Nature Miramichi:

A visitor to our home Wednesday Sept. 24.

Peter and Deana have not seen much of “their” northern cardinal this summer but were favoured on Sunday afternoon when the molting bird paid a visit to their patio bird bath. 

Acting on a tip from Pam, Deana and Peter visited Hay Island, Neguac, late Saturday afternoon Aug 23, to catch up with stilt sandpipers that were reported in the pond next to the lighthouse. These birds, along with a rare  red-necked phalarope had been reported at this location for at least the last day or so. The stilt sandpipers would be on their way to Central and South America having left their breeding grounds in the arctic.

Stilt Sandpiper

Stilt Sandpiper

The red-necked phalarope appears to be a juvenile, indicated by the more colourful back, while adults have a grey back. This individual is on its way to the west coast of South America. Phalaropes spend most of their time at sea in very large numbers. Hopefully, this individual will join a flock to help it on its long journey. There were many other shorebirds in the area, mostly semipalmated sandpipers, but also semipalmated plovers, least sandpipers, short-billed dowitchers and at least one white-rumped sandpiper.

Red-necked Phalarope

White-rumped Sandpiper

Deana and Peter Gadd took part in a pelagic birding tour on the Bay of Fundy on Saturday. The tour lasted about 7 hours, sailing south from Grand Manan Island to about halfway to Nova Scotia. They reported 14 bird species, others reported a couple more, many but not all considered pelagic. The most dramatic moment came when a parasitic jaeger chased a red-necked phalarope, seemingly unsuccessful!

There were many Wilson’s storm-petrels as well as great shearwaters and Atlantic puffins.  Apart from the jaeger, other more rare birds included sooty shearwaters and a first winter laughing gull.  The red-necked phalaropes were present in the thousands, at one point concentrated in a relatively small area due likely to an up-welling current bringing “nutrition” from the deep.

Although this was a birding tour a close encounter with a humpback whale added to the excitement. The sea was extremely calm and weather perfect, visibility was good.  After seemingly waving to us with its fin (rolling on its back to do so), a humpback whale came quite close and “fluked” enabling a clear view of the underside of its tail. This will enable it to be identified by name as the pattern of a dark area on the underside is unique to the individual. Results of an enquiry awaits.

Great Shearwater

Red-necked Phalaropes with Atlantic Puffin

Parasitic Jaeger chasing a Red-necked Phalarope

Laughing Gull – juvenile

Sooty Shearwater

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Nature NB’s annual FESTIVAL of NATURE is returning to Miramichi, last held here in 2013.  Our club has been involved in an advisory role but Natre NB is doing all the planning.
        June 6 – AGM and More – Rodd Hotel
        June 7 – Field Tips (leaving from      Chatham Rec Centre)

        June 7– Dinner – Rodd Hotel
        June 8 – Field Tips (leaving from Chatham Rec Centre).

More details at Festival of Nature 2025 – Nature NB

Please find above the recent Northumberland County Winter bird list which was concluded of course Friday February 28th

We ended up with 76 species this year which is about average. Last year we had 74 species and in the best year, 2021–22, we had 80.

Of note in this year’s list:

1. Ducks:

In early December before “freeze-up”:

Wood Duck, Gadwall, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Green-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck were recorded.

2. Birds we don’t see every winter-list included: Snow Goose, Great Horned Owl (although resident), Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee
3. Birds that decided not to go further south:

Common Grackle*, Rusty Blackbird*

4. Rare (even in the summer):

Field Sparrow*

*Arrived in December and still present Feb. 28!
Details about these sightings are given in the attached NCWBL document attached.

Thank you everyone for your contributions, Another interesting list.

Hello Everyone, Three Items below:

1. POT LUCK SUPPER AND MEMBERS NIGHT

Our December Nature Miramichi meeting is next Tuesday December 3^rd.As I have mentioned previously this will be our annual Christmas pot luck supper (and “Members Night) and on this occasion we will start at 6:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to share with others and you may wish to bring your own tableware and plates although some will be available.

Following supper we will hold “Members Night”  and everyone is invited to share a nature related experience. It could be about a visit you made on a nature outing, it could be some photos you took of flowers, insects, wildlife, It could be a nature book review, it could be about a concerns you have for nature, it could be about your pollinator garden, it could be about the re-wilding efforts you are making in your garden (yard) and so on. These “mini presentations” could be just a few minutes long or perhaps 15 or so minutes long. You could present over Zoom if you wish although the Pot Luck Supper bit would be difficult! Please let me know if you care to present about any of your interests in nature

2.CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
The Christmas Bird Count season is fast approaching. Our club coordinates 3 counts:

Red Bank/Sunny Corner (December 14^th), Miramichi (December 15^th) and New Jersey/Neguac (December 29^th). We need people to help survey these areas by car (with possible occasional on-foot excursions, weather permitting.) For each count we ideally need at least 4 two person teams. More details will be available closer to the dates but please consider participating, it is interesting and rewarding comprehensive international effort to monitor bird populations. Christmas Bird Counts are 125 years old this year. The Miramichi count started in 1972! For more information visit:

Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Birds Canada Christmas Bird Count

3. NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY WINTER BIRD LIST
Sunday is of course December 1^st. The Northumberland County Winter Bird List begins on this date and continues until February 28, 2025. (Our county is the largest geographically in the province.) Anyone interested in contributing sightings to this list please send them to me at gadd1313@nb.sympatico.ca. Please include date and location of the sighting and if you can include a photo, that would be good. All photos will be welcomed but could be helpful for birds difficult to identify or are rare.

I will maintain the list as reports come in and progress can be viewed at this location:

Northumberland County Winter Bird List 2024-2025

If you think a species may have been already reported you could check this list prior to submitting although not necessary.

I will also post submitted photos of sightings in a dedicated Flickr album. This link will be shared when the first photos are available.

Early December is a good time to come across late migrating species that have no intention of hanging around for the worst of winter and hopefully there will be a few days of open water before freeze-up.

Last year we had a list of 74 species, that is a good target to aim for but we can do better! (80 species is the county record!).

This is the 14^th year that this list has been kept and I would like to acknowledge Dave McLeod for the effort and leadership he has put into this project over the years. This is a project of Nature Miramichi.

Our sightings can become part of a similar New Brunswick list maintained by Gilles Belliveau. This list can be viewed at this location.

NB Winter Bird List (gbnature.com)

Peter