Nature Moncton Nature News: Nov 2 2016

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, November, 2016 ( Wednesday )

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca>.

** Jean Paul and Stella Leblanc share a few recent mushroom finds. One is a fresh looking group of OYSTER MUSHROOMS. This mushroom is considered a good edible by many. Another is the NETTED STINKHORN. It is an interesting mushroom as it first appears on the ground as a so called "egg stage" which then bursts into the erect mushroom with a green, foul smelling base and a net veil on top which is damaged in the photo. The egg stage is considered a choice edible in some countries but the odor when the erect mushroom appears would quickly dispel any notion of edibility, although it sure attracts flies to carry off the spores of the mushroom.

** It has been great to hear the reports of EVENING GROSBEAKS [Gros-bec errant] appearing in the area. Marlene Hickman had a group of six to her Dorchester feeder yard on Sunday. They have not reappeared that Marlene is aware of, but they know where the buffet is. Marlene also comments that a dozen COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] made their first visit to her yard in some time on Tuesday.

** Bob Blake maintains a record of daily morning low temperatures, daily highs, and monthly precipitation from his Second North River home. He compares September 2015 and September 2016 to show that September 2015 was a cooler month overall than September 2016 with less precipitation for September 2016.

September 2015:

11 mornings 10 ° C and below (lowest morning +2°) 15 mornings above 10 °C (highest morning 19°) the highest daytime temperature recorded was 33° C. with 5 days 30° C or higher Precipitation was 286 mm rain.

September 2016:

There were no mornings below 10 ° C !! The highest morning temperature was 28° C recorded on 4 days. The highest day temperature recorded was 21°C. Precipitation was 115 mm rain.

If the days don’t add up correctly for one month, it is due to Bob not being available those days however the general trend can be seen of noticeably warmer September morning temperatures for 2016 with less precipitation yet daily highs were lower than September 2015.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 2015:

15 mornings 0° and below, lowest 2 days -6°. 16 days above 0° with 1 day +11°. Highest daytime temperature was +20° with 24 days of +10° and higher. There were 107 mms. of rain.

October 2016:

4 mornings 0° and below, lowest being 1 day -2°. 27 days above 0° with 2 mornings +16°. Highest daytime temperature was 1 day +26° with 23 days of +10° and higher. There were 169 mms. of rain.

** Aldo Dorio got more photos of the BOHEMIAN WAXWING [Jaseur boréal] flock at Hay Island enjoying the Winterberry Holly crop. One photo nicely shows the cinnamon coloured undertail covert and grey underparts, while the other shows the white and yellow spotting on the wing to help distinguish the Bohemian Waxwing from the Cedar Waxwing. Aldo also got a photo of some of the arriving SNOW BUNTINGS [Bruant des neiges] to show the bland, non-breeding plumage of this time of year. A COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet] was also photographed off the Hay Island shoreline.

** It's November and bird feeder yard surprises are under way. In our own urban Moncton yard we were pleased to have a handsome NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic flamboyant] come by to forage and a BALTIMORE ORIOLE [Oriole de Baltimore] has arrived to feast on the loaded grapevine. Immature and female Baltimore Orioles can sometimes be hard to distinguish but this one would appear to be a young of the year. Several AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique] have also found the grapevine booty to their liking. Last year we had a surprise OVENBIRD [Paruline couronnée] appear in the yard late in the season and glean along the cedar hedge. The exact same thing happened on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which makes one wonder if it could be the same bird. I noted it going to the white millet ground tray assuming it was looking for insects, however a photo showed that it was eating the seed.

A brief stop at the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Tuesday afternoon provided lots of GADWALL [Canard chipeau] as Louise Nichols had pointed out yesterday. They are by far the most dominant species in the park which is gratifying as it does not seem all that long ago that the Gadwall was not at all common in the area. A photo is attached of a pair that shows the identification features of this duck species. Also noted was a RING-BILLED GULL [Goéland à bec cerclé] that like many large adult winter gulls takes on a streaked head with the Great Black-backed Gull being the exception to that.

** Nature Moncton has a field trip scheduled for this coming Saturday, November 05, to check out local lagoons for bird life. It will be guided by Roger Leblanc who knows the local lagoon hot spots as well as his birds. The write up is attached and will be repeated on Friday along with a contact phone number.

NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP

WATERFOWL TOUR OF SEWAGE LAGOONS

GUIDED BY ROGER LEBLANC

NOVEMBER 5TH, 2016

Not too many people find pleasure in visiting sewage lagoons, but birders know how rewarding they can be -- especially at this time of year when species of waterfowl are in migration and anything can turn up! Roger LeBlanc knows his sewage lagoons and has offered to give a field trip where we will travel to some choice locations to see what we can find.

We will meet in the parking lot behind the Burger King located at 465 Rue Paul (on the grounds of Champlain Place) to arrange car pooling and depart at 8 :30 AM. From there, Roger will guide us to the most productive (for birders) sewage lagoons in the general area around Moncton. Bring binoculars and a scope if you have one. Dress warm and bring a lunch.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca