Nature Moncton Nature News: December 27 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

December 27, 2023

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

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Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**While spending Christmas with family in Halifax, Nelson Poirier and grandson Ben walked the trails of Hemlock Ravine in Halifax.

Nelson had often heard Halifax naturalists speak of Hemlock Ravine but never had an opportunity to visit. It is a very recommended protected area to visit should anyone be visiting Halifax. We spent 3 hours hiking and covered most of the trails. The area is nestled among new subdivisions and is an oasis for flora and fauna. A ravine may sound like hard hiking but the trails are beautifully laid out to be relatively easy to navigate and to let one be close to what Mother Nature has created.

A very exciting moment erupted when a Northern Saw-whet Owl started loudly tooting close to us but as hard as we tried, we could not lay eyes on it—another bird moment happened when approximately a dozen crossbills were spotted feeding heavily on Tamarack cones very high in a tree. They were very active and impossible to photograph or to be certain what species of crossbill they were.

Many photos were taken with many items still to be confirmed, but I'm including photos of Canada Yew (Ground Hemlock), Rock Polypody Fern, Evergreen Wood Fern (Dryopteris intermedia showing the first pinnules on the lowest branch pinna to be all the same length to help identify it), and a pair of American Black Ducks on the ice of a large heart-shaped pool originally built in the 1700’s.