Nature Moncton Nature News: December 12 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

December 12, 2023

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**Tonight is Nature Moncton meeting night where we will remember our passed comrade Roger Leblanc and show video clips from some of his great works photographing nature that have received very significant awards. The write-up for tonight’s event, which will be available virtually to anyone anywhere to join in, is attached below:

DECEMBER MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION

TOPIC: THE NATURE DOCUMENTARIES OF ROGER LEBLANC

December 12, 2023

Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park at 7:00 PM

Presenter: Alain Clavette

The sudden and sad loss of Roger Leblanc last June was a shock to many Nature Moncton members who were so accustomed to Roger’s generosity as a knowledgeable field trip leader and workshop presenter. But Roger’s talents went far beyond what he gave to Nature Moncton. For many years, Roger was deeply invested in the writing and direction of nature documentaries that presented the beauty of nature’s birds and other creatures on screen. Working within Bellefeuille Productions, one of Roger’s most favourite projects was a series of nature films called Dans ma Cour (In my Backyard) (2011) which were used in schools to educate young students about nature. In addition to this and other film series, Roger also wrote and directed a number of full-length documentaries, the first of which was Migrations (2005) (a film about bird migration, featuring Alain Clavette and Cajun singer Zachary Richard) which was awarded the prestigious “Lirou d’or” for best documentary at the International Ornithological Film Festival in France. Other of his films include La vie aux sommets (Life at the Summit) (2015), Baie des Merveilles (The Bay of Wonders – about the Bay of Fundy) (2015), and Harfang des neiges (Snowy Owls) (2016).

For our December meeting, we will welcome our guest, Alain Clavette, who many of you know already as the CBC “Acadian Birder”. Alain (Roger’s nephew) knew Roger well and worked with Roger on some of these films. He will present clips from a few of them and provide narration of what we are seeing and the stories behind them. Alain’s knowledge of birds along with his close connection to Roger and Roger’s work will make this both an evening of remembering Roger and also a chance to learn new things about the birds and wildlife in his films.

Come and enjoy an evening of beautiful film footage and insightful commentary.

Those who wish to join on Zoom can do so at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82960772815?pwd=dnF2V1NMb2hkVzA3Q0Z0VFVjMDV4Zz09

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Being the Christmas meeting, Susan Atkinson advises there will be some special treats at break time including some home-crafted preserves of delicious and unique wild edible berries.

** Norbert Dupuis comments it was interesting to watch the melting snow on Sunday afternoon with the American Goldfinch and Northern Cardinal.
(Editor’s note: Norbert cut a branch from the woods laden with Old Man’s Beard Lichen and attached it to his deck to make a landing perch for birds coming to his feeders. Norbert's photograph of the American Goldfinch shows that.)

**Dale Gaskin was surprised to open a package of green grapes from California on November 19 to find a very alive wasp fly off which he later captured intact and submitted for photos.
BugGuide was consulted to confirm it was a Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus). This wasp is common in the Western US and assumedly hitchhiked with the green grapes from California.
This wasp can appear in the southern US and southern Canada as well.