NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
April 30,
2022 (Saturday)
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Edited by:
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
**Jane LeBlanc in St.
Martins noticed a Merlin sitting on a wire in her yard on Friday. She got
a great photo before it flew to chase a Mourning Dove. Several minutes later,
she saw it again in flight chasing two Mourning Doves. She couldn't see if it
was successful or not. (Editor’s note: Jane’s observation shows how pugnacious
the Merlin can be preying on birds near its own size).
**The last
few days with rather unpleasant weather has made for few Nature News reports.
A good day
to announce next Saturday’s May 7 Nature Moncton visit to the Mapleton Acadian
Forest trail in Elgin. All details below:
NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP TO THE
MAPLETON ACADIAN FOREST TRAIL IN ELGIN
Date: Saturday May 7th (Rain date:
Sunday May 8th)
Time: 9:30
AM
Meeting Place: The Elgin Country Kitchen and General Store
(from there, we will go together to the entrance of the trail)
Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail
A full day outing (bring a lunch) to
the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail near the village of Elgin is very interesting
at any time of year but on May 7th, at the peak of spring, it should be
exceptional. The trail winds through a superb example of a mature Acadian
forest characterized by a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees growing in a
relatively humid environment. This creates fertile soil and good habitat for
all kinds of living things that will be waiting for us there.
The Mapleton Acadian Forest Nature
Preserve was established in 2016 to conserve in perpetuity this otherwise
endangered habitat in the province. The preserve is the result of a partnership
between The Elgin Eco Association and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. It
covers 160 acres and boasts an excellent 3 km nature trail with several
interpretive panels which will help us understand the natural beauties and also
historic aspects of the preserve, like an old manganese processing plant from
the 1930’s, a sugar camp, and some remnants of old time forestry. On the nature
side there will be much to see like huge mature trees of several species, in particular
a stand of towering hemlocks several centuries old. Botanists should also find
all kinds of woodland plants and flowers just starting to bloom. Mammals, while also present, might be quite
shy of humans (and who could blame them). Still we should see signs. For
instance nesting boxes have been placed along the trail for Northern Flying Squirrels
for which this is perfect habitat. And the timing will certainly also be perfect
for birds which should be in full song and display at the start of breeding
season. Returning wood warblers should be the star of the birding show and at
least 10 to 12 species of those can be expected.
How to get there and difficulty level
The entrance to the Mapleton Acadian
Forest Trail is located 4.4 km down the NB-895 after turning off the NB-905
just before Elgin. We will meet first at
the Elgin Country and Kitchen General Store in Elgin which is located at # 4
River Rd. Take exit 233 from the Trans
Canada highway onto NB-905 and follow it down until it changes to River Rd. From the store, we will all go together to
the trail entrance, so no one gets lost.
The trail can be described as medium
difficulty. There are some hills to be
climbed and appropriate footwear and clothing are advised.
Another one later in May to mark
calendars off for is a Nature Moncton Visit to Baie Verte
Nature Reserve and Port Elgin Lagoon on May 28 detailed below:
NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP TO THE BAIE VERTE
NATURE RESERVE AND PORT ELGIN LAGOON
DATE: Saturday
May 28th (rain date: Sunday May 29th)
TIME:
9:30 AM
MEETING PLACE:
The parking lot of Saint James United Church at the corner of Main St. (Rte
970) and Siddall Rd. in Baie Verte.
GUIDES:
Louise Nichols (location) and Roger Leblanc (birds)
The end of May can be a very active time in
Nature. While this is the case everywhere there are some spots where the “show”
seems to be concentrated. And one of these is certainly the coastal region
between Baie Verte and Port Elgin. Situated at the northeastern end of the
Isthmus of Chignecto it is clearly on a bird migration route but also harbors
vast marsh and coastal habitats that favor a lot of life forms from insects to
plants and more. On this field trip,
we’ll explore a couple of special spots in this unique region. From the starting point at the
church, we will drive down Siddall Rd. until we get to the Baie Verte Nature
Reserve, protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. We will then walk an easy trail (about 2 km
one way) that passes through some marsh areas, open fields and woods until it
finally reaches the beaches of the Northumberland Strait. The area’s diversity is good for birds, but
also butterflies, dragonflies, and a variety of plant species. We will pass by an Osprey nest which was active
last summer.
Afterward, we’ll drive along
Rte 970 to Port Elgin where we’ll stop and visit the lagoon in the centre of
town. This lagoon (not widely known)
tends to attract a different variety of waterfowl from some other lagoons, with
more diving ducks, especially Buffleheads in the spring and fall. The lagoon also attracts swallows to the nest
boxes erected at the lagoon and many warbler species to the treed areas around
it. If we have time, we can walk a
moderately rough trail about half a kilometre through the woods that ends in a
marshy area along the shoreline of the Gaspereau River.
Bring a lunch and snacks.
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
