Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 26 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 26, 2017 ( Thursday )

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Brittany Crossman reports that she did not see the Townsend's Solitaire in her Riverview yard on Wednesday, but she is keeping a close eye out for it. Brittany also shares a few photos of a SHORT-TAILED WEASEL [Belette à courte queue] that she took in their yard last winter. Brittany comments that she has seen a Long-tailed Weasel there as well but has no still pictures. She describes it as being Ferret sized with a tail as long as the body.

** Jamie Burris is continuing to host a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] in his Riverview yard. Jamie comments that it seems to be constantly bobbing its head up and down like a spring, and is wondering what that behavior indicates. It does perch on a power line occasionally which is a behavior that we don't often see them doing in the Summer. Jamie got some great flight photos to show features that we don't often get to see for very long in this species.

** Brian Stone came across a CAMEL CRICKET motoring across his living room floor on Tuesday evening to get a nice photo. Brian also got some photos after the ice storm on Wednesday. Some photos show how serious it could be for wildlife that eat buds like the Ruffed Grouse if such a condition lasted for a lengthy period.

** Another reminder about the Gull Workshop and field trip coming up on this coming Saturday. So far the weather looks great and it looks like it will cooperate with cloud and sun and plus one degree Celsius. I hope that holds as it will make it a great day for a winter workshop and field trip. One thing we neglected to remind people of is the registration fee. It will be the usual $8 at the door, but advance registration is not required. Just arrive at the Westmorland Albert Waste Management Facility ( now Southeast Eco360 ) at the gatehouse at 1:00 and be prepared to leave with more gull savvy.

Nature Moncton Gull Workshop and Field Trip with Nelson Poirier and Roger Leblanc

January 28, 2017

Meet at 12:45 P.M. at the Waste Management Facility

$8 registration fee at the door but advance registration not required

The gull is a very common bird -- in fact so common, we may tend to overlook it. But many inland birders might envy the number of gulls present in our area.

It may seem like we have a lot of species of gulls in New Brunswick, but in reality we do not. However, most of our large gull species take 4 years to go from teenager to adult so we may see the same gull in four different plumages.

It is a good time of year to look closely at gulls and easily learn to identify each stage since by now they have all molted into the winter plumage of their year of development.

One of the best places to see gulls in all different phases of development in Moncton is at the landfill area of the Waste Management Site.

Trina Young, manager of the site, has been very generous to offer the use of an excellent room on location for an hour-long workshop on gulls after which we can just step outside to put what we have learned to the test.

We will meet at 12:45 outside the gates of the Waste Management facility (by the gatehouse) and we will go in as a group to the meeting room. Nelson Poirier will give an indoor session at 1:00 PM, and then Roger LeBlanc will lead the group around the site at 2:00 PM to put our new knowledge to the test.

Dress according to conditions and be ready to fly with the gulls!

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton