, and even though she followed it to the end of the road, didn't get a photo. Finally, heading back towards the village, she spotted one of the resident pair of BALD EAGLES sitting in a tree, and got many photos of it.

**We are republishing the list of events happening in December prepared by the New Brunswick Environmental Network as the December 14 Nature Moncton meeting has been changed and the link to join me is attached.

The NBEN is proud to share information on upcoming events available to those interested in the environment. If you would like your event to appear in our monthly calendar email, please make sure to post it on our on-line calendar by logging into the Eco-Community and filling in the details here.

Upcoming Events for the Month of December

Dec 1 - Green Shores®: A Multi-Faceted Tool in the Coastal Resilience Toolbox, Online

Dec 1 - Webinar: Moving Towards a Decarbonized Electricity Grid, Online

Dec 1 - Potential Endocrine Disrupting Effects of Microplastics in Human Placenta and Aquatic Life, Online

Dec 1 - Maritime Climate Modelling & Upper Saint John River Water Assessment Webinar, Online

Dec 1 - Webinar: New Brunswick Habitat Exploration, Online

Dec 1 - Public Dialogue: The Future of the Memramcook River and Causeway, Online

Dec 2 - Get Outside: Learning Outdoors in Winter, Online

Dec 4 - Côtes en santé Chaleur - Session d'engagement communautaire

Dec 7 - Dialogue public : L'avenir de la rivière Memramcook et de sa chaussée, Online

Dec 8 - Microplastics from Food and Water: State of the Science and Potential Impacts on Human Health, Online

Dec 9 - Atelier interactif: Calculer les risques et les avantages d’un projet tout en encourageant un dialogue inclusif et efficace autour des bleuetières, Online

Dec 10 - Panel: Uranium and nuclear energy in New Brunswick and beyond, Online

Dec 10 - Putting Maps on the Web: A Guide for Environmental & Conservation Organizations, Online

Dec 11 - Healthy Coasts Chaleur - Community Engagement Session

Dec 14 - Nature Moncton December Meeting, Moncton

Dec 15 - Application Deadline: University of Victoria Professional Specialization Certificate in Ecological Restoration

Dec 17 - Deadline to comment on Candidate Conserved Areas

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BALD EAGLE AND SHORT-EARED OWL. DEC. 1, 2021. GEORGES BRUN

SHORT-EARED OWL. DEC. 1, 2021. GEORGES BRUN

SHORT-EARED OWL DEC. 1, 2021 GEORGES BRUN

AMERICAN ROBIN (TO BURNING BUSH BERRIES). DEC 01, 2021. CLARENCE CORMIER

DARK-EYED JUNCO. DEC.01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. DEC. 01, 2021.. BRIAN STONE

DOWNY WOODPECKER (FEMALE). DEC. 01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

DOWNY WOODPECKER (FEMALE). DEC 01, 2021. GORDON RATTRAY

PURPLE FINCH (MALE). DEC. 01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

MOURNING DOVES. DEC. 01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

HAIRY WOODPECKER (MALE). DEC. 01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

HAIRY WOODPECKER (MALE). DEC 01, 2021. GORDON RATTRAY

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. DEC01, 2021. GORDON RATTRAY

BALD EAGLE. DEC. 1, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

HAWK. NOV. 30, 2021. BRIAN STONE

COYOTE TRAIL, DEC 1, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

SCENT MARKING BY COYOTES, DEC 1, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

VOLE OR SHREW TRACKS. DEC. 01, 2021. BRIAN STONE

HIGHHUSH CRANBERRIES, DEC 1, 2021, BRIAN COYLE

GROUND SPIDER. DEC. 1, 2021. GEORGES BRUN