NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE Jan 2, 2022 (Sunday)
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Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
**John Inman reports he
still has 5 Red-winged Blackbirds that are patrons to his
Mary’s point Road feeder yard in Harvey. John also has 3 Northern
Flickers that have been around for approximately a month and was able to
photograph all 3 of them buddying up.
**Cathy and Isabelle Simon explored the
Gray Brook Trail in Hillsborough on December 28. They spotted over 100 American
Goldfinches along with several Dark Eyed Juncos, Black Capped Chickadees, and PINE
SISKINS all along the wooded portion of the trail and along the road
leading back to their car. The echos of Pileated Woodpeckers pecking to each
other were heard from both sides of the trail which circled a frozen marsh.
Isabelle Simon is happy to report that
a pair of HOUSE FINCH have visited her feeder at home in Lutes Mountain
for the first time this season. (Editors note: it is uncommon to see the House
Finch outside of a very urban area to make this an interesting observation)
On New Year's day, Cathy Simon found a
cluster of trees in a swampy section of the Irishtown Nature park which the
bark looked to be dusted with a red/rusty color. After a bit of research, this
red bark phenomenon is caused by the presence of a green algae called CHLOROPHYTA
which has an orange-red pigment. Cathy has based this on a very informative and
interesting reference cited below:
Red Bark
Phenomenon
Red Bark
Phenomenon is especially prevalent on White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, Red Oak and
American Beech trees. Affected trees appear to be of varying ages and are
often, but not exclusively, observed near bodies of water, such as swamps and
rivers. Frequently (as pictured) only one side of a tree is affected. The exact
conditions that promote this growth of algae are not known, but theories
include climate change in the Northeast, in particular warming seasonal
temperatures, increased precipitation punctuated by droughts, and more
turbulent weather. (Photo by Adeline Casali)
In addition, Cathy sighted several male
and female WHITE WINGED CROSSBILLS, Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays,
and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Husband Evar also spotted a Snowy Owl in flight but wasn't quick enough for a photo.
**Brian
Stone drove along the coast from Cap Lumiere to Pointe-du-Chene on Saturday but
only managed a photo of a group of 3 female LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Cap
Lumiere. Lots of open water but mostly empty of sea birds in binocular range.
**Bob Blake maintains daily
weather statistics from his Second North River home recording morning lows, daily highs,
and monthly precipitation. Bob sends a chart to compare December of 2021 to
December of 2022. Bob’s records show less precipitation in December of 2021.
Bob’s chart is attached as sent.
**As a New
Year’s Day addition, I am attaching a few photos of the annual Polar Bear
Dip in Dorchester. There was little doubt our winter waterfowl are much
more up to very cold water! The dippers were in various plumages and of both
genders. I spotted a
crossbill on Saturday at the tip of a spruce tree. There was no sign of any
white wing bars to suggest it to be a Red Crossbill. The fairly
prominent breast barring would suggest it to be juvenile/immature. Crossbills
can nest any time of the year when food supply is sufficient which certainly is
the case this year. Gilles
Beliveau comments that he has been coming across a few small groups 2-6 Red
Crossbills on their own and sometimes 1-2 birds mixed in with larger flocks of
White-winged Crossbills in recent weeks.
Nelson Poirier Nature Moncton  | ||||||||||||
| NORTHERN FLICKERS (3), JAN 1, 2022. JOHN INMAN | ||||||||||||
