Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 24 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, December 24, 2018 (Monday)

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Editor: Nelson Poirier

Transcript by: David Christie

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

** Jamie and Karen Burris spotted an immature NORTHERN SHRIKE [Pie-griéche grise] as they walked they walked the dykes near the Jones farm at the mouth of Turtle Creek. Jamie got two flight shots and one perched. The barred chest and brownish head area indicate immaturity.

** Louise and Glen Nichols were walking a trail on their Etter Ridge property on Sunday and noted a RUFFED GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] scat. It is relatively easy to recognize by its tubular shape and often several in number having been passed while a bird has spent the night, sometimes in a small group of birds. A SPRUCE GROUSE [Tétras du Canada] would have similar scat to a Ruffed Grouse but it would be green at this time of year, due to their conifer needle diet.

Louise got a short video of water gurgling from a spot in the ground, probably from an underground spring. Take a look at the video at the attached site:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/os7snpcshrpwkvl/WATER%20GURGLING.%20LOUISE%20NICHOLS.%20DEC.%2023%2C%202018.mov?dl=0

** Night AMERICAN CROW [Corneille d'Amérique] roosts are appearing around the city. Lisa Morris noted an assembly of Crows developing at dusk at Victoria Park and has noticed them gathering at the same time of day on several occasions now. Crows do this night-roost scenario for the winter season, leaving their chosen roost each morning to forage and then back again at dusk. The roosts are always inter-city to reduce the chance of nocturnal owl predators, with lots of guards on duty, and the city lights to help.

** Brian Stone and I made a round of Louis to Jacques Streets in Dieppe on Sunday, hoping to see some of the MARSH WRENS [Troglodyte des marais] located there during the Christmas Bird Count day. We struck out, with only MALLARD [Canard colvert] ducks, AMERICAN ROBINS [Merle d'Amérique], GULLS [goélands] and CROWS [Corneille d’Amérique] being seen.

An observation that really left us wondering was coming across a relatively small area of thousands of recently dead minnows. They appeared to be mostly BANDED KILLIFISH [Petit Barré ] and some SHINERS. One would expect this would ring a dinner bell for gulls and crows, but they seemed untouched. There is obviously a reason for such a sudden and concentrated minnow death scenario, but it may remain a mystery. [Transcriber’s note: I wonder whether rapid changes in salinity might be a cause with a large outflow of fresh water from the rain and snow melt at the end of last week, followed by higher salinity during the current full-moon peak in the tidal cycle. — DC]

We also walked trails on the Riverview Marsh, but saw no raptors. There were lots of VOLE [campagnol] tunnels and we did come across an injured, but very alive, vole. One seldom gets to see this common small animal in the hand. It had to be left to let nature take its course.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton