Nature Moncton Nature News: August 22 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 22, 2017 (Tuesday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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** Gordon Rattray comments that he is getting a nice variety of patrons to his bird feeder site of expected regulars. Gordon also was pleased to have a suspected EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE [Pioui de l'Est] come by his yard. We sure don’t often get this little specialty. The identity from the photo is uncertain, but suspected. The long primaries and general plumage is consistent with this species. This may be an immature as the adult has a dark upper mandible with lower mandible dull orange which does not show in the photo. Gordon also got a photo of Monday’s PARTIAL ECLIPSE in progress.

** Brian Stone got a clear sky to get the PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE on film. He made a pinhole camera on his hand and shot the eclipse through his fist as well. He came up with a great composite to show the whole event. We should have had someone take a photo of his “pinhole camera”. It is a bit hard to get a mental image of it.

** Some of the items Aldo Dorio came across in his photo rounds on Monday were a fresh VICEROY BUTTERFLY, a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER [Paruline à flancs marron] and a RED-EYED VIREO [Viréo aux yeux rouges]. It is getting toward that time when some of the warbler species are going into basic plumage to make for second looks. The Red-eyed Vireo is probably a young of the year as it appears to have no red in the eye which I understand we don’t see in New Brunswick in this season’s young.

** Several of us made a trek up Big Bald Peak Mountain outside of Miramichi on Sunday with botany specialties to the area on mind. The base of the mountain is accessed by well-travelled logging roads. A plump AMERICAN TOAD [Crapaud d'Amérique] greeted us at the base, with lots of uncommon plants to sleuth out. A sedge species not found in New Brunswick since 1983 was a highlight for plant records. Several species of DWARF BIRCH were noted, HEART-LEAVED PAPER BIRCH, NORTHERN CAMANDRA sporting its berries, COW-WHEAT, APPALACHIAN FIR-CLUBMOSS, lots of MOUNTAIN CRANBERRY (called PARTRIDGE BERRY in Newfoundland), CROWBERRY and FRAGRANT CLIFF FERN which turned out to be a nice find, but true to its name, on a cliff face, giving a challenge for those who wanted to have an audience -- but very worth it.

I’m sure many of us have seen black blueberries among the normally blue-coloured berries. Jim Goltz pointed out that this used to be considered a separate species; however, now it has been shown to be a colour morph of our everyday blueberries without the hoary blue coating. Take a regular blueberry, easily rub off the hoary blue coating, and voila – a black blueberry looking much like a huckleberry. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL [Bec-croisé bifascié] songs filled the air during the route, appreciating the excellent cone crop this year.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton