Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 28 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 28, 2018 (Sunday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Another heads up, as the Activities Committee chairperson, Louise Nichols, wisely postponed this afternoon’s visit to the Atlantic Wildlife Institute rehabilitation facility to next Sunday, Nov. 4, at the same time.

** Daryl Doucette is also enjoying the sparrow bonanza in feeder yards that seems to be happening at the moment. Daryl is getting a surprising three FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] visiting his feeders bordering on Mapleton Park, along with a pair of WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche] and PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré], plus the many expected regulars. The northern sparrows seem to be having a great year. The AMERICAN TREE SPARROW [Bruant hudsonien] must be scheduled to arrive in numbers at feeders very soon. Today’s weather must make feeder yards look good!

** Lois Budd had a FOX SPARROW [Bruant fauve] arrive in her feeder yard near Salisbury on Saturday to add to the continuing visit of an immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche]. The Fox Sparrow, as it often does, was “working out” with the very lively scratching routine this sparrow does as it forages. Lois also got a photo of a surprisingly cooperative GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis] on Saturday, with a forehead view to note the yellow crown patch of the female. This species rarely comes to feeders, but when one does take a fancy to a suet block or peanut butter, it will often do so for the whole winter. Lois has also had a partial albino DARK-EYED JUNCO [Junco ardoisé], with a white tail, in her yard, to suggest yard fidelity year after year. She had it last year as a regular to suggest it may be the same bird.

** Pam Watters noted an unexpected, predominantly white NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] at the Newcastle water treatment lagoon, the one just off Highway 117 before coming to the Atlantic Super Store travelling north. The terms partial albino and leucistic tend to be a bit confusing. Both of them tend to refer to the condition where melanin is partially expressed, whereas partial albino suggests a complete lack of melanin in the involved feathers. This one may be a tough one to call, as it seems that you can see a bit of both. On Saturday, Peter Gadd took a photo of it to share.

** Kevin Renton also reports on Sunday morning, two FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] are visiting their Stilesville feeder yard in the cold rain, along with many expected regulars. Kevin also came across a large and lively YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] in their basement on Sunday morning.

** Krista Doyle shares a photo of the awesome sunrise, as she saw it from Lewis Mountain on Saturday morning, showing how things can change in a day.

** Shawn Cormier got a nice full-view image of a female PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré]. Note its distinct white supercilium that the female HOUSE FINCH [Roselin familier] does not have. However, one cannot always call female Purple Finches at this time of year because the male Purple Finch does not take on its distinctive reddish plumage until its second year of life, whereas the male House Finch takes on those reddish tones by its first fall of life.

** I’m attaching an interesting lichen photo that Brian Stone took that shows two different LUNG LICHEN [lobaire pulmonaire] species growing together. Lichens are amazing structures, consisting of a fungal and an algal component to produce a lichen with a name of its own. The different lichens have a variety of ways of reproducing themselves. One of those for the SMOOTH LUNGWORT [Lobaire lisse] is spores released by the fungal component from the abundant apothecia from which reproductive spores will spring, which sows in the photo. Lung lichens do not do well, or do not grow at all, in areas with air pollution. They also have a liking for Sugar Maple trees. Lichens do no harm to whatever substrate they grow on, just “hanging out” as they produce their own food by photosynthesis of the algal component.

Nelson Poirier

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton