Nature Moncton Nature News: 2016-07-03

Saturday, 9 July 2016

July 9 2016

**Gordon Rattray joined the Botany Club field trip to Shea Lake near Plaster Rock on July 1st, and shares some of the photos of special flowering plants in this special area, to include BOGBEAN [Herbe à canards], ARETHUSA Orchid [Aréthuse bulbeuse], YELLOW LADY'S-SLIPPER Orchid [Cypripède jaune], SHOWY LADY'S-SLIPPER Orchid [Cypripède royal], SMALL ROUND-LEAVED ORCHID [Orchis à feuille ronde], and LAPLAND BUTTERCUP [Renoncule de Lapponie]. The latter two are classed as S1 in New Brunswick’s occurrence rating.

**A point not mentioned yesterday was the phone number at the Johnson’s Mills Nature Conservancy of Canada site. Call (506) 379-6347 any time for a recorded message or to speak to an interpreter.

**It may have been cool but the Butterflies must have been out at Hay Island on Thursday. Aldo Dorio got a photo of the butterflies NORTHERN PEARLY-EYE [Satyre perlé], a WHITE ADMIRAL [Amiral], and RED ADMIRAL [Vulcain]. He also came across a KILLDEER [Pluvier kildir] appearing to be faking injury to distract from a nest. He also got a photo of a YELLOW-STRIPED GRASSHOPPER [Criquet birayé].

**Brian Stone got a photo recently of a Bluet Damselfly [Agrion] with Mites [Acarien] on board. These Mites may or may not be a problem to the Damselfly. They may simply be hitchhiking to get to another place. That seems to be a common scenario with some Mite species which cannot fly. The technical term for the habit is phoresis, with the Mites being phoretic.

**We don’t seem to get many bird-feeding reports in summer. We usually keep only a few feeders up in town, as we are away a lot. The Moncton feeder always has HOUSE FINCH [Roselin familier] visiting. The House Finch is so urbanized it would be rarely seen at a feeder outside of a city or town. It is often confused with the PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] but is easy to differentiate when used to seeing them. The female House Finch lacks the white superciliary line over the eye of the female Purple Finch, and the male House Finch is very variable, but always with more brown striping on the flank and more brown areas of plumage. The House Finch has a more squared-off tail than the notched tail of the Purple Finch. The House Finch also stays in New Brunswick year-round.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

ARETHUSA AKA DRAGON'S MOUTH.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

BLUET DAMSELFLY WITH MITES 06. JULY 06, 2016. BRIAN STONE

BOGBEAN.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

HOUSE FINCH PAIR.JULY 8, 2016.NELSON POIRIER,

KILLDEER. JULY 8, 2016.ALDO DORIO

LAPLAND BUTTERCUP.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

NORTHERN PEARLY-EYE BUTTERFLY. JULY 8, 2016.ALDO DORIO

RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY. JULY 8, 2016.ALDO DORIO

SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

SMALL ROUND-LEAVED ORCHID.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

YELLOW-STRIPED GRASSHOPPER. JULY 8, 2016.ALDO DORIO

WHITE ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY. JULY 8, 2016.ALDO DORIO

YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER.JULY 1, 2016.GORDON RATTRAY

Friday, 8 July 2016

July 8 2016

** Kerry-Lee Morris Cormier reports in just to let everyone know the Nature Conservancy of Canada Shorebird Interpretive Centre at Johnson's Mills is open daily from 9:00 to 5:00. They're located at 2724, Rte 935, 8 km past Dorchester. Admission is by donation. Visitors are welcome after hours. The Centre is now powered by solar energy. The observation deck was improved thanks to the Moncton carpentry students and NBCC. and they have a cell phone charging station and Wi-Fi now. The shoreline that they protect for shorebirds eroded in some areas over the past two years. After monitoring roosts during the 13.2 meter high tide on July 5th, they were relieved to find that large areas of beach remain available above the high tide mark. No shorebirds to report yet, but maybe by next weekend. Recent sightings include PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin], BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche], NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin], GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron], DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT [Cormoran à aigrettes], BLACK SCOTER [Macreuse noire], BANK SWALLOW [Hirondelle de rivage], SWAINSON'S THRUSH [Grive à dos olive] and lots of other songbirds.

** Jamie Burris shares a group of excellent photos of recent observations that include the saprophyte plant PINESAP [Monotrope sucepin], the mushrooms CHANTERELE [Girolle] and KING BOLETE [Cèpe de Bordeaux], both of which are delicious edibles, a pink LADY SLIPPER ORCHID, SNOWSHOE HARE [Lièvre d'Amérique], WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie], a SILVER-BORDERED FRITILLARY [Boloria à taches argentées] butterfly and more. The photos were all taken between Riverview, Dawson and Hillsborough over the past few weeks.

** Brian Stone shares some nature photos over the past few days of MALLARD [Canard colvert] and ducklings now closing in on the size of the hen and a cloud formation that caught his photographic eye.

** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this transcription, courtesy of Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 9 – July 16

Astronomically, the fate of Mars is in the balance. That is, the planet
currently is within the constellation of Libra the Balance (or Scales).
The Greeks saw this area as the claws of the scorpion, but later it
became a balance. One possibility for the change was that Scorpius was
considered too large for a single zodiac constellation, and the Sun was
in this area at the autumnal equinox when the lengths of day and night
were balanced. A balance was also used for weighing crops at this time
of year. Babylonians saw the constellation as a balance before the
Greeks, and the Babylonian name for balance bears a resemblance to the
Greek word for a scorpion’s claw.

The two brightest stars in Libra are favourites of mine, as I consider
it a victory to say them rapidly. They are Zubeneschamali, which means
the northern claw, and Zubenelgenubi the southern claw. I like to call
them Zubie Deux or ZZ Atop. Zubie South is a double star in binoculars,
and some people see Zubie North as having a greenish tinge. It might
have been the power of suggestion but I noticed that once when viewing
it with a telescope. Although many stars display colour, which indicates
their outer temperature, stars with a temperature corresponding to green
would also have enough red and blue components to make the star look white.

The two Zubies form the beam of the balance, while the next two
brightest stars to the lower left are seen as the weighing pans of
Libra. The Sun’s path, called the ecliptic, passes just south of
Zubenelgenubi. Therefore, the planets and the Moon can pass between the
two Zubies on occasion, prompting the ancient Greeks to call them the
Pillars of Hercules after the rocks of Gibraltar.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:38 am and sunset will occur at
9:11 pm, giving 15 hours, 33 minutes of daylight (5:46 am and 9:13 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:44 am and set at 9:06
pm, giving 15 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (5:52 am and 9:08 pm in
Saint John).

The Moon is at first quarter on Monday and it teams up with Mars and
Saturn late in the week. On Tuesday use a scope to see Jupiter’s largest
moon Ganymede reappear from behind the planet at 9:38 pm and then
disappear into Jupiter’s shadow at 10:46. Mars and Saturn make a
colourful pair in the south, with Mars being bright orange and Saturn
displaying a subtle yellow shade less than a hand span to its left. For
a binocular challenge late in the week, try to spot Venus and Mercury
close together above the WNW horizon a half hour after sunset. Mercury
is about a degree to the right of brighter Venus on Thursday and Friday
and above it on the weekend.

Due to an unfavourable weather forecast the RASC NB star party at
Mactaquac campground this weekend has been postponed.

Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

BLACK DUCK (FEMALE). JULY 06, 2016. BRIAN STONE

CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL. JUNE,2016.JAMIE BURRIS

CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS,KING BOLETE IN RIGHT CORNER.JULY 7, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS.JULY 7, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

COMMON RAVEN.JUNE, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

INTERESTING CLOUD. JULY 06, 2016. BRIAN STONE

KING BOLETE MUSHROOM.JULY 7, 2016..JAMIE BURRIS

Libra

MALLARD DUCK FAMILY 03. JULY 06, 2016. BRIAN STONE

MALLARD DUCKLINGS. JULY 06, 2016. BRIAN STONE

NATURE CONSERVANCY INTERPRETERS AT JOHNSON'S MILLS. JULY, 2016

PINESAP.JULY 7, 2016..JAMIE BURRIS

PINK LADY'S SLIPPER ORCHID.JUNE, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

SILVER-BORDERED FRITILLARY.JUNE, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

SNOWSHOE HARE.JUNE, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

WHITE-TAILED DEER.JUNE, 2016.JAMIE BURRIS

WILLET.JULY 1, 2016..JAMIE BURRIS.

Thursday, 7 July 2016

July 7 2016

** The shorebirds are starting their southerly migration, and David Christie heard his first of the season ... a calling LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule] on Wednesday, July 06, at Mary's Point. The Least Sandpiper and the Lesser Yellowlegs are often the first of the advance guard of shorebirds to arrive.

** Georges Brun got a photo of a HARBOUR SEAL [Phoque commun] that came up the Petitcodiac River on Wednesday, just after Tidal Bore arrival.

** Debbie Batog in McKees Mills has had a Woodchuck, aka GROUNDHOG [Marmotte commune], take a liking to the fresh, succulent grass under her birdfeeder recently.

** Gordon Rattray paid a visit to Grey Brook Marsh and pond in Hillsborough on Wednesday to spot an AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d'Amérique] hen with seven ducklings, however a NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] cruised by with twelve ducklings in tow. Gordon also got nice photos of RED ADMIRAL [Vulcain] and VICEROY [Vice-roi] butterflies, a LANCET CLUBTAIL dragonfly, and an adult SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé]. We should be seeing the juvenile Spotted Sandpipers soon that don't sport a spotted breast.

** Aldo Dorio photographed three Sparrow species at Hay Island on Wednesday, including a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés] carrying food, a CHIPPING SPARROW [Bruant familier] and a SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur]. Nelson's Sparrows are also well represented there, but are tough to photograph while being easy to hear vocalizing. Aldo also got a butterfly that Jim Edsall feels is probably a SILVERY BLUE [Bleu argenté] due to the solid black border and white fringe, and also because it is on Vetch. It's hard to rule out the rare Greenish BLUE Butterfly, that is only known from the St. Leonard airport in N.B. at the moment.

** Brian Stone was out in the warmth of Wednesday to get photos of Damselflies in a mating wheel, an EBONY JEWELWING DAMSELFLY, a RAINBOW BEETLE, WATER STRIDERS, and one of our FISHFLY species. These are large winged, flying insects we see at this time of year, usually near water, that include the Dobson Fly, the Alder Fly, and the dark one Brian photographed in the genus Nigronia. Some of the Fishfly species have a wingspan of up to five inches.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca