NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 18, 2021 (Tuesday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by Susan Richards susan_richards@rogers.com
Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
**It is Nature Moncton meeting tonight at 7 o’clock
with a virtual presentation of the state of Bats in New Brunswick and Bat
housing. The link to join in is attached:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87261352355?pwd=d0ZIMUdoeXpvZ2QxdGV1N3VkbnJOUT09
The write-up
is attached below as well so set your phone alarms for 6:50 p.m. tonight so as
not to forget as it is so easy to do with Zoom presentation.
Nature
Moncton May Meeting
May 18,
2021 at 7:00 PM
Virtual
Meeting
Presenter:
Karen Vanderwolf
“Bats -- Their
Present Status in New Brunswick and Man-Made Suggested Housing”
The
relatively sudden appearance of the fungal disease White-nose Syndrome in New
Brunswick came close to decimating our cave bats.
It was first
discovered here in March 2011. Karen Vanderwolf was very instrumental with Dr.
Don McAlpine in documenting the dramatic decrease of bats in the cave
hibernating that population. However, Karen did field work for her PhD during
the summer of 2019 in New Brunswick and found that bats are persisting and
reproducing despite being exposed to White-nose Syndrome for many years. Karen
has conducted a lot of research in caves and mines and has studied other
aspects of cave biology.
Karen’s
interest in bats has continued and she is currently finishing her PhD on bats
at Trent University in Ontario.
Karen has
become involved with the Canadian Wildlife Federation in projects to study bats
and bat housing. She will give us information on the present status of bats in
New Brunswick and suggestions on man-made housing to assist bats.
This
presentation will be virtual and the link for anyone anywhere to join in will
be
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87261352355?pwd=d0ZIMUdoeXpvZ2QxdGV1N3VkbnJOUT09
**John Inman at 225 Mary’s Point Road has had a great
diversity of bird visitors over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, computer challenges prevented
John from sharing his great photos with us but lots got through for today, to
include EASTERN KINGBIRD [Tyran tritri], BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
[Gobemoucheron gris-bleu], BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER [Paruline bleue], WHITE-CROWNED
SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche], ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK [Cardinal à poitrine rose] and orioles galore.
The oriole section in John’s photos include a female ORCHARD ORIOLE [Oriole des vergers] and other BALTIMORE
ORIOLES [Oriole de Baltimore] in
various stages of immature molt and one could even be a female. Immature plumages of orioles can be
tricky. John is experiencing flocks of BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu] migrating that others have been noting. He sends a
photo of a flock in flight which John comments was only about ¼ of what the
whole flock really was. On Monday
morning he still had approximately 100 Blue Jays in his yard. The feeders and containers have to be
refueled about 3 times a day.
**Doreen Rossiter in Alma also had a visit from an ORCHARD
ORIOLE on Monday. She found a lookalike
in Sibley guide as a first-year male but black patch on the throat was
faint. She suspected it visited her
fruit offerings on Sunday as well but did not get good observation. The last time that she has had an Orchard
Oriole visit her yard was in May of 2013.
**Jim Carroll comments on Monday he learned a SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé] is a sandpiper that branch perches occasionally, which is something most
of our sandpipers do not do. Jim got a
photo of one doing just that and looking glamorous while doing so at Belle Isle
Marsh in Springfield. What a beautiful
open-wing photo Jim got that we usually do not get to see.
**Stella Leblanc’s great photo comparison of a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche] and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche] together was accidently cut from the first sent out
version of yesterday’s edition; sending again today for any that may have
missed it.
** Brian Coyle was working in Salisbury Monday near the lagoon
off Government Road. After work was done, he decided to walk around the pond
and made several observations. He saw a pair of adult Bald Eagles who put the run to
an Osprey and also took after some ducks.
Some of the
birds Brian photographed on his short visit were SPOTTED
SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, GRAY CATBIRD, NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER, RING-NECKED
DUCKS, and NORTHERN SHOVELER DUCKS.
**Cynthia MacKenzie shares some observations from the weekend. A WHITE-TAILED DEER in a beautifully changing coat stepped out, on Thursday.
Cynthia drove past the fox den on Friday and watched the kits rough housing again. They are amusing to watch safely from the car as always so as not to disturb or alarm them. She was able to get a picture of 1 little one next to the mother to show how large that they are getting now.
On the weekend they had a
few large hawks flying over the back yard and they saw one dive into the
densely treed area two separate times.
It appears to be a BROAD-WINGED HAWK [Petite
Buse].
On Sunday they drove to Kouchibouquac and saw a large PORCUPINE [Porc-épic d'Amerique] very high up in a tree having its lunch along route
134.
Cynthia had her first hummingbird on Sunday, being a
female, then captured a picture of her on Monday and was able to identify her
resting spot in a tree. She will be
watching for a nest.
Finally, she had a Garter Snake [couleuvre] visit her
trying to enter her open garage door on Monday and hissed at her when she
suggested it leave. It was in no hurry
to leave!
**Lots of CANADA
GEESE [Bernache du Canada] with
goslings at the moment. Pat Gibbs came across a family at the Centennial Park
Trail on Monday. Pat was a bit concerned
at first about the cycle traffic, but geese and humans seem to be ok with
sharing the right-of-way.
**Yvette Richard got a sharp looking specimen of a GRAY CATBIRD [Moqueur chat] at the Hillsborough train track on Monday. Gray Catbirds are moving in quickly at the
moment.
**Aldo Dorio came across a KILLDEER [Pluvier kildir]
seemingly monitoring traffic on a paved road at Hay Island on Monday and in no
particular rush to not stand its ground.
It is always amazing the open obvious places this species can create a nest
if you would call it a nest. It is more
of a scrape so the eggs don’t roll out.
**Susan Richards sends a photo of keen participants at
the Nature Moncton Warbler Field Trip on May 15th at the old
Hillsborough rail line.
**Brian Stone photographed fish moving about in
water at Wilson Marsh recently. Alyre
Chaisson confirmed and gave some helpful comments as Banded Killifish [killifish
en bandes]. Alyre comments they are more
streamlined than the similar Mummichog, triangular head, dorsal fin a bit more
forward, and the caudal fin squared off rather than rounded.
**I have been putting out a mesh bag of meat cutting
sawdust balls on a tree outside of our camp supposedly for birds. It disappeared at night so put a trail camera
on it Monday night to find it was a Red Fox jumping up at the cache. A photo shows the cache peacefully hanging,
then the Red Fox jumps for it then stands proudly at the bottom with its prize
for a moment. A last photo shows it the
morning after, to show that Barkley (eyes, nose, and mouth) watched the whole
event and of course, saying little of what he saw!
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
CACHE OF MEAT CUTTING SAWDUST. MAY 16, 2021, NELSON POIRIER
