Nature Moncton Nature News: February 18 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

February 18, 2024

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

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

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

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

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**There are 3 Nature Moncton activities going on this week starting with the Great Backyard Bird Count Workshop and Outing tomorrow (Monday morning) with details below.

Tuesday night’s monthly meeting will feature Curt Nason on the upcoming solar eclipse. After the break, Rhonda and Paul Langelaan will give a short talk about their trip to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas with some special bird photos. The write-up for this is at the end of this edition and up front tomorrow.

Following that will be the annual very popular birdfeeder tour on Saturday, kicking off with breakfast and birds at Jean Renton’s home. Stay tuned for details on Saturday’s event.

**Note from Cathy Simon: “Hi everyone who has signed up for or expressed interest the Great Backyard Bird Count workshop and outing!

Here are a couple of reminders:

Monday, February 19, from 9:30 am – 12 noon (Family Day)

Tankville Schoolhouse, 1979 Elmwood Dr, Moncton

· Please take note of the address. If you type in “Tankville schoolhouse” into google maps, it will take you to the correct location using the address 1979 Elmwood drive. However, the sign (see photo) shows as 1665 Elmwood drive when you arrive in person. I don’t know why the numbers are different even though it’s the same location!

· Enter via the backdoor to head downstairs.”

** Great Backyard Bird Count Workshop and Outing

Date: Monday, February 19, from 9:30 am – 12 noon (Family Day)
Location: Tankville Schoolhouse, 1979 Elmwood Dr, Moncton
Leader: Cathy Simon

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a citizen science program of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. Nature Moncton is taking part in this program and wants to help equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to participate in this and future citizen science programs.

**At this workshop, you can expect to learn:

· What are citizen science programs and why they are important,

· What is the GBBC and other citizen science programs,

· What is the difference between the Merlin and eBird apps and when and how to use each, and

· What desktop tools are available with an eBird account.

If the weather and conditions permit, we’ll end the workshop by travelling to a birding location to practice our skills. Location TBD.

What to bring:

· your cell phone with the Merlin and eBird apps already installed,

· notebook and pen if you like to take notes,

· indoor shoes or slippers because outdoor footwear isn’t permitted inside the school,

· your Nature Moncton name tag if you have one,

· your water bottle and a snack, and

· outdoor clothing, footwear, and birding gear (camera, binoculars, etc.).

Due to space limitations and the possibility of last-minute changes because of winter weather in the Maritimes, registration is appreciated. Please email Cathy Simon at smittybatman@hotmail.com to reserve your spot.

This outing is arranged by the Conservation Action Committee which is chaired by Cathy Simon and members Jessica Belanger-Mainville, Christopher Buschhaus, and Jeff Melvin.

** Deana and Peter Gadd did their bit Saturday to contribute to the Cornell Lab Great Backyard Bird Count. They traveled up the coast to Tracadie and stopped in a number of places. The Bird of the Day had to be the Barrow’s Goldeneye. They saw this species in 5 locations along the way, but the real treat came at the last stop, Point a Bouleau, Tracadie. They visit this spot 2 or 3 times each winter. There is an artificial boating channel that is kept ice-free all winter by the tidal currents. There are always both species of goldeneye there. Today there was only a small handful of Common Goldeneye but in the channel very close by, there was a tight cluster of about 130 Barrow’s Goldeneye. To see so many gathered together was quite lovely. A restless dog came along the walking path and all 130 lifted off at the same time. They make quite a striking sound as individuals when they fly, so 130 of them made quite a “racket". Peter attempted to record the sound of smaller numbers, but you will have to turn the sound up and listen carefully as the microphone was not very effective. Barrow's Goldeneye Flight Sound | Peter Gadd | Flickr

Also at Point a Bouleau was a Guillemot and a handful of Greater Scaup, a Red-breasted Merganser (relying on the Merlin App for the identification!), and a male Common Merganser who was nowhere nearby the other merganser.

As they walked along the trail Deana noticed a bundle of feathers and bones which they assumed was the remains of a small bird that had passed through the digestive system of perhaps an owl.

On their way back home they passed through Oak Point where they saw what was perhaps a feeding frenzy of gulls. They were in the vicinity of an ice fishing business and assumed the fishermen had cleaned the day's catch and chucked it out. Most of the gulls settled on the offshore ice. There was no open water inside Miramichi Bay. There were at least 75 of them: 20 Great Black-backed Gulls, 50 or so Herring Gulls, and 2 Iceland Gulls.

**John Foster leaves a message too good not to share.

The plum blossom season ‘officially’ began in Japan on Saturday as many of the parks opened for viewing. John and Jane’s daughter who lives in Suzuka, Japan sent a video of the much-loved Mejiro (Warbling White-eye) bird that is rarely seen except in plum blossoms. They seem to drink nectar from the flowers.

Take a look at this striking video of what is happening in Japan today at the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6a3u8fu78ybsm1a4pcc58/Mejiro-Movie.mp4?rlkey=ujslus5k1qiy4qu0cpgaaq6rs&dl=0

** FEBRUARY MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION

Topic: NB Total Solar Eclipse 2024

February 20^th, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Presenter: Curt Nason

On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow will race across the central half of New Brunswick, an event that has not occurred in most of the province since before 1900. As we look forward to this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, we are fortunate to be joined by Curt Nason, a long-time member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the Saint John Astronomy Club, who will prepare us to get the most out of the April eclipse. Curt, who is honoured to be the namesake of asteroid “10052 Nason,” has been interested in the night sky for over 60 years and still feels 10 years old when stargazing. His presentation will explain why total solar eclipses occur so rarely in any one location, what you might see on the 8^th of April, where to watch it, and how to observe it safely.

This will be a virtual presentation which will be shown on the screen at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge. The audience present and the virtual audience will both be able to interact with Curt.

Join the Zoom interactive presentation virtually at the link below;

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81841511558?pwd=T3UwWm9RNEFORC9FTW9DVWVyK0JOQT09

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton