NATURE
MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 17, 2021 (Sunday)
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Edited by:
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
**Louise Nichols stopped at the Port Elgin Lagoon on
Friday just in time to catch some drama. She found between 100 and 200 Bonaparte's
Gulls on the lagoon (usual for this time of year) along with some duck
species such as Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Green-winged Teal and a few
Bufflehead. Before she could get a good view of everything on
there, the Bonaparte's Gulls all took off at once and flew around in a group,
very much like Semipalmated Sandpipers, all flying in synchronization and
turning together. She then saw that what caused the lift-off was not one,
but two, Peregrine Falcons that were giving the gulls the chase.
She tried to get a few documentary photos of the fast action. After a
minute or so, the Peregrine Falcons both left with nothing for their efforts -- and
the lagoon was completely empty.
**Phil Riebel checked his camera
traps Saturday with Pam Watters and Brian Donavan, and the most interesting photos
were a video of the cow and bull Moose. You can see that the bull
stopped as soon as it saw the flashes and heard the clicking from Phil’s DSLR
camera trap (on the right of the trail), then approached slowly.
Check out the great video at
the link below:
https://philriebel.smugmug.com/Camera-Trap/Moose/n-6Rb5zh/i-274NhtH/A
He did manage to get a few still photos of the bull's head and body as well.
**Ray Gauvin got a close-up photo of a Western Conifer
Seed Bug on September 6 that was on the bay window of his Shediac home.
This is a bug we all should learn to recognize. The body pattern with the very noticeable swellings on the tibia are quick clues.
It is native to the west of us but is now expanding its range all the way into the Maritimes and will probably get much more frequently encountered. This time of year, they tend to seek out warmer areas including our homes to overwinter. They are harmless to humans but do damage to conifer trees as the females lay eggs on foliage where the first instars will feed on new needles and soft tissue of cones. They are fast flyers and make a very audible sound similar to a bumblebee.
**If looks could kill!
Yvette Richard got some photos of a Bald Eagle being harassed by Crows
and Ravens all taken from her Cocagne yard on Saturday. It’s always amazing how
so many birds from the small Black-capped Chickadee to the big raptors are able
to show their displeasure to other birds; but then we humanoids are guilty of
the same.
**Anna Tucker visited the
Sackville Waterfowl Park on Friday to show the beautiful fall foliage as a
bonus to the waterfowl and songbirds present. Anna took note of many Cedar
Waxwings present. It is interesting to note many are showing
young-of-the-year plumage as this species is a late-season nester.
**Lois Budd comments how
very much she enjoyed a woods walk on Friday with the fall foliage leaves
making the carpeted trail a delight.
Lois also took note of the
cultivar Snowberry that is now sporting its large white berries. This
has escaped from cultivation and is often seen at this time around habitations
but rarely in deeper woods at this point. The literature suggests these berries
are eaten by birds and mammals. I have not actually seen these shrubs used by
birds but they very likely are.
**The October Nature Moncton meeting will take place by Zoom this coming Tuesday night at 7:00 PM with all details below:
Nature Moncton October Meeting
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 7:00
Marine Animal Response Society
Zoom presentation https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89989465110?pwd=WS9SVTZVaFJsZlVCMWZmOUpxU2Vrdz09
All are welcome to join in
The Marine Animal Response Society is a charitable organization
dedicated to marine animal (whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals)
conservation in the Maritimes through response, research and education. MARS
personnel will present information regarding their programs, the species
encountered and how their efforts support their conservation. Information on how
community members can help respond to marine animal incidents in the Maritime
Provinces as volunteers with MARS will also be provided. Volunteers and
community supporters are key to the success of this organization, and with
their help, MARS is able to assist live animals in trouble and gather valuable
information from dead animals which contributes to the conservation of these
incredible marine species.
The presenter can give a personal introduction at the meeting.
This
meeting will be a virtual Zoom meeting and the link for anyone anywhere to join
the presentation is
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89989465110?pwd=WS9SVTZVaFJsZlVCMWZmOUpxU2Vrdz09
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
