Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 1 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, February 01, 2017 (Wednesday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Catherine Johnson johnson2@xplornet.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
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**As a heads up there will be an open house explaining the new project of the partial bridge spanning the Petitcodiac River to replace the Petitcodiac River causeway tonight, February 01, from 4-8pm at the Chocolate River Station in Riverview in the Cocoa Rm.

** Roger Vautour has been seeing and owl in the Victoria Rd area and was able to get a documentary photo which appears to be a BARRED OWL.

**Aerolynn Greene continues to have irregular visits from a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH and a BROWN CREEPER to her Riverview yard.

**Dave Christie reports seeing a NORTHERN SHRIKE on a utility wire on Tuesday in Harvey at the top of the big hill. This is the third time this winter he has seen a shrike between Harvey Rd. and Midway Rd.

There doesn't seem to have been many northern shrike reports this winter as there has been past years.

On travelling route 114 Dave was startled by a falcon zooming across in front of him assuming it to from proportions briefly seen to be a PEREGRINE FALCON making it interesting to know a possibility of one in that area.

Dave also comments the number of AMERICAN GOLDFINCH are back up to 10 at his feeder yard after a dip in numbers in early January.

**Brian Stone captured the sky show on Tuesday evening after dusk when VENUS, MARS and the MOON all appeared together as the moon rose for a short time. On Tuesday afternoon he also took photos of the lingering ice on the Indian Mountain Rd area as well as a well preserved Robin’s nest with its mud cup.

**Bob Blake maintains a record of daily low temperatures, daily highs and monthly precipitation from his Second North River home. He compares January 2016 and January 2017.

His personal statistics for January 2016 and January 2017 for comparisons.

For January 2016, he recorded 11 mornings -10°C or below

For January 2017, he recorded 8 mornings -10°C or below

The coolest morning temperature recorded for January 2016 was -20°C

The coolest morning temperature recorded for January 2017 was -20°C

January 2016 had 19 mornings -10°C or above with a high morning of 6°C

January 2017 had 22 mornings -10°C or above with a high morning of 5°C

The daily high statistics for January 2016 and 2017 were similar.

Precipitation was 23 mm of rain and 45 cm snow for January 2016

Precipitation was 15 mm of rain and 34 cm of snow for January 2017

Bob’s stats show more precipitation in January2016 than January 2017 and noticeably warmer overall

**There's a great film available to watch on Youtube on the Fundy Biosphere Reserve that discusses and shows a film of the Bay of Fundy and the Petitcodiac River. It talks about the river and the Bay in the past, the shorebirds, the inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon, white-nose syndrome in bats and more. It's an extremely well done documentary with lots of familiar faces. This is the documentary Edmund Redfield and Tim Robinson recommended at the December 2016 Nature Moncton meeting. It can be accessed at the URL http://tvo.org/video/documentaries/striking-balance/ep-7-fundy

The announcements of the partial bridge to replace the Causeway and the sewage treatment upgrades have all been announced since the film was made.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton