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January, 2004 No. 36

UP COMING EVENTS !

• Monday, Jan. 26: Member's Night and potluck supper. 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex. Remember to bring plates, utensils and a cup, or a good sized towel to wipe your hands on....besides your contribution to the feast. Also let Jim know what you will be contributing to the meeting in the form of slides, readings, crafts, skits, songs etc.
  
  
• Saturday, Jan. 31 - Bird Feeder Tour An afternoon drive around to visit various bird feeders of members of our group- and possibly a visit to a feed store to see what seed & feeders are recommended for what birds. Meet at the upper Tim's back parking area at 1 p.m. for car pooling - expect to be back by 4 P.M. If you would like to have your feeder on our tour - please let Judy know at 433-4439. If weather is nasty, this will be held the following Saturday.
  
  
• Saturday, Feb. 21 - Outdoor Naturalist Carnival at Adairs Wilderness Lodge - all day. Both Naturalist Groups and Outdoor Enthusiasts of all ages will have lots to do - both outside and inside with interpretative walks, (on snowshoes, or skis, no doubt), slide presentations and fun events. We'll publish more information by Email or phone committee closer to this date - but if you know you plan to go mark this date on your calendar!
  
  
• Monday, Feb. 23rd - at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex, New Brunswick at 7:30 pm. Matthew Betts, co-chair of the Greater Fundy Ecosystem Research Group has been heading up a study on birds in southeastern New Brunswick for the last four years. Matt is the lead researcher on the bird project, which is being conducted in a 4,000 square kilometer area, stretching from Fundy National Park to Sussex and from Riverside-Albert to the Caledonia Gorge.

        The study looks at the relationship that exists between birds and forest habitat since birds are excellent indicator species. Indicator species are ones that can tell forest managers whether they are creating an environment in which animals can survive. The study encompasses a variety of forest habitat. It seeks to determine what type of forest approximately 40 bird species need to survive and reproduce effectively.

        Matt has been studying birds for nearly a decade. He will present slides and talk about his research. He will also answer questions from the audience.

        This presentation is the first in a series of information sessions being organized by the Fundy Model Forest, in conjunction with local groups, as a way to bring science to the public.

        Mark your calendars for Feb. 23. and invite your friends! This is sure to be an interesting and informative evening.
  
  

• Saturday, March 20 or 27 - Visit to Elmhurst Outdoors Maple Sugar Operation If the sap is running we will go on one of these dates and enjoy another tour (with syrup treats) and hopefully brunch again in their lodge. We'll have more details available on times and costs - closer to this date.
• Monday, March 22nd - at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex, New Brunswick at 7:30 pm. James Crossman graduate student in (Marine Biology) University of New Brunswick, Saint John will speak on Sturgeon in the Saint John River
  
  
• Monday, April 26th - at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex, New Brunswick at 7:30 pm. Jim Wilson will give an illustrated talk on his latest trip to the 500-mile Great Texas Birding Trail in April of 2002.

        Jean and he were part of a 17 day private WINGS (the American tour company name) tour that took them along the 500-mile Great Texas Birding Trail that stretches down the Texas coast from the Louisiana border to Corpus Christie and then on to the Mexican border at Brownsville. Once there, they spent several days birding along the Rio Grande Valley (the Mexican border) inland as far as Falcon Dam where they found several birds that only reach North America there.

        Certain key habitats along the Texas coast are points of arrival for millions of neotropical migrants that begin their northward migration flight from the Yucatan at dusk and complete the 500-600 mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico during the afternoon of the following day. They visited several of those sites and were treated to a wonderful array of tired spring warblers, finches, buntings, orioles, cuckoos and tanagers.

       Some parts of the coastal route have hundreds of thousands of shorebirds, herons, gulls and terns and inland the various wildlife refuges and flooded rice fields are alive with other wading birds and waterfowl. In all they saw 281 species.
  
  

• Spring Field Trips/events will include a Spring Flower/plant walk on the Trout Creek Trail and to the Bluff, and hopefully another June potluck and walk at Anderson's farm. If you have a special request for outing - or would like to lead one, please speak to Judy or Don - 433-4439.
  
  
• Monday, May 24th - at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex, New Brunswick at 7:30 pm. Don Gibson will give a slide presentation entitled Tunneling into a Bank. It is about Bank Swallows and their selection of suitable nesting sites. The Summer 2003 edition of NB Naturalist has a one page article, written by Don on this subject.
  
  
• May 22 - 24 - Annual Trip to Grand Manan talk to Jim if interested in participating.
  
  
• May 27, 28, 29 & 30 - The New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists is holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the same time and place as the Canadian Nature Federation. This combined meeting will feature many excellent outings. The agenda should be available sometime in late February. Please contact Gart if you have any questions or would like further details.
  
  
• Summer will be the third year for a young naturalist summer camp sponsored by the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists. The children have fun learning about plants and animals in various environments (seashore, woods, wetlands). There will be at least one camp at the Huntsman Marine Center in Saint Andrews. All of the locations, and the dates for the camps have not yet been selected.