Nature Moncton Nature News: July 9 2015

** David Christie leaves some observations of the Mary’s Point area on Tuesday . He crossed the Shepody Marsh Road from Harvey to Hopewell Hill on Tuesday to note a NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin] hunting low for food and successful in getting prey. It flew about excitedly calling, then quickly a female appeared. The male dropped its catch to the female which caught it promptly to take off very likely to a nest as the male continued on hunting. a nice nature scenario to watch.

Also on Tuesday a WILLET [Chevalier semipalmé] flew into the Lars Larsen Marsh in Harvey as Dave drove past and it went into the cattails. Dave does not see one every year in this area or around Mary’s Point and it was the first shorebird he had seen in the area dispersing after breeding and has seen no peeps on the shore as yet but has not searched extensively as yet.

** An interesting BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY scenario on Wednesday, Marguerite Windsor had 8 Black Swallowtail caterpillars appear in her Salisbury Road garden dill patch and dropped off 4 to share with me to rear. When she returned home later in the day a caterpillar had constructed its chrysalis during the interim. The photo that she shares shows it had to have been very recently constructed.

**Aldo Dorio got photos of a VICEROY BUTTERFLY on Wednesday. It is important to note to get very familiar with this species so as not to confuse it with the larger MONARCH BUTTERFLY that so many of us are watching for at the moment.

Also Aldo got a photo of the VIRGINIA CTENUCHA MOTH, a common day- flying moth at the moment that is small to medium in size. Brian Stone and I saw many of these moths while checking among the thousands of common milkweed plants just coming into bloom at the Moncton CN rail yard on Wednesday. We could not get one of them to settle down for a photo but did get a photo of a female BRONZE COPPER butterfly at Bell Marsh. It was very much on a mission and uncooperative for a photo. Also noted at Bell Marsh was a striking small plant, COMMON BLADDERWORT in full yellow bloom and quite abundant. This is an insectivorous plant, taking in small insects stages with its underwater bladder sacks.

Also some of the chokecherry trees were showing infection from the chokecherry gall midge with a photo of the larval stage within the gall.

a RED FOX was noted crossing the street near Saint Anselme that did not look good at all. Its pelage was rough and sparse suggestive of sarcoptic mange.

** Pat and I both made a grab for binoculars on Wednesday morning when we saw an unfamiliar yellowish bird with dark stripes. It turned out to be a young of the year RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes. I do not recall seeing them showing this plumage colouration before but obviously it is common. Photos from front and rear are attached.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton