The sudden and sad loss of Roger Leblanc last June was a shock to many Nature Moncton members who were so accustomed to Roger’s generosity as a knowledgeable field trip leader and workshop presenter.  But Roger’s talents went far beyond what he gave to Nature Moncton.  For many years, Roger was deeply invested in the writing and direction of nature documentaries that presented the beauty of nature’s birds and other creatures on screen.  Working within Bellefeuille Productions, one of Roger’s most favourite projects was a series of nature films called Dans ma Cour (In my Backyard) (2011) which were used in schools to educate young students about nature.  In addition to this and other film series, Roger also wrote and directed a number of full-length documentaries, the first of which was Migrations (2005) (a film about bird migration, featuring Alain Clavette and Cajun singer Zachary Richard) which was awarded the prestigious “Lirou d’or” for best documentary at the International Ornithological Film Festival in France.  Other of his films include La vie aux sommets (Life at the Summit) (2015), Baie des Merveilles (The Bay of Wonders – about the Bay of Fundy) (2015), and Harfang des neiges (Snowy Owls) (2016). 

For our December meeting, we will welcome our guest, Alain Clavette, who many of you know already as the CBC “Acadian Birder”.  Alain (Roger’s nephew) knew Roger well and worked with Roger on some of these films.  He will present clips from a few of them and provide narration of what we are seeing and the stories behind them.  Alain’s knowledge of birds along with his close connection to Roger and Roger’s work will make this both an evening of remembering Roger and also a chance to learn new things about the birds and wildlife in his films.

Come and enjoy an evening of beautiful film footage and insightful commentary.

Those who wish to join on Zoom can do so at the following link:

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All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not. 

After the break, all Nature Moncton members are requested to remain in person or online for the short AGM (approx. 30 minutes).

Annual report document

 This presentation will be approximately a two-hour session with a mid-time break to provide everything a naturalist really needs to know about diurnal raptors from one of New Brunswick’s best.

 Join Todd Watts, the founder of the Greenlaw Mountain Hawk Watch, for a discussion on how to identify birds of prey. As an avid hawk watcher, Todd has spent over 5,000 hours scanning the skies in search of hawks. This experience has provided a great opportunity for him to develop significant skills in the art of raptor identification.

 During this two-hour presentation, we will explore some of the finer points of distinguishing one raptor from another. Special attention will be given to particular challenges, such as the difficult ID points that separate the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and American Goshawk. If time allows, all the regularly occurring species of diurnal raptors will be covered.

 This will be a virtual presentation to be shared with anyone wanting to get up to speed on raptor ID.

 The presentation will be on the screen at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge.  The audience present and the virtual audience will both be able to interact with Todd.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Join via Zoom