Nature Moncton Nature News: June 8 2015

** John Inman spotted a CRESTED CARACARA [Caracara huppé] flying past his 225 Mary's Point Road home at 2:20 p.m. on Sunday. He relocated it across the river and got a couple of photos of it on a fencepost. Several searched the area for it for 4 hours but could not find it again. They will be looking today and a report will be sent quickly if it is relocated. Dave Christie suspects that the dykelands should be a good location for this carrion-eating bird from the south. [No news as of 11 a.m.]

** David Cannon reports that Eric Wilson’s birding session went extremely well on Sunday morning at the Irishtown Nature Park, with a nice turnout to see and hear waterbirds and forest birds, too many to mention as Dave comments.

Afterwards, they went on walk with Alyre Chiasson to watch a LAMPREY EEL [Lamproie marin] below the spillway building its nest. It would dig out a hollow in the stream with vigorous body wagging, sending all the silt downstream. Then it would pick up exposed rocks and move them back to the hollow to build a wall at the end of it. Very interesting to watch in progress. Dave’s photos show it well. He also got a SPINY BASKET-TAIL dragonfly that had just emerged and cooperated for a photo.

** John Filliter and Clevie comment that they noted a few JELLYFISH [méduse] already at Cap-Brûlé. They also saw a EUROPEAN GREEN CRAB [Crabe européen], an invasive species that has invaded many parts of the Maritimes. I believe, it is just arriving into Shediac Bay.

** Aldo Dorio photographed an Empidonax flycatcher at Hay Island on Sunday. He suspected it to be a LEAST FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle tchébec]. A correction on a photo from Aldo that went out on June 5, labelled “Veery”; it was actually a SWAINSON'S THRUSH [Grive à dos olive] and is corrected and sent out today, and changed on the June 5 Blogspot.

** Brian Stone again got several observations in Mapleton Park, including CLINTONIA [Lis boréale] in bloom. He points out lots of NODDING TRILLIUM [Trille penché] in bloom now, a LAND SNAIL [limaçon], a CRANEFLY [tipule], MALLARDS [Canard colvert] with lots of ducklings, and a Crow dipping its bread booty to soften it..

** I was able to take in a bog field trip at the Festival of Nature in Sackville on Sunday, with leader David Mazerolle. David led the group to many unique bog plants, some uncommon in New Brunswick. Many are just coming into bloom, like MOUNTAIN HOLLY [Faux Houx], LEATHERLEAF [Faux bleuets], BOG-ROSEMARY [Andromède glauque], WATER-ARUM [Calla des marais], BOG LAUREL [Kalmia à feuilles d'Andromède], and a few rare SEDGES [laiches]. It was interesting to see new flower stalks of PITCHER-PLANTS [Petits cochons] in the midst of a clump of last year’s pitchers with fresh ones starting at the base of the flower stalk. The carnivorous plants, like SUNDEW [rossolis], BLADDERWORT [utriculaire] and the Pitcher-plants were abundant. A bonus was male BOBOLINKS [Goglu des prés] in full song, and a new COMMON RAVEN'S [Grand Corbeau] nest of the year, very high on a pylon near the covered bridge on the High Marsh Road.

The hard-working committee of the Chignecto Naturalists’ Club that organized the event impressed everyone with every detail being smoothly and effectively cared for. The huge effort of all volunteers was given high praise from participants and is a model for all future Festival of Nature weekends. Bravo, Chignecto Naturalists’ Club!

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton