April 18, 2023
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
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**Roger LeBlanc will give a virtual
Zoom presentation on owls at 7:00 PM this evening, Wednesday, with an outdoor owl
prowl to follow the first clear night. Details at the end of this edition.
Roger has asked that all participants contact him at the email address in the write-up
to get the link to the Zoom presentation.
**Kiirsti Owen delivered an excellent
presentation on the Acadian subspecies of Nelson’s Sparrow to Nature
Moncton on Tuesday evening.
Kiirsti shared some very interesting and previously not known information on the subspecies we are lucky to have to
ourselves in good numbers in appropriate parts of New Brunswick. Kiirsti’s
presentation added a lot of helpful pointers to help us enjoy sleuthing this species in
the two worlds of adjoining saltmarsh and dykelands which she pointed out are
such different habitats.
Kiirsti’s presentation was recorded, and
the link will be available soon on Nature News so folks who missed it can tune in.
**Ed LeBlanc in St. Martins had their dog out for the
last time before retiring Monday night and had a close encounter with a frog.
Since he was trying to keep the dog from harming it, he couldn't identify the
species. Jane went out a few minutes later to try and find it but couldn't.
Instead, she noticed a FOY Yellow Spotted Salamander on the walkway.
Both amphibians were presumed to be headed for the pond. Jane checked her
garden journal and found the salamander was here on the exact same date it had
appeared last year.
Jane also noticed a Belted Kingfisher
sitting above the river on the power lines Tuesday morning as she drove down to
the village.
**More frog activity! Jane counted
at least 5 Wood Frogs in her pond in their yard on Tuesday. There was
much croaking going on as their spring mission went into full procreation mode.
**Eric Wilson reports noting flycatchers calling along Rural Estates Drive in north Moncton near his home. From the vocalization they were making, he recognized them as Alder Flycatcher with the possibility to his ear of Willow Flycatcher.
Eric also located 5 American Woodcock displaying along the Pacific Junction Road area near Moncton.
Four male Northern Flickers were battling for the attention of one female.
**Dale Pugh snapped a photo at sundown on Monday at Irishtown Park of a duo of brave paddlers in the very recently opened Irishtown Nature Park Lake to give us all that spring desire to glide on water’s surface! Dale comments that, hopefully, they noticed the Common Loon fishing in the water, which Dale was there to spot.
**Anna Tucker photographed a snoozing Ring-necked Duck on Jones Lake on Tuesday.
Anna also got documentary photos of House Sparrows outside her Church Court apartment in Moncton.
(Editor’s note: the non-native House Sparrow population in New Brunswick has diminished considerably, very likely to the content of Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds with which the House Sparrow was an aggressive competitor).
** OWL WORKSHOP AND OUTING
OWLS: OUR NOCTURNAL RAPTORS
Presenter and Guide: Roger Leblanc
Workshop Date (online via
Zoom): April 19, 2023, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Outing: On the first good night after the
workshop. Conditions need to be perfect!
Cost: $10
Among all the bird
species that can be observed at different times of the year in New Brunswick,
one of the most intriguing but also alluring groups has to be owls. Why? One
answer to that question is that their usual nocturnal habits make them
difficult to find and, therefore, to observe and understand. And that is
precisely why Nature Moncton has thought of offering a Zoom information
workshop accompanied by an outing to help you discover the secrets of these
usually very discreet nocturnal raptors. Under the guidance of experienced
ornithologist Roger Leblanc (also a member of Nature Moncton), the workshop
will review the 12 species of owls that have been accepted as having been
present in the province in the past.
Emphasis will be placed on the 8 species that you have a reasonable
chance of observing at one time or another with information on sound, field
marks, habits and habitats that together should help you when you go out
looking for them.
Around the time of the
workshop, Roger will check the weather forecasts and choose the best night for
the outing. On that night (likely one to
three days after the workshop), we will go into the field with Roger as our
guide to try our luck to see (but more likely to hear) one or more of these
mysterious nocturnal raptors. Roger has
scouted out a couple of spots around Notre Dame where the 3 species of
“possible” owls (Northern Saw-whet, Barred and Great Horned) are present and
hopefully will show.
The cost for the workshop
and outing is $10 and can be paid to Roger on the night of the outing. Please register below if you plan on
attending the online workshop and to receive the Zoom link.
Register with Roger
Leblanc at parus@nb.sympatico.ca.
All are welcome, Nature
Moncton member or not.
Nelson Poirier
Nature
Moncton
