Nature Moncton Nature News: June 24 2015

** Marguerite and Bill Winsor have a pair of GRAY CATBIRDS that have a territory including their Salisbury backyard that have done so for the past few years but this year they have developed a strong attraction to a suet bar. This is the first year that they have been able to enjoy the catbirds enjoying the suet. Nice photos of the action is attached.

** While passing Lars Larson Marsh on Tuesday evening Dave Christie saw his first young grebes of the year. An adult PIED-BILLED GREBE and three youngsters were in the marsh near the road. The adult was diving and bringing up food for the young but the young were diving also. The family gave Dave a nice photo. The colorful grebe chicks are unique indeed.

** Richard Perron photographed a RED-BELTED POLYPORE MUSHROOM on June 20th looking to have fresh growth on it.

** There is a suet feeder out now called a Suet Palace that is advertised to ward off starlings. I've had one for a year now and it actually works! The suet partition is inside a larger cage. I freeze a block of peanut butter and place it in the inner container instead of suet. At the moment a pair of DOWNY woodpeckers and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES are emptying it every five days and seem to be in it almost continuously carrying away chunks to nestlings. Birds the size of downy woodpeckers can slip into the cage but STARLINGS cannot. SONG SPARROWS use it occasionally as well. Larger woodpeckers are supposed to feed from the underside but have rarely seen them do that.

Feeds and Needs on Mountain Rd or any Vessey dealer sells these feeders.

I also am seeing RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD fledglings are coming to my feeder yard, the first I recall seeing them at my own feeder yard. They look like conservatively dressed females.

** Brian Stone recently got some great in situs photos of several flying damselfly species. Gilles Belliveau did an excellent job of identifying them and giving reasons for identification, describing the features he used to do so. Gilles's write up is too good not to be shared, so I'm sending it verbatim in today's report and will be a very good study for those with odonate interest and those thinking of getting more familiar with some of our common species. The photo series is placed in the latter section on the blog spot for easier viewing separation.

Quoting from Gilles Belliveau

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SEDGE SPRITES (Nehalennia irene). The first 2are mature males and the other 2 are teneral and possibly females but sex uncertain.

Male TAIGA BLUET (Coenagrion resolutum). Although the difference in colour often doesn't show up well in photos, this species generally appears more turquoise in coloration than our other Bluets. They are pretty easy to ID due to this difference in coloration but they also have less blue on each abdominal segment and the pattern on S2 is diagnostic (looks like a U with a thick bar intersecting the bottom of the U)

Male AURORA DAMSEL (Chromagrion conditum). This is another species that is quite easy to ID due to being black along the top of the thorax with blue on either side and yellow on the lower side of the thorax (not visible in this photo). They also have a mostly black abdomen except for thin blue rings at the base of each segment except at the tip which is blue). The Aurora Damsel - they will often perch with wings partially spread, similar to the Spreadwing damselflies. This sometimes confuses beginners into thinking they are one of the spreadwings but none of the spreadwings are that shade of blue.

Mature male BELTED WHITEFACE (Leucorrhinia proxima). The white pruinosity at the base of the abdomen combined with the red on the top of the thorax on mature males make them pretty easy to ID (young males and females a bit trickier). Also, some males can lack the pruinosity and look very similar to Crimson-ringed Whiteface but this occurs more in the western part of their range)

Mature male HUDSONIAN WHITEFACE (Leucorrhinia hudsonica). Again, mature male pretty easy to ID due to red spots down the dorsal surface of the abdomen (young males and females have similar pattern in yellow but immatures of other species can look similar so they are a bit trickier)

DUSKY CLUBTAIL (Gomphus spicatus). The pattern and coloration on the front of the thorax look right for this species and the terminal appendages in last 2 photos both show the small spine coming off the outside of the cerci and bending down which makes it visible from the top and from the side. Lancet Clubtail can look pretty similar but terminal appendages look different and they aren't as dusky on the thorax (they are also a bit smaller but that would not be visible in a photo)
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> Gilles Belliveau
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nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton