Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 13 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Thursday Sept. 13, 2018

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**A triple whammy for Roger Leblanc on Wednesday with no less than 3 STILT SANDPIPERS located on a visit to the Rotary Park in Bouctouche. It was just a few days ago Roger and Alain Clavette located a stilt sandpiper at the Amherst water treatment ponds. There were also several LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, along with both GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS and some peeps at the Bouctouche Rotary Park on Wednesday. Âs Roger comments it was a good spot to see shorebirds.

**Carmella Melanson got an awesome photo of a group of 10 SANDHILLS CRANES in Rexton on Wednesday. She saw them from the NB trail, on the right of Bonar Law Ave.

Sandhill Cranes were also reported at this same location last year.Â

2 Sandhill Cranes were reported there in May of this year and 10 of them in early August. They appear to be all adults.

It would be very interesting to know just where these birds have spent time over the summer.

**Brian Coyle experienced a migratory pocket of warblers in his Upper Mountain Rd yard on Wednesday evening. There were at least 6 young-of-the-year MAGNOLIA warblers and seemingly as many PALM warblers. They were concentrating on the tops of Spruce trees, poking and probing among the needles. On checking with Gilles Belliveau he wonders about one bird, thought at first to be a PALM warbler, may be a CAPE MAY warbler due to the darker black streaking on the chest and the brightness of the yellow, suggesting it could be an adult male Cape May in non breeding plumage.

Fall warblers can be a challenge for photos.

Brian Coyle also comments how he took note of that distinct hook on the upper bill of the RED-EYED VIREO that he was able to see very close that appears in the BLUE-HEADED VIREO photo he got as well. This is easily noted in some vireo species but not common to all this genera.

**John Foster and Jane Aikman came across a BLACK AND WHITE UNDERWING MOTH on Wednesday. This large moth flies this time of year. If one sees the underwings, they are strikingly banded black and white.

Dave and Elizabeth noted a small Leopard frog visiting their patch of Black-eyed Susans recently. This would assumedly to be a young-of-the-year.

They also comment their hummingbird feeder has been deserted the past week, as I'm sure many others are experiencing. The majority of Ruby-throated hummingbirds have departed on their southerly migration. It is normal by mid-September for the majority to have left. It is a good idea to leave one feeder up and keep fresh even to the end of October, to accommodate stragglers and the odd unexpected species that can show up at this time of year.

**Dale Gaskin reports that he had not seen a hummingbird in a week at his Dawson Settlement feeders, however one showed up for fuel first thing on Thursday morning.

**Bettina Kay got a photo of a CARRION BEETLE carrying a load of mites on its back. They are very likely not parasitic on the beetle but only hitching a ride to another spot. A great way to get disseminated if you don't happen to be winged. This behaviour is termed Phoresis.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com_

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton