NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
October 30,
2023
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Edited by
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
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courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Jane LeBlanc's Witch Hazel shrub continues to
flower. It often is still flowering when the first snow falls. Jane comments
that even on a cloudy day, it's like having sunshine in your yard at this time
of year.
(Editor’s note: Witch Hazel is truly a unique shrub
with the simultaneous occurrence of flowers with their strap-like petals blooming
aside the mature fruit from the previous year as Jane’s photo shows. The fruit
is actually a two-part capsule with a single black seed in each of the two
parts. The capsule splits explosively at maturity, and the literature says the
seed can be expelled at distances up to 9 meters.)
**John
Inman is again experiencing an interesting scenario with a Red-tailed Hawk.
This is the 14th year a Red-tailed Hawk has appeared in his Harvey yard at this
time of year to immediately feed on raw meat that John puts out on a small table
in the birdfeeder yard. It arrived on Sunday morning and immediately went for
its prize. If this is actually the same bird, it must have an interesting story
to tell!
**It’s that
time of year when gulls molt into their winter plumage, with most of our large
gulls doing three winter molts before taking on their adult plumage in the 4th
year.
The
different year classes are quite identifiable to make gull watching over the
next four months interesting.
Aldo Dorio
photographed a first winter Great Black-backed Gull at Hay Island on
Sunday. Among other features, note the large completely black bill, the total
absence of grey or black patches on the mantle, the checkerboard patchwork of
brown and white, and the modestly clean light-coloured head.
**Anna
Tucker captured two photos of the beautiful Moon looking down on her
Church Court apartment on Sunday night.
The Hunters
Full Moon had occurred the night before and is now waning, reaching the New
Moon phase on November 13.
Nelson
Poirier
Nature
Moncton
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