Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 3 2015

** Dave Christie reports that the very high tide at Mary's Point on Sunday prevented SHOREBIRDS [oiseaux de rivage] from roosting, with water levels up to the grass. However, when the tide receded [2 to 3 hours later], flocks arrived and put on a nice display of action. Dave felt the peak number was about 5000.

** Louise Nichols came across an interesting looking egg mass in her Sackville pond recently. Alyre Chiasson has advised that in his opinion it is that of one of our native CADDISFLY [Tricoptère] species. The green within it, Alyre points out, is the symbiotic algae that provide oxygen to the larvae.

** Anne Marsch photographed a RASPBERRY PYRAUSTA (Pyrausta sp.) moth in her Lower Coverdale yard recently, and got a documentary photo. This is a very uncommonly reported moth in New Brunswick. Its name must come from its bright raspberry colour, as its host plant is Horse-Mint [Monarde écarlate]

** The very large caterpillars of the SPHINX MOTH [Sphingidés] group are starting to appear. Some of these are very striking. Aldo Dorio photographed one on Saturday that will require some checking to identify. He also got a GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY [Argynne cybèle] nectaring on the popular nectar source, JOE-PYE-WEED [Eupatoire maculée].

** The HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING [Sphinx colibri] moths are still flying. One decided to check out the arm of Judy Marsh. Sterling got a photo of it there and after he had placed it on a nearby grass blade.

** Several of us followed Alain Clavette and Roger LeBlanc on a shorebird round on Sunday. At the first stop at the Sackville Waterfowl Park, were GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier], LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Petit Chevalier], SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER [Bécassin roux], WILSON'S SNIPE [Bécassine de Wilson] and LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule]. A stop at Ram Pasture, near Sackville, had no shorebirds but NELSON'S SPARROWS [Bruant de Nelson] were a highlight. At Johnson’s Mills, where the tide was very high for roosting birds at high tide, similar to what Dave Christie mentioned at Mary's Point, but they did start roosting and feeding at the first signs of receding tide. There were lots of awesome aerial displays with PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] activity. The staff there estimated the group in the area on Sunday at about 70,000. At Cape Tormentine and Ann’s Acres, a nice selection of the species seen earlier in the day were present to give nice observations.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton