Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 30 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, for December 30, 2018 (Sunday)

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Editor: Nelson Poirier

Transcript by: David Christie

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

** Brian Stone noted a pair of RED SQUIRRELS [Écureuil roux] chasing each other about in a tree in his Moncton yard at a slower and less aggressive pace than he had ever seen before. They then got together for a big “hug”(Brian’s terminology). It’s a bit difficult to interpret as Dilworth’s text on New Brunswick mammals says, that Red Squirrels pair up for mating during late March and early April, with a 30 to 35-day gestation period. Do they know something about climate change that we don’t? It’s more likely just a pre-nuptial agreement!

** We recently ran a photo of a scat of RUFFED GROUSE [Gélinotte huppée] and pointed out that a SPRUCE GROUSE [Tétras du Canada] scat is similar only green in colour due to their conifer needle diet in the winter. Jim Saunders recently got a photo of a Spruce Grouse scat in Redmondville (Northumberland Co.) to show that difference.

** With the quiet period that many of us are experiencing at our bird feeders, a bird not seen in a while is always welcome, I saw the first PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] I’ve seen in a few months on Saturday, when a female arrived. It was easy to distinguish it from the female HOUSE FINCH [Roselin familier] that are regulars by its white supercilium (eyebrow) and notched tail. The tail of a House Finch is not notched,

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton