Nature Moncton Nature News: December 7 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

December 7, 2023

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Gilles Belliveau posted an update to the 2023-2024 NB Winter Bird List and we are now at 128 species so far this winter.

The complete list can be seen at the following link:

https://nbwinter.gbnature.com

You can also click on the “Updates” link at the top of the page to see which species have been added with each update.

This year’s Moncton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2023.

Those who have not previously participated in the important Feeder Count but wish to do so this year may contact feeder Count coordinator Susan Atkinson at susandatkinson@outlook.com and she will forward the information sheets and reporting form to you.

(Editor’s note: feeder yard observations are a very important part of the Christmas Bird Count as this is where birds tend to collect. In the past, some very significant additions have been made to the tally by those watching right from home and reporting what they see.)

Christmas Bird counts will be happening all over the province with the Shediac count scheduled for December 17 and the Memramcook count scheduled for December 18 with interested folk invited to join in this important survey.

**Brian Stone captured a flight photo of a 1st-winter Ring-billed Gull on Tuesday in the Shediac area.
Note the black anterior section of the bill and the black tail band among other features.
The majority of this gull species tend to migrate southerly for the winter.

**Some birds that maintain their summer cottages to the north of us and overwinter with us in New Brunswick for the balmy winter are arriving.

Nelson Poirier had his first American Tree Sparrow patrons arrive on Wednesday with a few photographs to show their bicoloured bill as one of their signature trademarks.