21natureworld

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Pine Grosbeak

Colourful Winter Finches

Pine Grosbeak - Male

A gentle melodic twitter coming from a group of apple trees is a clue to look among the branches and on the ground under the trees for Pine Grosbeaks. Their full song is a beautiful melodious warble.

Pine Grosbeaks are a large plump finch (23 cm/9 in) which visits us only in winter, some winters more than others. This year is a poor finch year so we have only a few Pine Grosbeaks. They love fruit and berries so would be found in apple and crab trees and in bushes bearing fruit at this time of year.

The male Pine Grosbeak shows a beautiful pink-to-reddish-pink colour on the head, breast, back and rump. He is gray on the sides and belly. His wings are black with two fine white wing bars. The tail is long, black and notched. The bill is black, large but stubby. There is significant regional variation in the intensity of the pink/red colour.

Pine Grosbeak - Female

The female shows a lot of light gray colour with deep yellow to rust on the head, back, and rump. The wings are gray with two fine white wing bars. Juveniles resemble the females.

The only species here one would mistake for a Pine Grosbeak is the White-winged Crossbill. It has similar coloration but is only 2/3 the size and has a very distinctive crossed bill. Both species feed on spruce cones so partly share the same habitat.

Pine Grosbeak - Male

In the photos above the grosbeaks were feeding on crab apples. They are a tame species and do not pay humans much attention. One can get reasonably close for photos. It is important to give these birds respect and not get so close they are forced to fly away. They are in these feeding areas because they need food and safety.

Pine Grosbeak - Female [N Poirier Photo]

The photo above shows a different female than the previous one. Notice the yellow colour is much darker and she is eating high-bush cranberries.

The Pine Grosbeak is a holarctic species. It lives in the northern hemisphere around the world. Here in North America it breeds in the far north. It winters in the Maritime provinces, the southern parts of the rest of Canada (except British Columbia) and the northern states east of the Rockies. It is a permanent resident in the area in between these areas. It prefers coniferous woods as its name implies but feeds on fruit mainly in winter.

When we have winters with a large population of Pine Grosbeaks present, it is called an 'irruption'. What makes years when we have many and years when we have few or none? The abundance or lack of fruit determines its movement in flocks. That is what drives irruptive years and years of scarcity of this species. We have lots of fruit this year but they must also be finding plenty further north, hence the low population here so far this winter. We may have more flocks move in as the winter progresses.

Slow Living

Admiring the elegant green needles on this pine branch and the

fluffy fresh snow,

my thoughts turn to how it is so easy to fall into a pattern of a frenetic

lifestyle in the fast lane.

Taking the time to notice how nature creates beautiful still life

arrangements, like these seedpods, leaves and moss fallen after the last snowfall.

Slow living is all about taking the time to savour and fully engage with life.

Just as snowfall slows down nature.

Mindful walking brings our attention to small details.

It makes us more aware and connects us to the present moment.

I noticed these beautiful reflections as I meandered where my steps took me

on my walk.

This scene made me think of the seaside. The wet sands,

the receding waves leaving shiny reflections of the blue sky.

In fact, this scene was created by melting snow on a country road.

We notice more when we slow down.

We take the time to see the splendour in the simplest things.

If I had been rushing along, preoccupied in my thoughts, I wouldn't have noticed

the shadow of a tree on a house as I walked up the hill away from the town centre

to be closer to nature.

Further up the hill, I saw how the trees were reflected in the windows of this wooden house.

Looking down, I paused to enjoy the sight of this tiny feather joined by a fallen leaf

on the paving stones. The naturally artistic arrangement was certainly worthy of my pause!

Finally I get up higher where I can see tall trees in all their majestic winter beauty.

This beautiful old oak with gnarled and twisting branches

stretching out to embrace the blue of the early February sky.

The days are getting longer

and all my senses are awakened as I hear the first birdsong of the year.

Sometimes we cannot get out into nature, but we can bring some into our home.

I picked these Chinese Lanterns from a pot on my balcony.

I marvelled at the lacy patterns and structure on their surface.

Noticing how abstract art can be created by gazing at ice-cubes in a bowl.

Some shiny marbles near the window drew attention to themselves in the light.

A tiny narcissus flower in a pot in my home is just coming into bloom.

I like to take the time to enjoy the beauty in shape, texture and colour.

I know that for many people, life is hectic.

The fact of going out to work each day and constantly looking at our watches

is all part of life in the fast lane

and often after work there are meals to prepare and children's needs

to be seen to.

But it would be so beneficial to take just a few moments, if we cannot manage more.

To include perhaps 15 minutes in our day to just to be

instead of constantly conjugating the verb 'to do'.

Early mornings can be used to bring calmness into our lives

Deep breathing exercises do wonders to relieve stress.

Getting up earlier to enjoy peaceful moments

before the rush of the day begins.

I have been meaning to have one day a week when I switch off everything.

That means my computer, my telephone, the television and the radio.

One day and one evening of the week where I can enjoy

the simplicity and quiet without all these distractions and noise.

It will be my goal during this month of February.

Do any of you offer yourselves this special day of peace during your week?

In the meantime, I welcome the quiet moments, going about my everyday occupations

slowly and mindfully (most of the time)!

This includes the preparation and the eating of a meal

and sitting down at the table to eat.

Immersing ourselves in nature , especially for us town-folk, is so beneficial.

Going to the park or taking a bus out of the city

into the peaceful environment to enjoy the trees, the plants and listen to birdsong.

At the end of each day, it's good to observe how I have lived this day.

Have I been rushing from one thing to another

or have I taken the time to slow down and really live

the precious moments as they constantly arise and pass?

It's never too late to finish the day with

a little personal time to unwind.

This doesn't mean constantly checking our mobile phones

or switching on the television!

The Slow Movement is being mentioned more and more.

Are we really listening?

It's time!

***

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Labrador Duck

Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius

Labrador Duck [John Gerrard Keulemans Illustration]

The Labrador Duck is a little known extinct duck from our part of North America. It was an uncommon duck when the first settlers came to northeastern North America. It became rare in the 1850s to 1870s and was extinct by 1878. It was also known as the Pied Duck or the Sand Shoal Duck. Some locals called it the Skunk Duck but that term also included the Surf Scoters and Common Goldeneyes.

Labrador Duck [Painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes]

The life history of the Labrador Duck is not well known. Much of our information is assumed by extrapolation from other duck life histories. That is unfortunate because our population was 'young' as a nation and uninformed and facts were not gathered and we were not aware that this species needed protection.

Labrador Duck [John James Audubon Painting]

From what we know or have assumed, the Labrador Duck lived in northeastern North America only. It bred along the coast of Labrador and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It wintered along the coast of the Maritime Provinces and down the eastern seaboard of the US as far south as New Jersey and Chesapeake Bay.

Although the breeding biology of this species is unknown it probably nested on rocky cliffs or on islands. It fed on molluscs, shellfish and seaweeds. It preferred sandy shoals where it used its long, wide bill to glean food. I picture its feeding behaviour as similar to our Harlequin Ducks. Its common name tells us it preferred shallow water.

Labrador Duck - Male

The Labrador Duck was beautiful. As seen above, the male was pied, black and white. Its head was long and the bill was almost as long as the head. Its eyes were small (this may be a taxidermy specimen error). It was certainly adept at life in the surf. Its bill was unique, long and wide and 'soft' with lamellae for sifting out food.

Labrador Duck - Female

The female was very gray overall. We don't know a lot about the juveniles. The Fuertes painting shown above shows a young male which is quite gray with white starting to show on the head. The wings of the males were unique with an all-white wing except for the primaries. They must have been beautiful in flight!

There are 54 (or 55 according to Chilton 2009) specimens existing, scattered throughout the world from museums, private collections and even in the possession of Sheik Saud of Qatar. They have been sold, traded, looted, fraudulently copied, and narrowly escaped destruction in world wars. Fortunately some good specimens still exist. We have one specimen in Canada at the Redpath Museum in Montreal. The US has specimens at Harvard and the Smithsonian. They can also be found in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and other places.

Audubon was in Labrador in July, 1833 and could not find the Labrador Duck. He lists a breeding site, his son having found possible nests. This was circumstantial evidence only and is generally not accepted. One would assume that if the duck were there Audubon would have found it. In 1840 Audubon wrote that the flight of the duck was swift and its wings emitted a whistling sound. In 1891 S.F. Cheney of Grand Manan wrote that the Labrador Duck he had shot sometime in the past had small shells in its crop and it was accompanied by long-tailed ducks.

The Labrador Duck is our most mysterious duck. Why did it go extinct, especially since it was scarce when the white man first came here? No one really knows. It doesn't seem to be because of environmental causes. Some think it was not from market hunting because it apparently was not a good-tasting duck and was not popular in the markets. It was not often seen in the markets probably because it was rare. I think it went extinct because of a combination of factors. I think market hunting did have an affect. Any amount on a rare species would have an impact. I think the other reason was the same reason the Great Auk went extinct - nest destruction. I think the native people, seafarers, and other predators extensively robbed nests of eggs and the birds were constantly on the decline. I expect this species could not readapt to new breeding sites where they were safe from predation.

The first depiction of a Labrador Duck was a drawing done in 1792. Once its presence became known, collectors were on its trail. It took less than 100 years for it to meet its demise. A sad testament to a beautiful species and a regrettable step for humankind.

Reference

Bent, A.C. 1925. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl Part Two. Dover Publications.
Chilton, Glen 2009. The Curse of the Labrador Duck. HarperCollins.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Bringing Hygge into My Home

Having seen the unusual word of "Hygge" here and there,

I wanted to find out more about it!

Hygge pronounced 'hue-ga' is a Danish term defining

cosiness or snug.

The word derives from a 16th century Norwegian term: 'hugga'

meaning well-being or comforting.

One could say that it reminds us of the English word 'hug'.

Don't you love this little window belonging to the wooden house in the first photo?

It's a candle-holder, a Christmas present from my grandson.

Let's peep through the window and see what's happening in my home!

I always have candles burning during these darker, colder months of the year

especially at the breakfast table and in my living room.

One sure way of making a home feel like home is through cooking

aromatic, colourful and delicious dishes.

Colour and texture are so important, just as much as taste.

These ingredients are going to prepare the dish below.

Roasted carrots and orange, or mandarin slices, tossed in a little olive oil

and flavoured with chile and a little sea salt.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count

Local Birders Conduct Citizen Science

Hairy Woodpecker

January 1st brings a group of birders to the Mactaquac area to do an annual bird census, the Christmas Bird Count. Over 50 counts are done in New Brunswick between the dates of December 14 and January 5. Counts are done in the same 24 km circle every year. This provides useful data on bird populations and all the factors that might influence them. The Mactaquac circle goes from Keswick to Granite Hill and Kingsclear to Upper Prince William. This year 14 people took part.

Bald Eagle

The count yielded 36 species and 1965 individuals. The group drove almost 400 km and worked about 24 hours altogether, a commendable effort.

Pine Grosbeak [N Poirier Photo]

Below are the results. They show a rather low count for finches. That was expected because the cone crop was low in the area. There was an excessive number of Blue Jays in some sectors. This was the first year we did not record any House Sparrows. Their numbers have been dwindling for many years and normally a close look around active barns would produce some. This year we found none.

Surprise findings were a Brown Thrasher coming to a feeder in Upper Queensbury. This was the first time we have had Wild Turkeys. There was a Belted Kingfisher and a Horned Grebe at the Fish Hatchery. A kingfisher was found only once before on a count. We have never had a grebe before, an exciting find. There was a lot of open water there so it must have been finding food. Undoubtedly the cold weather will drive it to the coast.

Canada Goose							0
Am Black Duck	120					20	140
Mallard	5						5
Common Goldeneye							0
Hooded Merganser						1	1
Common Merganser	16					8	24
Wild Turkey				6			6
Horned Grebe	1						1
Bald Eagle			1	1	3	3	8
Sharp-shinned Hawk				1			1
Red-tailed Hawk							0
Rough-legged Hawk							0
Ruffed Grouse							0
Herring Gull	1					4	5
Great Black-backed Gull	2					22	24
Rock Pigeon		24	3	260		2	289
Mourning Dove	8	1	7	37		15	68
Belted Kingfisher	1						1
Downy Woodpecker	1		5	11	1		18
Hairy Woodpecker	2	1	10	11	2		26
Pileated Woodpecker						1	1
Blue Jay	5	6	45	128	37	4	225
American Crow	19	27	5	35	4	13	103
Common Raven	2	6	11	8	4		31
Black-capped Chickadee	25	18	65	179	14	12	313
Red-breasted Nuthatch		2	3	6			11
White-breasted Nuthatch	1		5	11		1	18
Brown Creeper			1	2			3
Golden-crowned Kinglet							0
American Robin			1			1	2
Brown Thrasher				1			1
European Starling	17			77	200	12	306
Bohemian Waxwing				15			15
Snow Bunting							0
American Tree Sparrow	2		6	26	2		36
White-throated Sparrow			2				2
Dark-eyed Junco	2		3	13	2		20
Northern Cardinal			1	3			4
Pine Grosbeak			30	2			32
Purple Finch			2				2
White-winged Crossbill							0
Common Redpoll							0
Pine Siskin	15						15
American Goldfinch	48	11	48	48		20	175
Evening Grosbeak	12		2	15		4	33
House Sparrow							0

					Total birds		1965
					No. species		36

With ever decreasing funds available for biological and environmental research, citizen science is becoming more and more important. Christmas bird counts have been done in New Brunswick since they first began in the early 1900s. We have accumulated a large body of data for New Brunswick, more than some other provinces. Many thanks to birders all over the province and especially to those who helped with this count.

American Robin