Nature Moncton Nature News: June 7 2015

** On Friday, Susan Richards got a photo of of a NORTHERN PARULA [Paruline à collier] that nicely shows its identification features. Susan also shares a photo of the Ducks Unlimited signage, placed at the Taylor Village Marsh.

** Anna Tucker visited Mapleton Park on Thursday and got photos of CEDAR WAXWING [Jaseur d’Amérique], NODDING TRILLIUM [Trille penché], WILD LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY [Muguet], CABBAGE BUTTERFLY [Piéride du chou], STEMLESS LADY’s-SLIPPER [Sabot de la Vierge] about to bloom, and also a BALTIMORE ORIOLE [Oriole de Baltimore], a species that has come to enjoy orange sections at a friend’s home for the past three years, in late May.

** Louise Nichols attended a visit to the La Coupe bog, near Sackville, with 'Festival of Nature' leader Ruth Newell and got some nice photos of emerging bog plants, some of which we don’t see unless visiting wet bog sites. They included BAKE-APPLE [Ronce petit-mûrier], THREE-LEAVED SOLOMON’S-SEAL [Smilacine trifolée], RHODORA [Rhododendron du Canada], BOGBEAN [Ményanthe trifolié], BOG-ROSEMARY [Andromède glauque], BOG LAUREL [Kalmia à feuilles d'Andromède], LEATHERLEAF [Faux bleuets] and PITCHER-PLANT [Petits cochons].

** Dave Christie mentions he saw the first BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS [Pluvier argenté] (2) that he has seen this season on Mary's Point beach on Saturday.

It’s that time when more animals become road-kills, which brings up a suggestion that Dave and I, and I suspect others, do as well. He came across a SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique] dead on the main highway with a RED FOX [Renard roux] trying to get to it, putting itself in danger. He stopped to remove the carcass off the highway so that nature could recycle itself safely. Carrying a small shovel can be very useful when one can stop safely and do this. [Transcriber’s note: I just used the grab-it-by-a-hind-foot technique.]

** Brian Stone photographed a WILLET [Chevalier semipalmé] at L’Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pelé on Saturday. The Willet is a shorebird that regularly nests in that area. It can get very loud, calling its name.

** The now-resident GRAY CATBIRD [Moqueur chat] at our Moncton feeding area is still enjoying its grape jelly but has recently started to go to the peanut butter bar for a chaser, as well as occasionally visiting a sunflower chip feeder. Two photos are added. One shows the only area of brighter colour on this species, the rusty undertail coverts.

Nelson Poirier

<nelson@nb.sympatico.ca>,

Nature Moncton