Nature Moncton Nature News: December 21 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 20, 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 and proofreader Louise Nichols at 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 .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**John and Shannon Inman watched their resident Cooper’s Hawk hunting a little differently on Friday. It would land in the elderberry shrub and check it out and then land on the lawn and enter the tall grass and canes, looking like it had small rodents on its mind.

(Editor’s note: John’s excellent photos from different angles could merit a case study in the identification of the Cooper’s Hawk relevant to other raptors.

Note the fine breast streaking [juvenile], the rounded tail tip with the central feathers longer than those of the side, the accipiter feature of the primary projection of the wing looking short due to the long accipiter tail, the bright white tail tip, the slight head crest, the fierce look accentuated by the ‘Roman nose’ effect of the bill meeting the large head, the tubular appearance of the body due to a low centre of gravity, a pale nape [which is much more evident in the adult], the white unmarked undertail covert, the heavyset legs, and other features that give clues to building a case of identification.)

**Jamie Burris shares a few photos of bird sightings from around his Riverview yard.

They have male and female Northern Cardinals that have taken a liking to Sumac berries, as do the House Finches, American crows, European starlings, Blue Jays, and American Robins.

Jamie also includes a photo of his Venus Flytrap plant that is starting to bloom. Jamie comments, “It sure did a number on the earwigs this summer. Some earwigs were able to escape by chewing their way out!”

**The Christmas Bird Count in Memramcook took place on Thursday and was a rewarding success. 55 species were identified (a record number for this count), and excited birders had pizza and Christmas treats at the tally-up. Pine, Palm, Orange-crowned, and Common Yellowthroat Warblers were tallied, as well as the sparrows Swamp, Lincoln’s, White-throated, and the more expected American Tree Sparrow. Both White-winged and Red crossbills were seen by Rick Elliott. An Eastern Towhee and Eastern Bluebirds were more bonuses. Quite a day!

Thanks go to Yolande LeBlanc for organizing the event and to Memramcook for providing the pizza.

**Louise Nichols participated in the Memramcook Christmas Bird Count with additional information. She covered the Dorchester section with Jason Gallant. The day started out rainy and mild, but the sun appeared in the afternoon, making for a nice day with conditions that made it easy to walk about. Some highlights for Jason and Louise were four White-throated Sparrows, a total of 42 White-winged Crossbills (seen at different spots), and a Cooper's Hawk that flew in and circled above them close to the end of the afternoon. They recorded 24 species in their count area. All three accipiter hawks were seen during the day: Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and Northern Goshawk. There were also a number of warblers spotted: Pine, Palm, Orange-crowned, and Common Yellowthroat. It was a good day for all.

**On Friday, Brian Stone drove along the coast from Cap Lumiere to the wharf at Pointe-du-Chene in Shediac. He stopped at several spots but found little bird life to photograph. At Cap Lumiere, he walked along the breakwater and then a long walk along the beach but only got pictures of some Long-tailed Ducks and some gulls along with some beach scenery and a 22° Solar Halo that hinted at the approaching bad weather. At other stops along the way, scattered seabirds were too far out on the water for binocular identification and photography. It was a nice drive in decent weather but not photographically productive.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton