Nature Moncton Nature News: July 17 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 17, 2018 (Tuesday)

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Kerry Lee Morris-Cormier, the manager of the Johnson’s Mills interpretive center, sends her first report commenting that the first report of the shorebirds that they have received for Shepody Bay came from Paul Gaudet at Hopewell Rocks who saw twenty five on Friday morning, July 13. Later that day locals reported seeing seven at Johnson’s Mills. She includes a picture of a flock seen on Monday’s 13.5 meter high tide. The estimated number of birds in the photo is 275. She would be interested to hear if any others have come up with a different tally. It is a great time of the season to practice counting birds. The Johnson's Mills Interpretive centre telephone number is 506-379-6347.

The interpretive center is located at 2724 Route 935, which is 8 km away from Dorchester following the Cape Rd. and is open seven days a week. The Dorchester N.B. Sandpiper Festival is on for July 27 to 29. One of the events is a shorebird workshop with Roger Leblanc on Sunday, July 27. She hopes to see everyone this summer and if anyone has any questions don’t hesitate to call.

** Elaine Gallant leaves a report on activity that she has noticed in the last few days. She has a young of the year BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD [Vacher à tête brune] coming to her feeder yard in Parlee Beach. She comments that it is not surprising as she has seen a pair of adult Brown-headed Cowbirds around her feeder yard earlier. There has been a Common Tern colony on a sandbar off the Robichaud area for many years. Elaine notes that there is not one nest on that sandbar this year. Brian Stone and I visited that colony a few years ago and the number of nests was a real surprise.

Elaine comments that the COMMON TERN [Sterne pierregarin] colony at Pointe-du-Chene that is using manmade platforms has increased in size notably and is doing well so some of the Robichaud birds may have chosen that site as a better location. Elaine is also seeing NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS [Moqueur polyglotte], suspecting a nesting pair on the Ben Lirette Rd. in Grand-Barachois near the water. There is also an OSPREY [Balbuzard pêcheur] nest at that site with the adults feeding young at the moment.

** Lisa Morris came across a WHITE-SPOTTED SAWYER BEETLE recently that cooperated for a photo. The larval grub of this beetle feeds on weak or recently dead conifers as well as felled conifers. Lisa comments that it looks like it has a white heart on its nape which sounds like a good ID feature.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of a POLYPHEMUS MOTH day perched. This is one of our larger moths and Aldo’s specimen appears quite fresh. They will become one of the large, green caterpillars that we will see in later summer.

** I had my first MONARCH BUTTERFLY [Monarque] visit my Common Milkweed and Swamp Milkweed patch in my Moncton yard in the past few days. I did not see the adult visiting however eggs have been deposited. A few photos are attached.

I am also attaching a photo of a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON [Bihoreau gris] at the Stonehaven wharf near Grande-Anse on Friday in much better light.

We are all seeing many more flowering plants that are on their missions at the moment. I am attaching some photos of COMMON TANSY as a group of plants and also a close up of their flowering heads. At Kouchibouguac National Park on Saturday WINTERBERRY HOLLY was in bloom showing their small sets of white flowers on the shrubs. We will see them in the winter as clumps of pea sized bright red berries that cling to the bush all winter which will be attractive to birds to forage upon. Another photo is attached of the parasitic plant PINESAP that flourishes without the need to photosynthesize due to its parasitic life style. Some orchid photos are also added. There were many Rose Pagonia. White-fringed,

And Calopogon orchids in bloom at the KNP Bog on Saturday, July 14.

There is also a small, fluorescent fly that I have noted in significant numbers on the Milkweed plants and have wondered if they were any threat to the Monarch activity. BugGuide has identified the fly as a LONG-LEGGED FLY and points out that they are very commonly found on various types of vegetation. The larvae do eat small insects or plant matter but BugGuide felt that they are not a threat to Monarch butterflies, especially with the toxins that Monarchs contain. I am attaching a photo of my own of the fly and a much better one provided by BugGuide.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton