Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 4 2016

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE - December 4, 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)

** The cloudy sky didn’t allow much of a look at VENUS and the waxing crescent MOON on Saturday evening, but Brian Stone did get a look at it between clouds. Brian points out that what we see of a waxing moon is increasing in size as it gets nearer to full moon, whereas a waning moon is one with its reflected light getting less as it moves away from the full moon phase. Brian also got a DARK-EYED JUNCO [Junco ardoisé] troop enjoying a ground feeder tray; all seem to be dark males.

** It’s a slow day, so I'll add a bit of information on a misplaced fungi site. There is a very beautiful large wood carving on a lawn at the corner of St. George Street and Highfield Street in Moncton of two facial figures. Louise Richard recently mentioned that a mushroom is taking advantage of a crevice on the chin of one of them. I didn’t get there to identify the species before Jack Frost hit them, but they give the appearance that the figure has forgotten to shave its neck area that day.

** With temperatures forecast to drop there should be a lot more bird feeder activity. At our own feeder, we have noted a swelling in number of the expected birds but no new surprises within the past few days. However, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS [Bruant hudsonien] are sure moving into town and MOURNING DOVE [Tourterelle triste] numbers are reaching the boiling point. The raptors don’t seem to have heard about it yet. Still only a lone Pine Siskin and one Baltimore Oriole.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton