Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 13 2016

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE - updated for November 13, 2016 (Sunday)

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Edited by : Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by : David Christie maryspt@mac.com

Info Line # : 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Saturday was a good day for rare birds in New Brunswick. Carmella Melanson made it a double whammy by getting an excellent photo of the PINK-FOOTED GOOSE [Oie à bec court] at Fredericton in the morning, clearly showing the pink legs and bill markings. Carmella dropped by Cocagne in the afternoon, en route home, and had the CAVE SWALLOW [Hirondelle à front brun] waiting for her; she got a flight photo of it.

I visited the Cocagne site in late day. The swallow did stop briefly for a roosting photo. It was fortunate that it stayed so close to where Louis-Émile Cormier first spotted it on Friday afternoon and several got to see it on Saturday. It was almost constantly on the wing, staying in a relatively small area. If it is OK until the expectedly warmer day today, it may be more successful in fueling up. The photos show its cinnamon forehead and wide buff collar that distinguish it from the Cliff Swallow. This swallow from the Arizona - Mexico area has surprisingly shown up in New Brunswick several times in late fall, and I suspect that some went undetected. Close scrutiny of any swallow this late in the year is indicated.

** Brian Stone got a photo of a near full moon and the planet Venus, as they hovered in the southwestern sky at twilight on Saturday evening. With a clear sky, it should look very similar tonight. Brian also adds one of the BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS [Pluvier argenté] that posed for us at Kouchibouguac National Park last Wednesday, also a ROCK CRAB [Crabe commun] that did not appreciate being detained for observation.

** Roger Burrows leaves some comments about a few photos in yesterday’s edition. He says that the hybrid duck does indeed match the NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet] x MALLARD [Canard colvert] hybrid seen several times in the St. John’s, Newfoundland, area during the 1980s and ‘90s. He also comments that what we labelled as WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau à croupion blanc] has the look of a non-breeding adult BAIRD'S SANDPIPER [Bécasseau de Baird] to him, based on the back colour, the scapulars and the mantle markings, breast colour and lack of streaking. Baird’s and White-rumped sandpipers do have similarities. The photo is re-attached today, and any comments are appreciated.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton