Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 26 2016

** Ron Pittaway’s annual winter finch forecast is available http://www.jeaniron.ca/2016/finchforecast16.htm

It’s always an interesting prediction that gives a good guesstimate of what we may expect to have visiting this winter.

** Brian Stone visited the Hampton lagoon area on Sunday before getting rained away. He got several photos of some of the TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] on the building near the lagoon, with wings extended to show their massive wingspread. One vulture had a light-coloured, gray-white head, which Dave Christie confirmed as a juvenile Turkey Vulture. I wish we could check its birth certificate to know if it indeed was a bird born locally. Breeding has been confirmed as having taken place in that area, so chances are it was as this bird still has a fair amount of natal down in the head area.

** With the off and on showers, it was one of those days on Sunday when many of us saw rainbows briefly. Brian was able to get a photo of a double rainbow in the Titusville area on Sunday evening.

** Aldo Dorio had a pair of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l'Est] nest in his Néguac yard this past summer. They successfully fledged young and left the area. Aldo spotted a male back in the yard on Sunday. It flew off with five other birds, but Aldo wasn’t sure if they were bluebirds. Chances are they were, as this species seems to move about in small flocks at this time of year, often visiting nest boxes.

Aldo also got a photo of a fall version of a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] and a large darner dragonfly, which Gilles Belliveau points out is difficult to be identified with certainty without seeing the pattern on the side of the thorax. Aldo also got a photo of an ASIAN MULTICOLOURED LADY BEETLE [Coccinelle asiatique] in its pupal stage. I suspect this might be a bit late as most lady beetles have passed through that stage and become adults getting ready for winter by now. The introduced Asian Multicoloured Lady Beetle is one that likes to overwinter in crevices in our homes.

** It’s getting to be that time when feeder yard reports could be interesting, but not been getting many reports. We set up a few feeders with mid-cut sunflower seed chips at home in our Moncton yard and have been surprised at the sudden inundation of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune], HOUSE FINCHES [Roselin familier] and a few DOWNY WOODPECKERS [Pic mineur].

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton