NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
Feb 16, 2022 (Wednesday)
To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please
advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the
website at www.naturemoncton.com
Edited by:
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
**A big
thank you to Jim Wilson for dropping by the Nature Moncton monthly meeting
virtually on Tuesday night to share his experiences in researching the history
of the Wild Turkey for the New Brunswick Birds Record Committee to lead to its
designation as a new bird native to New Brunswick. Jim shared lots of the
biology of this species he acquired during 2 years of research, learning a lot
from biologists in neighbouring Maine. It was a fascinating presentation and
now we all know the life and times of the Wild Turkey in New Brunswick.
Thank you
very much Jim Wilson.
The
recorded version will be available in a few days and posted on this blog for
those who missed this presentation.
**Ted Currie photographed a group of White-tailed Deer from his Ammon
Road home north of Moncton enjoying the bright morning sun on Tuesday morning.
It was cool at -20° C but they appeared well-equipped to deal with that and
appear in good condition.
Ted also photographed a Red Fox out enjoying the sunshine as well.
**Mac Wilmot placed berries and suet on a very suitable rubber mat for
his yard bird patrons. An American Robin quickly found it but was not
impressed when an overwintering Hermit Thrush also found the bootie. The
pebbled rubber mat looks like a great idea. The flight photo of the Hermit
Thrush shows the signature rusty coloured tail.
Mac comments the fruits are
blueberries, cranberries, and raisins. He will also be offering strawberries
and grapes and craisins if he can find some. That mat was quite comfortable,
absorbing some sunlight and they just liked to rest there. At night the Hermit
Thrush has been hunkering down in the shrubbery at the end of his brother's
house where the air exchanger exhausts. Mac just put that mat out Tuesday morning
when he spotted a very distressed looking robin; the Hermit Thrush appeared
shortly after.
**Brian Coyle got several videos of a Snowshoe Hare
visiting the Porcupine den he recently found. It is interesting that it
actually crawled into the den, but not for long realizing he had gone down an
unwise ‘rabbit hole’!
The Porcupine didn’t seem too concerned, even
exhibiting a large yawn at one point.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g7puan0ru6j1jgc/DSCF0014%20%288%29.AVI?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3bfszgy31bm4skj/DSCF0009%20%287%29.AVI?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2csxj5f0oaq159/DSCF0005%20%2813%29.AVI?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fwbj8tba469jf8k/DSCF0002%20%2822%29.AVI?dl=0
**When Anna Tucker feels a need for a nature refuelling, she books her favourite room at the Comfort Inn in Truro for a few days that overlooks the Truro marsh, and she arrived there at suppertime on Monday.
At 6:00 am
Tuesday morning, she opened the drapes to see the full Moon to capture a photo.
Then at 8:00
am she looked at the ‘barren Bald Eagle’s nest’ out on the marshland. Bald
Eagles don’t often build their nest in such an open area on a power structure,
but this one has been present for several years.
An American
Robin landed for a few seconds in a tree nearby and flew off.
Raptors often
land on top of poles outside the Inn and Anna is on the watch.
**Brian
Stone once again drove over Caledonia Mountain on Tuesday in search of photo
subjects and froze just a bit more than he did last time as there was a good
wind blowing the snow off the trees and the cold into his bones. He saw the
same regular Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches
but this time a group of 15 Pine Siskins was also present and posed in
the trees when they were not pecking at grit on the road. A gorgeous Red-tailed
Hawk was snuggled low in an evergreen tree close to the road but was not in
the mood to get on the blog today and he flew before the binoculars could be
replaced by the camera. Brian also sends a panorama of the Caledonia Gorge as
seen from the road. On his way home Brian noticed a flock of 25 plus Bohemian
Waxwings in a tall tree a few hundred meters off the side of the Homestead
Rd. and managed a documentary photo of the group.
A pair of Grey Squirrels were acting amorously
in Brian’s back yard tree and were following each other around in what looked
like courtship. It’s that time!
** The
Great Backyard Bird Count kicks off on Friday morning! (Editor’s note: am attaching the note below from the Cornell Lab
for folks who would like to participate).
“Be a part of a global community
of bird enthusiasts who, for the next four days, will be spending time in their
favorite places watching, listening, and counting as many birds as they can
find and reporting them to us.
Reminder, if you have not signed up for tomorrow's webinar, Watching
and Counting Birds is Fun: Tips for the Great Backyard Bird Count, consider joining us to learn more about this event.
If you haven't downloaded
our apps for participating, or need to brush-up on how to use the tools, visit
our participate page before the count starts. Plus, everyone who enters one sighting
via Merlin, or a 15+ minute checklist in eBird, will be automatically entered to win ZEISS Terra
ED 8x42 binoculars!
Also, as a special thank you,
enjoy free access to the Cornell Lab’s ground-breaking Birds of the World
online encyclopedia—starting February 16, through the end of the count. Use it
to look up local birds, do some armchair birding, or enjoy the breathtaking
diversity of the feathered world. Check out Birds of the
World now.
Have a great time admiring
the birds this weekend,
– Your friends at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada”
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
