Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Thursday, 28 October 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 28, 2021 (Thursday)

 

 

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

 

**A Forked-Tailed Flycatcher was observed and photographed by Bernadette Kenny October 24 in Tabusintac. The photo is attached but do not have any more details. This bird is a tropical species and a casual vagrant to New Brunswick. A long way from home and a very welcome striking visitor.

 

 

**Grant Ramsey got an excellent photo of the nest of the Bald- faced Hornet on the Riverfront Trail in Dieppe on Tuesday. It doesn’t seem to have any sign of life around it but it is obviously one from this season. After a few killing frosts, all the hornets in the nest will be off to heaven with the exception of the fertilized Queen which will overwinter and start the whole cycle again next season. It’s always a surprise to see these basketball sized nests so much in the open that we did not notice before the leaf fall.

 

**Jane and Eddie LeBlanc are/were visiting Iceland and Jane shares some photos of birds they are/were seeing there that we potentially see here as rarities. Jane comments the Whopper Swan is the largest bird in Iceland. They apparently migrate from Iceland to England, where, as soon as they land, they become the property of the Queen.

A local told Jane they eat them, but they are very tough when mature, so they take only juvenile birds.

Graylag Geese were seen in 'the pond', an artificial lake in Reykjavik beside city hall. Folks were feeding them, much as folks do at Rockwood Park in New Brunswick.

Jane said the Redwing is a common thrush in Iceland but creates a bird alert when one wonders into New Brunswick.

 

** Brian and Annette Stone walked into Mapleton Park as far as the large pond on Wednesday in the dull, damp, mildly drizzly weather. It was mostly quiet with respect to wildlife, but they got lucky at the big pond when they found 4 WOOD DUCKS mingling in with the MALLARD DUCKS there. Two were males and 2 were females. The males did not have full breeding plumage yet. People must be feeding them there regularly as they came right up to Brian and Annette with the other ducks and stayed close to their feet for a significant amount of time, likely hoping for a handout. One other standout in the crowd on the edge of the pond was an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK. Out in the water at the far end of the pond 4 female HOODED MERGANSERS were trying to go unnoticed being their normally shy selves. One other sudden addition to the bird life at the distant pond edge was a BELTED KINGFISHER that barreled in and perched on a low branch to be photographed ... barely.

 Mountain Ash, as elsewhere, was teaming with berries. What an abundant waiting larder!

 

 

**Ticks in New Brunswick are becoming a more significant public health issue as the tick responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, the Blacklegged Tick is becoming more prevalent New Brunswick. We have up to a dozen different tick species in New Brunswick. The Blacklegged Tick is the only one recognized as a vector of Lyme disease. A few other species will bite humans but not recognized as Lyme disease vectors whereas several other species will not bite humans being specific to a particular host species. Brian Coyle is a volunteer with Search and Rescue and recently had a tick encounter. They were in the Penfield area and suddenly Brian noted up to 200 poppy-sized ticks on his arm. Brian got medical advice.

 

We were able to look at some of the ticks under a stereoscopic microscope and Brian was able to get some good documentary photos with his cell phone against the ocular eyepiece that we were able to improve using Photoshop. These photos were sent to Dr. Robbin Lindsay at the Federal Health Lab in Winnipeg. He felt they looked like larval Moose ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) which makes real sense. The moose is the only host of this tick and it is this time of year they seek out their Moose host to overwinter and are very abundant. It would appear these ticks landing on Brian was accidental. The ticks pose no harm to humans.

 

Some photos of what we were able to get and improve through Photoshop are attached.

 

**As a heads up, the presenter for the November Nature Moncton meeting on November 16, the speaker on trail camera use, has been  moved from December to November. Check out the details below that will be repeated nearer presentation date:

 

Nature Moncton November 2021 Meeting

Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00 PM

Trail Camera Use

Presenter: Brian Donovan

Zoom Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83818750250?pwd=SCsrOFpPNDRMTWhVZXBXNTh4VXhDZz09

Trail cameras have opened up a new world of observation of Mother Nature’s community that we would not normally get to sit in on.

Brian Donovan has mastered trail camera used to a fine art and by trial and error has collected many still photos and videos of wildlife in their own natural setting.

Brian will share his methods, camera use, and some of the great material he has captured. A lot of his efforts have been in remote sections of the Renous Highway that crosses central New Brunswick’s hinterland with a community of wildlife we don’t often get to see.

Brian will have a lot to share.

A don’t miss presentation.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Zoom Link  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83818750250?pwd=SCsrOFpPNDRMTWhVZXBXNTh4VXhDZz09

 

 

  

 

 

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton


FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER. OCT 24, 2021. BERNADETTE KENNY


WOOD DUCK (MALE) WITH MALLARD DUCKS. OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WOOD DUCK (MALE). OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WOOD DUCK (MALE). OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WOOD DUCK (FEMALES). OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE.

WOOD DUCK (MALE) AND MALLARD DUCK (FEMALE). OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

HOODED MERGANSER (FEMALES). OCT. 27, 2021., BRIAN STONE

HOODED MERGANSER (FEMALE). OCT. 27, 2021., BRIAN STONE

HOODED MERGANSER (FEMALE). OCT. 27, 2021., BRIAN STONE

AMERICAN BLACK DUCK. OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

BELTED KINGFISHER (MALE). OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WHOOPER SWAN IN ICELAND. OCT. 21, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

GRAYLAG GOOSE IN ICELAND. OCT. 21, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

REDWING IN ICELAND. OCT. 21, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

BALD-FACED HORNET NEST ON DIEPPE WALKING TRAIL, OCT 26, 2021. GRANT RAMSAY

MOOSE TICK (LARVA) (DERMACENTOR ALBIPICTUS). OCT 22, 2021. BRIAN COYLE-NELSON POIRIER 

MOOSE TICK (LARVA) (DERMACENTOR ALBIPICTUS). OCT 22, 2021. BRIAN COYLE-NELSON POIRIER 

MOUNTAIN ASH BERRIES. OCT. 27, 2021. BRIAN STONE