NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
October 15, 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
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by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
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**The Nature Moncton October meeting is happening
tonight Tuesday night, Oct 15. The write-up is below:
The new Owl technology will be used, with improvements gleaned from its first use last month, so the virtual audience, room audience, and speaker can interract.
**Nature
Moncton OCTOBER MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION
Topic: Shorebirds in Atlantic Canada
Tuesday,
October 15, 2024, at 7 PM
Mapleton
Park Rotary Lodge
Presenter: Dr. Diana Hamilton
Every
year in late summer, large numbers of Arctic-breeding shorebirds migrate
through our region, stopping to fuel up before continuing their long journey to
their tropical non-breeding grounds where they spend the winter. Atlantic
Canada provides critical habitat for these birds which are facing challenges
and population declines throughout their range. Diana Hamilton, a professor in
the Biology Department at Mount Allison university, has been studying these
birds for over 25 years. Working with colleagues at Environment and Climate
Change Canada and many students, Diana’s lab has examined many aspects of
shorebird ecology. She will share some of their group’s insights on
Semipalmated Sandpipers and other shorebird species during their time in our
region.
Diana
has been a professor at Mount Allison since 2005, and the Biology Department
Head since 2018. Prior to joining Mount A, Diana did postdoctoral work at UNB,
where she developed her fascination with shorebirds and their intertidal
habitat. Before working on shorebirds and mudflats, Diana completed a PhD at
the University of Guelph, where she examined combined effects of predation by
Common Eiders and disturbance on rocky intertidal communities.
This
presentation will be in-person. It will
also be available via Zoom to those at home at the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88578685751?pwd=A1jqgfJ73g3QIKOSr5pIe2aSR6ybEO.1
All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
Don’t forget your name tag!
**Barbara Smith and her husband Derek took a
walk along the unpaved roads off Prosser Brook Road on Sunday to see the fall
colours that are still in their splendour.
**Aldo Dorio photographed both Black-bellied Plovers and Semipalmated Plovers at Hay Island on Monday. The
Semipalmated Plover appears to be a juvenile with a predominantly dark bill and the
Black-bellied Plover appears in its basic nonbreeding plumage.
**The Red-throated Loons are arriving
from their northern breeding grounds to spend the winter with us.
Nelson Poirier noted two Red-throated Loons off
the Burnt Church wharf on Monday, the one photographed showing obvious remnants
of the red throat which soon will disappear.
A brief stop at Hay Island noted some noisy Greater
Yellowlegs, one pausing for a photo in the rain and wind.
**A heads up on a Nature Moncton field trip
to take place this coming Saturday, October 19 with details below:
Nature Moncton
Outing – Shorebirds and Waterfowl!
Location: Sackville
Water Retention Ponds and Waterfowl Park
Start
time: 10:00 AM; Saturday, Oct 19, 2024
Host: Louise
Nichols
Starting
Location: Parking is available along the
side of Charles St. in Sackville.
Driving the TransCanada, take Sackville exit #504. Go through the lights and continue along Main
St. (Rte 940) as it veers to the left.
You will reach a 2nd set of lights at the intersection of Main and
Bridge St. Turn left on Bridge St. Follow Bridge St. past Lorne St, past the
Marshlands Inn, and then turn right on Charles St. Drive until you pass St. James St. (on the
right) and then park anywhere along the side of the road.
The Sackville
Retention Ponds were created in the heart of Sackville to divert rainwater
through a series of ponds connected by culverts and ditches out to the
Tantramar River. Not only does the
system provide flood protection to the town, but it is also a significant area
for waterfowl and shorebirds. This fall,
a group of shorebirds has been frequenting the ponds and this group has
included occasional Stilt Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers which are not
as often seen. Pectoral Sandpipers are
also often among the group along with the usual yellowlegs and occasional
smaller sandpipers.
We will visit the
ponds and look for the shorebirds in the morning. After a brief picnic lunch, we will walk
through the town’s Waterfowl Park in the afternoon to observe the ducks who are
by now finished their summer molt and are once again sporting their beautiful
bright plumages.
Bring a snack and
lunch (if you forget a lunch, there are several fast-food places close to the
waterfowl park).
Don’t forget to
wear your name tag! All are welcome,
Nature Moncton members or not.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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