Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 20 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Feb 20, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**The Nature Moncton February meeting will be taking place tomorrow night Tuesday night, February 21, at 7:00 PM. The full write-up appears at the end of this message. The presentation will be hybrid with folks meeting at the Rotary Lodge to socialize and watch the speaker on screen.

** Louise Nichols is having fun experimenting with a new macro lens attachment for her camera. In the bright sun of Sunday, she took photos of what she could and is sharing a collection of close-up photos, including various lichens, fungi, and mosses, along with a few other items. Louise is excited for the spring insects to emerge so she can experiment further on moving subjects.

** Barb Curlew was entertained by some COMMON GOLDENEYE males on Sunday. The very high tide had made a deep channel for them to gather up within view from their Waterside home. They were trying to outdo each other with their comical courtship display, where they throw back their head and puff out their chest.

** Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins collected cones from her White Pine tree in the fall, set them on a sunny windowsill to open, tapped the seeds out, and planted them in pots in the house. She now has several seedlings about 2 inches tall. She will plant them around her property in the spring.

She also collected Pussy Willow shoots and put them in water. Since they rooted in the water, she potted them up and will use them for erosion control along the river bank on her property.

Jane had some uncommon visitors on Sunday. She had a pair of Purple Finches and a couple of Pine Siskins, both of which have been few and far between this winter.

** NATURE MONCTON FEBRUARY MEETING

February 21^st, 2023 at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge (speaker will be on screen via Zoom)

“Birder Brain: An overview of the Birder Brain project exploring birding and mental/physical health, with an emphasis on mindful birding.”

Presenter: Kelly-Sue O’Connor

Originally from Riverview, NB, Kelly-Sue has been a birder for 16 years now. She has been very involved in citizen science during that time, starting with several Christmas Bird Counts a year, volunteering for nature organizations, fundraising, and sitting on boards like the Toronto Ornithological Club, Friends of Sam Smith Park, and Bird Friendly Cities, and leading bird walks for Ontario Field Ornithologists.

Kelly-Sue found birding as a way to practice self-care, grounding, meditation, and mindfulness. Diagnosed with C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Syndrome), ADHD (attention deficit disorder), and other health issues experienced by many, she was inspired to share her love of birding and its healing benefits with others. This presentation will include an overview of the project, a short documentary (one of the Birder Brain episodes), some of Kelly-Sue’s favourite mindful birding experiences and tips on how to use birding to improve your own mental and physical health.

You can learn more about birder brain on the website: www.birderbraindoc.com. The social media links are available there. Kelly-Sue looks forward to sharing her personal experiences and the story of other birders with Nature Moncton members.

This presentation will be given via Zoom, but there will be a meeting as usual at the Rotary Pavilion.

Those who wish can tune into the presentation at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86018412299?pwd=QUZPYjFmSkFYeWhlNERic3RNNk1Xdz09

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton