Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 11 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Sep. 11, 2017 (Monday)

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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)

** Great to see AMERICAN PIPITS [Pipit d'Amérique] starting to appear on our coastline as they move south. Aldo Dorio got photos of one from a rear view on Sunday at Hay Island. He also had observations of this species when a group made a foraging stop on the shoreline there last year. He has only spotted the one so far.This bird breeds on the tundra in the far north and we get small numbers migrating south through New Brunswick at this time of year. This bird is 6.5 inches in length; note the white outer feathers of its tail that is often bobbing. Aldo’s bird did not cooperate for a frontal view. Thanks to Gilles Belliveau for his identification assistance.

** On September 8th, a video was published of a very lively ground wasp nest, taken by Ray Gauvin. The link given that day was incorrect. Take a second look today at the attached, corrected link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h2avvwjvitzxx1f/MVI_8827.MOV?dl=0

It is also corrected on the Sept. 8 issue of the blogspot.

** Janet Cormier got a photo of a STINK BUG [punaise] that attached to her car mirror for a day rest, to nicely show the signature shape of this relatively common bug that can indeed secrete an odoriferous liquid when disturbed.

** On Sunday, grandson Matt and I were treated to another great day on the Bay of Fundy, visiting Kent Island, as part of a pelagic weekend organized by Alain Clavette and under direction of Captain Russell Ingalls. Kent Island is a very special as the home of Bowdoin College research station, which does a lot of research and bird monitoring there. The island hosts 25,000 pairs of nesting LEACH’S STORM-PETRELS [Océanite cup-blanc], which nest in burrows in the wooded area of the island. The parent birds are gone all day foraging and come back to the island at night to feed their one chick. To briefly show the group, Captain Ingalls gently reached into one burrow to bring out a chick, a nestling the beauty of which only its parent could appreciate. Note the large tube on the beak that will excrete salt, as this species spends all its life at sea, except to nest.

The island is also on a migratory route, and uncommon birds frequently pass through. On Sunday they included a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT [Paruline polyglot] and a LARK SPARROW [Bruant à joues marron], along with many expected warblers. A late BRONZE COPPER [Bronzé] butterfly was noted nectaring, and a nautical Kent Island clothesline was amusing.
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nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton