Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 15 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 15, 2018 ( Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Judy Marsh marshj@nbnet.nb.ca

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

** Leon Gagnon shares some photos of raptors he has photographed at the Wilson's Point area of Miscou . It is nice to see a SHORT-EARED OWL [Hibou des marais] flying the area. Leon also got a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK [Buse pattue]. It does seem very early to see this hawk species. However, there have been reports of early Rough-legged Hawks in other years, but nice to see one coming back to join us for the winter. He also got a family of MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] that fledged young in his area. Leon also got a close-up and action shot of a BROAD-WINGED HAWK [Petite Buse] on a Snowshoe Hare on a roadway as prey. The Snowshoe Hare is large prey for a Broad-winged Hawk , as its favourite prey is amphibians and reptiles. However, this may have been a smaller young of the year animal. Gilles Belliveau refers to a research paper that shows Broad-winged Hawks actually do choose young Snow-shoe Hares as prey. See the link attached, check it out, very interesting.

https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v089n01/p0139-p0145.pdf

** Fran Harris got an awesome photo of the night shy, to show several interesting objects. Curt Nason reviewed the photo to give a very helpful commentary, which is inclosed below. Thanks to Fran and Curt for sharing this informative item, of what a portion the shy above us holds.

Quoting Curt Nason

Nice shot, Fran! That is Mars to the lower left, 10 days after its closest approach in 15 years. Now look at where the Milky Way splits, just right of centre, into what I will call left and right Milky Way (LMW, RMW). On the inside edge of the LMW, a little lower than Mars, is a small pink patch. That is M8, the Lagoon, Nebula, and just above it but fainter is M20, the Trifid Nebula. The brighter circle just a bit higher and at 11 o'clock to M8 is Saturn. At about the same altitude and near the outside edge of the LMW is a fat star, which is actually about 100,000 stars in the globular cluster M22. Can you see the dark nebula called the Prancing Horse running over the treetops in the RMW?

End of Quote

** Karen and Jamie Burris released the two CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] they had been raising on Tuesday. They seemed to do very well as they watched them fly off together and go to a choke cherry tree and start feeding on the berries. As anyone knows, who has raised orphaned birds, it is a daunting full time job. The Burris' did the best they could and obviously were successful in giving them a chance to fly free and wild. Jamie got two still photos that show us what to look for to identify recently fledged Cedar Waxwings at the moment as well as a video of their release. Take a look at the release video at the attached link.

https://www.dropbox.com/preview/CEDAR%20WAXWINGS%20DAY%2017%20RELEASED%20INTO%20THE%20WILD%20AUG%2014%202018%20%281%29.MOV

** Judy and Sterling Marsh had a HUMMINGBIRD CLEAR-WINGED MOTH visit their flower bed on Tuesday. Sterling got a photo of it to show its features clearly, which is very difficult to achieve at the speed they move and beat their wings.

**Rheal Vienneau gave a demonstration on tagging MONARCH [Monarque] butterflies at his Dieppe home on Tuesday, to give a large group an appreciation of his efforts. Rheal takes eggs and caterpillars he finds and grows them out to adults and places especially designed tags on their wings. These newly hatched adults at this point will be migrating to Mexico to over winter. It is hoped some of the tags will be spotted there to learn more about their migration. By growing them out under protection, it is thought that over 90% will be starting the migratory trip to Mexico.

** Aldo Dorio got photos of two large insects on Tuesday. A CRANEFLY was day perched on a brick wall. We have several species of Craneflies in New Brunswick looking like giant mosquitos. They are harmless to man. They lay eggs that form an under ground grub, called LEATHER JACKETS. He also got a photo of a PELECINID Wasp. This large insect is predatory on June Beetle larval grubs. It's very long angled abdoman section actually identifies it, which it uses to probe for June Beetle larva to deposit its eggs on.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton