Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 17 2016

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, November 17, 2016 ( Thursday )

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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** An announcement yesterday that ended after a period of public voting on what should become Canada's national bird symbol happened yesterday with the Gray Jay as the chosen bird. Legislation will now be required to make it official.

** Clarence Cormier is hosting a swelling number of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] at his Grande Digue site with twelve now, seven males and five females, coming to his feeder tray and very much enjoying the birdbath. He is still noting a flock of about twenty BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] that he tends to see around his place at least every second day. AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] stay consistent in number at six along with approximately twenty AMERICAN GOLDFINCH [Chardonneret jaune].

** Pat Muirhead in Anagance also indicates that her feeder group of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] is swelling in numbers as well but finds them to be skittish and hard to put a real number on the group.

** John Massey took note of a stump that was covered with a brightly colored Slime Mold Fungus. This fungus is playing its important role of recycling the tree stump back to the soil to give the stump lots of color in the process.

** The run Danny Sullivan, Brian Stone and I made on Tuesday did include a visit to the Tucker St. Ducks Unlimited impoundment in the earlier morning and although fog was a challenge some nice observations of a group of HOODED MERGANSERS [Harle couronné] did show some nice points on immature birds. David Christie comments that one photo shows a first winter female with the orange color predominantly on the lower mandible, dark eye, and conspicuous gray edgings on the back and wing coverts that are more typical of a young, female Hooded Merganser. The bird with the all black bill, golden eye, a lot of black coming on the back and neck, and very finely banded side is a first winter male. In the closer photo one can see the two black lines that are starting to develop down the side of the breast and the white patch on the head crest is also beginning to show. Some interesting transition features that may lead to confusion this time of year.

A muskrat also cooperated to give nice views of its powerful rudder tail.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca