SEA DUCK MIGRATION OUTING

Date:             Saturday April 15th, 2023
Time:             9:30 AM
Place:            Sobeys at Elmwood Drive
Guide:           Roger Leblanc
 

We all know what ducks are. They are one of the most recognizable groups of birds. They are big, colorful (males in particular) and not hard to find. But did you know that in these parts we are fortunate enough to be right in the passing lane of sea duck migration, a natural phenomenon which can be quite impressive? In early spring a lot of sea ducks that have wintered on the coast of the Atlantic will be on the move, following the Northumberland strait up to their northern breeding grounds. En route, they will often stop to feed and rest in large numbers. And this is our chance to observe them at a time when they are dressed in their finest and when their breeding behavior and vocalizations are not only possible but expected. 

To help you take in this natural spectacle, Nature Moncton is offering a sea duck migration outing on April 15th.  Roger Leblanc will be our leader on this quest.  He has been studying the sights and sounds of sea ducks on the Northumberland coast for decades and is always pleased to share that knowledge with others.

So why not join us Saturday April the 15th for a fun outing to the world of migrating sea ducks?  The group will assemble at 9:30 AM in the parking lot of the Elmwood Dr Sobeys in Moncton. If you live nearer the coast, you can also join us on the south side of the new bridge on route 134. From there we will explore several known hot spots for sea duck migration up to and including

Bouctouche. So, if you have always wanted to know more about sea ducks and their habits, this activity is for you. Come join us for a fun learning activity.

Bring a lunch, water and snacks.
 

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

 

 

Nature Moncton May Meeting
May 16, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park

“Online Photo Identification Guide to the Plants of New Brunswick”

Presenters:  Jim Goltz and Andrea Flemming

A very significant website is under construction that will be dedicated to botany within the Province of New Brunswick.
There are several websites available to help naturalists identify plants, but so far none have been developed specifically to New Brunswick. This is about to change!

Jim Goltz and Andrea Flemming will present the progress to date on the website created by the Fredericton Botanic Garden with support from the Environmental Trust Fund. The multi-year project will cover the vascular plants found native and endemic to New Brunswick. The project will use Hal Hinds' Flora of New Brunswick as a starting point and photos collected from the New Brunswick plant community including Jim Goltz and the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre.  Jim and Andrea will share ways that you can participate in the project as well.

This will be an in-person presentation from Andrea and Jim at the Mapleton Lodge; however, anyone can join in from anywhere via Zoom using the link below:

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

As always, all are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Upcoming Events

Nature Moncton April Meeting

April 18, 2023, at 7:00 PM
Mapleton Rotary lodge


How colonial history has changed breeding patterns of the Acadian Nelson’s Sparrow
Presented by Kiirsti Owen, PhD student at the University of New Brunswick (with Joe Nocera) and Acadia University (with Mark Mallory)
 
The Acadian Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelson subvirgata)

breeds in salt marshes from northern Massachusetts to New Brunswick

and eastern Quebec. In Atlantic Canada, these birds also successfully

breed in dyked agricultural lands (“dykelands”) originally created by

Acadian settlers in the 1600s. Little is known about how or why these

secretive birds use dykelands. Kiirsti will be discussing how she is

attempting to fill this knowledge gap. In 2021 and 2022, Kiirsti attached

radio tags to 76 adult Nelson’s Sparrows in southeastern NB. Kiirsti and

her team tracked birds’ movements using handheld radio telemetry in saltmarsh and dykeland habitats from June to August in both years. From these data, she is looking at home range sizes and distribution in natural vs. human-made habitats. With rising sea levels and ongoing habitat alteration, it is important to understand how populations use natural and human-made habitats to carry out important life stages. Future research will focus on discovering why some Nelson’s Sparrows choose to use mainly dykeland habitats during the breeding season. Kiirsti will also present some of the interesting observations that her team witnessed while tracking Nelson’s Sparrows, and some of the basic natural history questions that scientists can answer using radio telemetry.

This presentation will be in person at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge and available by joining on zoom at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85252722594?pwd=MDZHa3ZvMHZEY2xXR1QxeUZ6VDF5Zz09
                          .

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.