Nature Moncton Nature News: SEPT 10 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Sept. 10, 2017 (Sunday)

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

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Mac Wilmot shares a photo of ALDER TONGUE (Taphrina alni) a Taphrina fungus that attacks the female cones of alder. It looks like long twisted extensions on the cones that are red when fresh in summer but turn black as fall approaches. It’s common on SPECKLED ALDER [Aulne blanchâtre] female cones at this time of year.

** Dale Gaskin was pleased to have some surprise yard visitors on Sunday morning, 3 young WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie], one young buck and two females; they were joined by a PORCUPINE [Porc-épic].

** Dave Christie leaves an interesting LEOPARD FROG [Grenouille léopard] observation. He often sees them when mowing his lawn in summer, but had only seen one all this summer. After the heavy rains of Wednesday and Thursday, things changed and he saw approximately 20 as he mowed the lawn on Saturday.

Dave says that the shorebirds at Mary’s Point beach have dropped to approximately 600 from the thousands of August, but are still mostly the same species: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau semipalmé], SEMIPALMATED PLOVER [Pluvier semipalmé], SANDERLING [Bécasseau sanderling], LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule] and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté]. Special are two RED KNOTS [Bécasseau maubèche] that he has been seeing on and off since mid August.

** Ray Gauvin got a photo of a YELLOW-COLLARED SCAPE MOTH [Cisseps à col orangé]. This day-flying moth has similarities to the Virginia Ctenucha day-flying moth that many of us saw earlier in the season and reported. The Yellow-collared Scape Moth is noticeably smaller and tends to have more narrow sooty coloured wings.

** Aldo Dorio photographed a young-of-the-year EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merle-bleu de l'Est] in his Néguac yard on September 9th. Note the down feathers that are still apparent. Aldo got some photos of a young SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé], a sandpiper that breeds in New Brunswick and will be leaving us soon. The juveniles do not have the spotted breast of the adult.

** Grandson Matt and I were fortunate to be able to join a pelagic trip on the Bay of Fundy for several hours on Saturday with Captain Russell Ingalls. Alain Clavette was very helpful in providing commentary. Fog tended to shroud the bay for the first hours and provided a beautiful fog bow before it lifted and on came the abundant sea life of the bay. There were lots of birds that we just don’t see when on land. One of the SOUTH POLAR SKUAS [Labbe de McCormack] seen put on an incredible show, along with NORTHERN FULMAR [Fulmar boréal], RED [Phalarope à bec large] and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES [Phalarope à bec étroit], LEACH’S [Océanite cul-blanc] and WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS [Océanite de Wilson], many GREAT SHEARWATERS [Puffin majeur], a few SOOTY SHEARWATERS [Puffin fuligineux], several LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun], FINBACK WHALES [Rorqual commun], HARBOUR PORPOISE [Marsouin commun], GRAY SEALS [Phoque gris], and more. A great day watching the bay’s inhabitants in their element!

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton