Nature Moncton Nature News: March 19 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, March 19, 2017 (Sunday)

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

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For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com

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

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Late Saturday afternoon, Mitch and Irene Doucet paid a visit to the Chisholm’s yard at 67 DesRoches Street in Bouctouche to see the BOREAL CHICKADEE [Mésange à tête brune] feeding on suet in an orange bag. One can go down the right side of the driveway and look over the fence into the feeder area without disturbing the Chisholms.

** Fishing season opened on the Kouchibouguac River on Saturdayfor a Kingfisher. Louise and Maurice Richard saw a BELTED KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique] actively fishing near their camp in Acadieville. A MINK [Vison] was also bouncing about. A pair of AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir] were on the river, a PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand pic] was actively drumming and vocalizing, and a SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique] was moving about during the day.

** A big thank-you to Roger LeBlanc and Fred Richards for a great presentation on Saturday. Roger went over our New Brunswick swallows, zeroing in on the TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] and how best to arrange nest boxes to have better chances of being a swallow landlord, as well as of a potential EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] or BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE [Mésange à tête noire]. Roger discussed the life and times of each swallow species, to appreciate them even more.

Fred brought in the 50 excellent nest boxes he had constructed, and he assembled a 51st at the presentation. Fred’s plan is attached as a pdf file. The boxes were distributed to those who had reserved them. Some who had reserved boxes could not make the workshop; their boxes are waiting for them in the back of my truck, to get to their new owners at Tuesday night’s meeting, or to be picked up at my home.

Many thanks go to Fred Richards and Roger LeBlanc for all their effort. All the boxes are numbered and stamped with the Nature Moncton logo. Success will be monitored as an ongoing project. Fred has already offered to repeat the effort next year. Resident photographer Brian Stone captured some of the action.

** The Nature Moncton meeting will take place this coming Tuesday evening, March 21 at 7 p.m., at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge. Presenter for the first half of the meeting will be Beth MacDonald, from the Canadian Wildlife Service, speaking about the WHIMBREL [Courlis corlieu], especially on the Acadian Peninsula. The write-up is attached below.

The second half of the meeting is devoted to sightings by members. Please bring any photos on flash drives to share with the members, as well as oral reports of anything going on in the area.

March 21, 2017 at 7:00 pm

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Presenter: Beth MacDonald

“Whimbrel: The blueberry bird of the Acadian Peninsula”

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus) use the Acadian Peninsula in New Brunswick as a stopover site during migration in late summer and early fall. During this period, they spend much of their time in commercial blueberry fields which makes them a concern to berry growers who fear that too many of their berries are being consumed by birds. To better understand this issue, the Canadian Wildlife Service, in collaboration with Mount Allison University and the Center for Conservation Biology, initiated a study in the summer of 2014 to document habitat use, diet, behaviour and migratory connectivity of Whimbrel during stopover on the Acadian Peninsula. This presentation will briefly discuss what we know about Whimbrel populations in North America and outline the main results of the Acadian Peninsula research project.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton