Nature Moncton Nature News: June 29 2015

** Louise Nichols reports that she is noting more odonates [dragonflies and damselflies] around her Sackville yard pond this spring. She’s not sure whether she is really seeing more or recent reports have all of us looking for more. Two species she was able to photograph are DOT-TAILED WHITEFACE [Leucorrhine mouchetée] and DUSKY CLUBTAIL [Gomphe pointu], two species that many of us are getting to know from Gilles Belliveau’s excellent commentary. Gilles has been updating his very helpful website, Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Brunswick at http://odonatanb.com a highly recommended site to visit; you’ll soon be hooked on these fascinating flying machines if you’re not hooked already. With some ode photo series, I have sent them out on Blogspot only, as this does not use recipients’ mailbox space.

** Clarence Cormier reported an adult male PINE GROSBEAK [Durbec des sapins] at Grande-Digue approximately two weeks ago. Clarence now feels that he was in error and suspects that he possibly mistook a bright male PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré].

** A bit more from the New Scotland Road butterfly expedition on Saturday. Brian Stone got a photo of a HARRIS’S CHECKERSPOT [Damier de Harris] caterpillar. This larva is very similar to the BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT [Baltimore] caterpillar. Some of the photos taken while exploring for Silvery Checkerspots showed that some fresh Harris’s Checkerspot butterflies were flying as well that day. The differences are surprisingly clear when photos are displayed on a computer screen. Also on that day, Brian photographed a CRAB SPIDER attacking a WEEVIL [charançon], a SAWFLY [cèphe], a FALSE CROCUS GEOMETER [Géomètre safran] moth, which is a yellow, mid-sized moth that flies some by day.

** On bird-feeder activity, I mentioned a few days ago that I had not seen woodpeckers using the Starling-resistant Suet Palace from underneath. They must have overheard and one given the others the idea, as a pair of DOWNY WOODPECKERS [Pic mineur] and several BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire] are now feeding upside-down quite steadily.

We have only one pair of HOUSE FINCHES [Roselin familier] at the moment and they posed for a photo; AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune] are the most numerous patrons, with a few PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins]. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] and COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] are swelling in numbers again, as well as MOURNING DOVES [Tourterelle triste] that we assume are bringing young.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton