Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 15 2015

** The first Nature Moncton meeting of the season will take place tonight Tuesday evening, September 15, with guest speaker to start at 7 pm at the Mapleton Park Rotary Pavilion across from Cabella’s. The guest speaker will be Courtney Smith from the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance that will have lots to share on the WOOD TURTLE [Tortue des bois], and how it’s doing locally after working for 2 years on a Wood Turtle project in the Petitcodiac River watershed. The announcement of her presentation is added to this transcription, and as always everyone is welcome !

“Courtney Smith of the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance will be speaking about a study of the Wood Turtle, Glyptemys insculpta, that has been undertaken within the Petitcodiac River watershed. The Wood Turtle is a long lived, semi-aquatic, species that is endemic to northeast North America, and is in various stages of decline throughout its range. In New Brunswick it is listed as threatened on the Species At Risk Act. In 2014 and 2015, field work was conducted throughout the watershed to determine wood turtle habitat as well as daily activities such as foraging, copulating, and overwintering. Much effort was focused on assessing threats within the habitats as well as outreach to riparian landowners and watershed citizens.

The purpose of Courtney's talk will be to present the results of her fieldwork and outreach, and to provide listeners with an understanding of the current threats facing wood turtles in New Brunswick.”

** Susan Atkinson invites anyone interested to join her at 6 pm tonight for a brief nature walk into Mapleton Park before the Nature Moncton meeting tonight. Anyone interested just be in the parking lot at the Pavilion at 6 pm.

** Carmella Melanson shares an excellent photo of a DICKCISSEL [Dickcissel d’Amérique] she photographed at Castalia Marsh in Grand Manan on Sunday morning. This is a species we should start seeing in small numbers at this time of the year that can get overlooked among the sparrows.

** Maria Allain captured a nice photo of a KATYDID , known as ROESEL’s KATYDID, which I have not encountered and don’t recall hearing of in NB, although it may well be more present than documented. Bug Guide verified the identification as a female.

** Louis-Emile Cormier found approximately 150 NODDING LADIES’-TRESSES ORCHID plants in full bloom the past week at the Cocagne Marina. This orchid is appearing on schedule as a late blooming orchid. Richard Perron got close up photos of the blooms as well as a portion of the patch.

** Louise Richard got a photo of a very freshly emerged FLY AGARIC mushroom. This is one that has that “candy apple with dandruff look”, it can be orange, red or yellow. This is not an edible species. Louise also got a visit from a BLUE-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre à points bleus] under a piece of thick plywood on the ground that she uses to draw them for shelter and observation.

** Alma White had a large spider maintaining a web at a window near her apartment for the past few weeks, it posed for photos on Monday. It is a CROSS SPIDER showing the cross markings on the dorsal surface. This spider, resident of NB, like all NB spiders, is not only harmless to humans but beneficial.

** The Katydid numbers of the Orthoptera group of insects we often note this time of year calling (stridulating), Brian Stone photographed 2 species in his Moncton yard on Monday. The BLACK HORNED CRICKET (not a katydid) makes a steady sound similar to a very fast American Toad - the speed affected by temperature; Brian also got a photo of a MEADOW KATYDID. Also in his yard was a CRANE FLY and a HARVESTMAN insect. Look closely at the Harvestman and one can note some red MITE hitchhikers.

** Jocelyne Ross shares some nice action photos of a GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron] successfully stocking prey; an OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] in flight, and a nest scenario, as well as the large number of COMMON TERNS [Sterne pierregarin] in the Pointe du Chene - Parlee Beach area, noting a few BONAPARTE'S GULL [Mouette de Bonaparte] blended in, and a photo showing how the DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT [Cormoran à aigrettes] are flocking up.

** Georges Brun got a photo of a very odly plumaged, partial albino bird of uncertain identity. In consultation with Gilles Belliveau we both were considering American Robin at first, then started to realize it had a lot of characteristics of the Northern Mockingbird, probably a juvenile growing a tail. The all black bill seems small for a Robin, no white around the eye, and the white wing patch is in a spot you would expect for a Mockingbird. Tail length is not right for a Mockingbird, but it is possibly growing in. Other opinions would be appreciated and welcomed. Georges also got a photo of a SEVEN SPOTTED LADY BEETLE seeming to forage on aphids on a maturing head of the plant, Queen Anne's Lace.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton