Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 12 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Oct 12, 2022 (Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Trail cameras are becoming very popular ways to watch wildlife going about their day without disturbing them.

Patricia Pelletier got a nice photo of a cow Moose as it ambled along the tree line in Lower Coverdale just outside the Town of Riverview.

**Josee Martin came across some excellent specimens of the Tinder Polypore Mushroom in woods near her Memramcook home and got excellent photos from different angles to appreciate the colourful lines of this species.

The species produces very large polypore fruit bodies which are shaped like a horse’s hoof and vary in colour from a silvery grey to almost black, though they are normally brown. It grows on the side of various species of tree, which it infects through broken bark, causing rot. The species typically continues to live on trees long after they have died, changing from a parasite to a decomposer.

Though inedible, Fomes fomentarius has traditionally seen use as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Otzi the Iceman carried 4 pieces of Fomes fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production.

**A labelling error was made in yesterday’s edition which is now corrected on that edition. The shorebird photo submitted by Aldo Dorio is actually a White-rumped Sandpiper, not a Dunlin as originally labelled. Thank you to Gilles Belliveau for the correction (Editor’s note: this photo was mislabelled by the editor, not photographer Aldo).

Note the long primary projection of the wing past the tail which is a helpful ID feature and the more pronounced superciliary line above the eye. The white eye ring is not clear due to the angle of the photo. It is reattached today so errors can be learned from.

**Nelson Poirier photographed two male juvenile Common Eider in early October. The full adult plumage is not attained until the fourth winter which leads to quite a variety of plumages during the period before maturity.

**A spore print of the choice edible Honey Mushroom is added today. The white to off yellow colour of the spore print is very helpful in identification. A recent photo of the Honey Mushroom in situ is repeated today.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton