** John Massey got a nice frontal photo of a RED-THROATED LOON [Plongeon
catmarin] at Cape Tormentine on Saturday, nicely showing a remnant of the red
throat from its breeding plumage.
** The zoo tour is coming up next Saturday, Oct. 15, and another special
trip the following Saturday, Oct. 22, to see the fall colours and do some
birding at the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail in Elgin. It has received a lot of
attention recently and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick has stepped in to help
save this unique section of old-growth Acadian Forest.
Fall Birding and Tour of the Mapleton Acadian Forest
Trail
Fall has arrived and with it some very special
outdoor experiences. One of the most
spectacular is surely the appearance of autumn colors, which occurs with the
passage of deciduous trees to dormancy. On Saturday October 22nd,
Nature Moncton is offering a chance to experience the beauty of autumn with a
double-pronged activity lead by Roger Leblanc. We
will assemble at the Moncton Coliseum parking lot at 8:30 am. After consolidating vehicles, we will proceed
to do some birding (a given with Roger) in promising areas on route to Elgin.
The exact itinerary for this first part
of the outing will be adjusted in the context of what has been seen between
Moncton and Elgin in the days before the outing and where Roger thinks we might
find interesting birds, but the Salisbury region would seem like a probable
destination. We will then head to the
village of Elgin just South of Petitcodiac off of route 1. After having our lunch (pack all you need as
apparently the very nice country store in Elgin has closed) Matt Steeves, a
member of the Elgin Eco Association, will meet us there. Matt will explain the ins and outs of the
preservation of a mature forest stand near Elgin that this organization has
managed to secure.
The Mapleton Acadian Forest trail
is an
interpretive nature trail constructed and maintained by the Elgin Eco
Association. The trail provides an
opportunity to learn about the mature Acadian Forest and how it responds to a
variety of human disturbances. The trail
features interpretive signs, and it crosses a wide variety of forest types and
conditions. Matt will bring us to the
trail and from there we will proceed to hike it for a couple of hours, all the
time exploring what might be found along it bird-wise, but also looking at
trees, plants and mushrooms and whatever else we can find. The trail is of medium difficulty but do
expect some good inclines and think of appropriate clothes and footwear. If you choose to participate in only the hike,
you can do that too by joining us at around noon in the parking lot of the old
general store in Elgin. (Exact civic address is
forthcoming).
So
come join us for some fall birding and a nice hike in the glorious autumn colors
of a mature Acadian forest.
nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
RED-THROATED LOON.OCT 8, 2016.JOHN MASSEY
