Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 30 2016

** Catherine Hamilton got some awesome photos of a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] on Sunday. A bee is in some of the photos as well. It’s a female or juvenile bird.

** Chuck Prince got a photo of a female WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie]with triplets in tow with his trail camera on August 16. I suspect the mild winter made triplets more possible. He also got a trail-cam photo of 2 BLACK BEAR [Ours noir] cubs playing with each other on August 17.

** Marguerite Winsor found 2 BLACK SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLARS [Papillon du celery] on her dill plants on August 18 which was much later than last summer when she had 7 caterpillars. One went into a chrysalis on August 28 and the other has stopped eating.

** Jamie and Karen Burris were on the Tantramar Marsh on Saturday and tallied 15 NORTHERN HARRIERS [Busard Saint-Martin]. Jamie got a striking photo of a juvenile bird taking prey. Jamie also comments the recent cold front brought on some mushrooms they enjoy as edibles: including many BOLETES, HORSE MUSHROOMS, and one of their favourites the SWEET BREAD MUSHROOM. I, as well, came across excellent huge HORSE MUSHROOMS on Sunday in Cap Pelé that made for a special breakfast with toast.

** More photos to add from Saturday’s shorebird field trip. Louise Nichols captured an excellent photo of a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER [Bécassin roux] in flight to show the extensive white up the back in flight; more RED KNOTS [Bécasseau maubèche], and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau à croupion blanc] that was harder to nail down to identify while perched with wings closed.

** On driving the TC Highway through the Tantramar Marsh on Monday I spotted a raptor perched on a hay bale. A long distance zoomed in photo shows it to be a beautiful juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin]. After Jamie and Karen Burris’s comments on 15 Northern Harriers on the weekend there, and the SHORT-EARED OWLS [Hibou des marais] we know are there, the MEADOW VOLE [Campagnol des champs] population must be very significant. It should bode well for a nice upcoming winter of raptors on the marsh as it was last year.

** There were 2 mis-labeled photos in Monday’s edition. Two that were labelled Red Knot are obviously LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Petit Chevalier] - thanks to those who pointed out the error , and the blog spot has been corrected.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton