Nature Moncton Nature News: 2018-07-29

Saturday, 4 August 2018

Aug 4 2018

Nature Moncton Information Line – August 4, 2018 (Saturday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

To respond by email, please address your message to the Information Line Editor, nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Please advise the Editor if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

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

**Phil Riebel came across an interesting Moth in their Miramichi flower bed on Friday evening at dusk: the BEDSTRAW HAWK-MOTH, a.k.a. GALLIUM SPHINX MOTH [Sphinx du gaillet]. The wingspan of this uncommonly-seen moth is 55-80 mm, which is much bigger than the Clearwing Moths we see day-flying, imitating Hummingbirds [Colibri]. Its host plants are FIREWEED [Bouquets rouges], BEDSTRAW [Gaillet], and various other plants. It tends to fly at dusk to flowers, but is active by night up until dawn. The large larval caterpillars, at 70-80 mm, can be seen in later summer and fall; they are variable but always have a row of 10 conspicuous eye-like yellow spots and a horn above the tail, which is invariably red. I have never had this moth come to my moth light, and have tried unsuccessfully a few times to grow out a caterpillar, but many others have been successful.

**Louise and Glen Nichols are re-locating to Aulac next spring, to a property that would be on every naturalist’s bucket list. Louise did a round of the property on Friday, to find lots of activity. There is an area of a few acres of bog surrounded by trees. She found a number of BOG COPPER BUTTERFLIES [Cuivré des tourbières] flying on Friday and BOG CRANBERRY [Canneberge]. She got a great photo of the SUNDEW [Rossolis] plant, showing its leaves armed with sticky hairlike structures. When an insect touches the hairs, it is trapped and digested to provide nitrogen needs in this nutrient-lacking bog habitat. There’s also a pond on the property that has lots of GREEN FROG [Grenouille verte] inhabitants, but there are also LEOPARD FROGS [Grenouille léopard] in the area. The CHAIN-DOTTED GEOMETER MOTH [Arpenteuse caténaire] is a common moth, with the adult flying in the fall. Louise got a photo of the colourful caterpillar of that moth on Friday.

**A majority of nesting birds will feed protein to their nestlings to provide the necessary protein for that extremely rapid spurt of growth that occurs after hatching. Some species, like the RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] that we are only used to seeing nectaring at feeders or flowers, are fly-catchers as well, especially to feed young. Roger LeBlanc watched some female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds from his Notre-Dame home flying into SPRUCE [Épinette] trees, and they very much appeared to be fly-catching, assumedly taking the booty to waiting nestlings. Roger comments he has never seen this in his many years of birding, but he suspects that like many things in nature, it’s just a matter of close observation of activity.

**The SERVICEBERRIES [Amélanchier] are becoming ripe, sweet, and juicy at the moment. Aldo Dorio got a photo of a tree laden with the sweet edible fruit with an almond flavour. It surely is the onset of berry time. Aldo also shows a CHOKE CHERRY [Cerisier à grappes] tree laden with fruit. Some BONAPARTE'S GULLS [Mouette de Bonaparte], still in breeding plumage, have arrived around Hay Island. Also included is a photo of what appears to be a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER [Bécassin roux] from a rear view, to give a sharp view of the marked tail.

**Dale Gaskin mentioned a few weeks ago he was seeing an IRONWOOD [Bois de fer] tree in flower at his Dawson Settlement home. We have several Ironwood trees near our Little Southwest Miramichi camp. The female flowers have now gone to seed pods, as the attached photo shows.

I also suspect all naturalists are curious as to how NIGHT CRAWLERS [Ver de terre] exchange their genetic material! A photo is attached to satisfy that curiosity.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BEDSTRAW HAWKMOTH AKA GALLIUM SPRINX MOTH. AUGUST 2, 2018. PHIL RIEBEL

BOG COPPER BUTTERFLY. LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG. 3, 2018

BOG CRANBERRY. LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG 3, 2018

BONAPARTE'S GULLS IN BREEDING PLUMAGE. AUG 3, 2018. ALDO DORIO

CHAIN-DOTTED GEOMETER MOTH CATERPILLAR. LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG. 3, 2018

CHOKECHERRY. AUG 3, 2018. ALDO DORIO

IRONWOOD TREE AKA HOPHORNBEAM SHOWING FEMALE SEED PODS. AUG 3, 2018. NELSON POIRIER

LEOPARD FROG . LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG. 3, 2018

NIGHT CRAWLERS MATING.. AUG 3, 2018. NELSON POIRIER

SERVICEBERRY. AUG 3, 2018. ALDO DORIO

SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. AUG 3, 2018. ALDO DORIO

SUNDEW . LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG 3, 2018

Friday, 3 August 2018

Aug 3 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 3, 2018 (Friday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com

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

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.

** Aldo Dorio got some warbler photos that included a young-of-the-year NORTHERN PARULA [Paruline à collier] and a young-of-the-year CAPE MAY WARBLER [Paruline tigrée] along with adult Cape May Warblers. The Cape May Warblers appear to be eating the ripe Serviceberries. In consultation with Gilles Belliveau, he expanded one of the photos to show a young-of-the-year Cape May Warbler very much appearing to be consuming a berry. Gilles comments that according to Birds of North America, Cape May Warblers are known to feed on berries, especially in the non-breeding season, and they’re also known to occasionally go to Hummingbird nectar. Phil Riebel got a photo of just that earlier in the summer in Miramichi.

** As Gilles comments, there are many insectivores that include fruit in their diet as many of us who have birdfeeders have seen. Many of us have experienced unexpected species to come to jam offerings and occasionally Hummingbird feeders. Serviceberries are a very sweet juicy berry out there right now for birds, mammals and human mammals to sample. I expect if we watch closely, as Gilles comments he has done, it would be a surprise to see just how many species are interested in more than the insects in fruit trees. It also seems to have been a great year for Cape May Warblers.

** Fred Richards got a nice photo of one of the male EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l'Est] that is travelling around their Taylor Village neighbourhood. From reports, it looks like the Eastern Bluebird has had a good season with some working on a second brood at the moment.

** Judy Marsh sends a photo of her PEANUT [Arachide] that has germinated and appears to be doing well. Judy comments they doubt their plantation will support a new mansion and possibly Planters Peanut Co. is simply not too worried!

** Brian Stone got a photo of a very recently fledged DARK-EYED JUNCO [Junco ardoisé] near his Moncton home on Thursday. A parent bird was nearby chirping loudly to make the identification easier. Note that very thick rubbery look at the base of the bill of recent fledglings.

** I’m adding again a few photos from the Nature Moncton field trip to Grand Lake Meadows. Attached are photos of the beautiful CANADA LILY [Lys des prés], a LADY BEETLE [Coccinellidés] in the pupa stage of development, blooming PICKEREL WEED [Pontédérie à feuilles en Coeur], the fern ally QUILLWORT that grows under the water surface with the white bulb-like structures at its base filled with reproductive spores. SNEEZEWEED that is a relatively common relative of Yarrow, and ST. JOHN’S WART [Millepertuis perforé]. St. John’s Wart has been used as a medicinal plant as it contains diazepam, the active ingredient of the trade name medicine, Valium.

** I often gather a plant and put it aside to identify later. We just got to our Little Southwest Miramichi camp on Wednesday after being away from it for a few weeks. Pat asked me why I had left a plant on the bed. I hadn’t! To our surprise, a vining VIRGINIA CREEPER [Vigne Vierge de Virginie] had come up through the floor boards and was vining across the top of the bed. A photo is attached. It is obviously suffering from lack of sunlight, but was definitely on a mission. Our dear old camp is approximately 70 years old, and there are probably lots of openings for a vining plant to venture inside, but the location of this one was a bit of a surprise.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 4 – August 11

After twilight look for orange Antares in the heart of Scorpius between Jupiter and Saturn. High above the scorpion is a large house-shaped constellation called Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. If your area isn’t light polluted you can see two lines of stars rising up and outward from the bottom of the house. The line on the right is Serpens Caput and the one on the left is Serpens Cauda. Together they comprise Serpens the Serpent, the only constellation that is in separate parts. Globular clusters contain many tens of thousands of stars and orbit the centre of our galaxy, which is in the direction where Saturn currently resides. Therefore, these clusters abound in the Sagittarius-Scorpius-Ophiuchus region of our sky and many can be seen in binoculars as a fat, fuzzy star.

Ophiuchus represents Asclepius from mythology, who became interested in the healing arts after killing a snake and watching another snake bring it back to life with a leaf. Asclepius brought many people back from the dead, including Orion after he was killed by the scorpion. Hades, god of the Underworld, complained to Zeus about a decrease in business so Zeus sent his pet eagle to kill Asclepius with a thunderbolt. The constellation of Aquila the Eagle is east of Serpens Cauda.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:04 am and sunset will occur at 8:44 pm, giving 14 hours, 40 minutes of daylight (6:12 am and 8:47 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:13 am and set at 8:34 pm, giving 14 hours, 21 minutes of daylight (6:20 am and 8:37 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is at third quarter on Saturday, August 4 and it is new the following Saturday, giving a dark sky for meteor watching. Mercury is at inferior conjunction, between Earth and the Sun, on Tuesday and it will be well placed for morning observing toward the end of the month. Venus sets at 10:15 mid-week, when Saturn is at its highest in the south, and Jupiter sets around midnight. Mars looks brilliant to the naked eye but a global dust storm continues to obscure much of its telescopic treasures. The Perseid meteor shower peaks late next weekend but start watching a few nights before then.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on August 4 at 7 pm. All are welcome. The RASC NB star party at Mactaquac Provincial Park takes place next weekend, August 10-11.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

CANADA LILY. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

CAPE MAY WARBLER.(YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR). AUG 1, 2018. ALDO DORIO

CAPE MAY WARBLER.(YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR).EXPANDED BY GILLES BELLIVEAU AUG 1, 2018. ALDO DORIO

CAPE MAY WARBLER.AUG 1, 2018. ALDO DORIO

DARK-EYED JUNCO (FLEDGLING). AUGUST 02, 2018._ BRIAN STONE

EASTERN BLUEBIRD (MALE). AUG 2, 2018. FRED RICHARDS

LADY BEETLE PUPA. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER(YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR).AUG 1, 2018. ALDO DORIO

Ophiuchus 2018

PEANUT PLANT. AUG 2, 2018.JUDY MARSH

PICKEREL WEED. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

PLANT GOING TO BED. AUG 1, 2018. NELSON POIRIER

QUILLWORT. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

SAINT JOHN'S WORT. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

SNEEZEWEED BLOOMS. JULY 28, 2018.BRIAN STONE

SNEEZEWEED LEAVES. JULY 28, 2018.BRIAN STONE

Thursday, 2 August 2018

Aug 2 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 02, 2018 (Thursday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelson@nb.sympatico.ca . Please advise if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Louise Nichols followed some reports to successfully see and photograph a COMMON GALLINULE [Gallinule poule-d'eau] at the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Wednesday morning. The bird seemed to be staying in the area along the boardwalk that extends from the covered bridge to the church. It is always nice to get to see a Common Gallinule. Louise’s excellent photos show it standing and down in the water to nicely display identification features.

** Louise and Maurice Richard had a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] on power lines by Jones Lake early Thursday morning, at 6:00 am, bobbing its head and sleuthing the area. It then disappeared into a treed area. There have been no reports of shorebirds around Jones Lake as there have been in the past but possibly the new gate structure doesn’t need the dry down periods that the shorebirds found so attractive before.

** AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] with significant white areas showing underwing when they take flight are shown in Sibley’s as “rare, not regular”. It is a bit of a surprise to have had three reports of this over the past ten days. Grace Matthews in Sussex has been noting a family of AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] in a small field by her Trout Brook home in Sussex. She is noting two of the young of the year birds that are now nearing the size of their parents have large patches of white under both wings when they take flight. All three reports have been a distance apart but this is the first time two are being seen together to suggest a latent gene is being exhibited.

Marquerite Winsor was surely watching at the right moment when she was able to watch a Monarch Butterfly caterpillar shed its outer skin to grow to its next instar. The shed skin is pointed out in Marguerite’s photo which the caterpillar promptly ate after the photo was taken. Suspect few of us get to see this!

** Judy Marsh has experienced the BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu] planting peanuts and now has some big sunflowers coming up in her neighbors flower bed a distance from her birdfeeder. She suspects the Blue Jays again are the Johnny Appleseed. Beautiful blossoms that should be popular bird fare soon.

** Krista Doyle got a photo of a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] near their Doyle’s Brook camp on the Miramichi River suspecting that it was from a fledged nest nearby as four were seen together. The Merlin numbers plummeted after the DDT scenario in the 1970’s but have come back strongly on their own and seem to be as comfortable nesting in a wooded setting as in an urban area. They can sometimes be hard on other nesting birds such as Swallows as they fledge. The Merlin does not build its own nest and uses abandoned nests, often of Crows.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

COMMON GALLINULE . LOUISE NICHOLS. AUG. 1, 2018

MERLIN. AUG 1, 2018. KRISTA DOYLE

MONARCH BUTTERFLY CATERPILLAR JUST EMERGED INTO NEW INSTAR. AUG 1, 2018. MARGUERITE WINSOR

SUNFLOWERS (THANKS TO BLUE JAYS). AUG 1, 2018. JUDY MARSH

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Aug 1 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 1, 2018 ( Wednesday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelson@nb.sympatico.ca . Please advise if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com.

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

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

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

** Kathy and Harold Popma of Sackville are more folks getting Monarch Butterfly visits. They found one in an advanced instar state on a white flowered cultivated Swamp Milkweed. Howerver, the Monarch Butterflies are not concerned by the bloom colour not being hot pink.

** Dan Hicks got a surprise as he was installing a dock ladder in his yard man made pond at 7:30 on Monday evening. His tools were making a lot of noise. He saw what he thought was maybe one of his trout jumping from the corner of his eye, to look more closely to find it was a White-tailed Deer fawn that had jumped into the pond, swam across to the other side, climbed up the bank, shook itself off and sauntered off to the backyard garden.

** Aldo Dorio got some photos of one of our New Brunswick native shore birds – the SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé]. The adult is distinctly spotted, however the young of the year we should be seeing now lack the spotting.

** I recently asked Jim Wilson why we were having such a good season for Monarch Butterfly activity in New Brunswick. His reply was very, very interesting to read from someone so involved with this species. Jim has given permission to share his his response which is quoted below. Jim also comments folks that plant milkweed should be made to feel good about their contribution.

Quote “I suspect a greater availability of milkweed is indeed a factor. Year 2017 seemed to be a good one and Monarchs arrived in the province by mid-June, giving them a good opportunity to reproduce locally. This spring was a repeat, with large numbers of Monarchs appearing before the end of June and eggs being found on milkweeds by mid-June. That certainly bodes well for a healthy crop of migrants south this fall.

My understanding is that:

1. The Monarchs wintered over in Mexico without any major weather negatives.

2. They left on time in mid-late March, traveling northward to try to find milkweed plants in the southern US.

3. Weather conditions were reasonably good for early milkweed growth in Texas/Oklahoma and other states (not too dry) so crucial eggs could be laid before the wintering adults died.

4. Evidently that critical first Monarch generation born in the southern US was successful in becoming butterflies.

5. Subsequent weather conditions (winds too) brought the next couple of generations northward in good time, enabling a June arrival in southern Canada.

6. Thanks to increased awareness and more interest in planting milkweeds across the continent, there appears to be greater opportunities for reproduction once the butterflies arrived.

So as far as I can tell, the stars aligned appropriately for the Monarchs in the East this year. Let's hope it was the same situation across the country. I believe it is. :)

Best regards,

Jim (end of quote)

** I asked Pam Novak at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute if she has had any of the Moncton PEREGRINE FALCONS [Faucon pèlerin] arrive for her care this year. She responded thankfully no ( knock on wood!) So far they have kept the drama down and seem to be keeping out of trouble. She comments fall migration is the next timeframe when calls start coming in from around the area.

**Adding to the photos from the Nature Moncton field trip to the Grand Lake Meadows. Both Wood Nettle and Stinging Nettle were in full bloom. Wood Nettle, an alternate leaf arrangement, Stinging Nettle has an opposite leaf arrangement. Both have hairs that give a stinging sensation to bare skin that usually lasts for several minutes in most people. Sweet Flag was displaying its one single flower / fruiting structure looking a bit similar to a Cattail head at first glance. It had a very pleasant scent when crushed. Cleaver plant was in full bloom. This is the vining plant that clings to clothing and animal fur. Groundnut with its compound leaf of five leaflets was vining but not displaying its very unique blossom. Groundnut gets many common names including Indian Potato due to its use by Indigenous people in the past. It was growing beside a relative, Hog Peanut, that has a compond leave as well but three leaflets and was not in bloom yet either. An insect gall on a Wood Nettle leaf is also attached

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

CLEAVER IN BLOOM. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

GROUNDNUT (5 LEAFLETS) AND HOG PEANUT (3 LEAFLETS) SIDE BY SIDE. JULY 28, 2018. BRIAN STONE

MONARCH BUTTERFLY CATERPILLAR. KATHY POPMA. JULY 31, 2018

SPOTTED SANDPIPER (ADULT) JULY 31, 2018.ALDO DORIO

SWEETFLAG FLOWER. JULY 28, 2018.BRIAN STONE

WOOD NETTLE IN BLOOM. JULY 28, 2018.BRIAN STONE

WOOD NETTLE WITH INSECT GALLS. JULY 28, 2018.BRIAN STONE

Tuesday, 31 July 2018

July 31 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 31, 2018 (Tuesday)

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelson@nb.sympatico.ca . Please advise if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

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

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Jim Johnson leaves a report from his Scotch Settlement home area. The BOBOLINKS [Goglu des prés] have fledged and moved on which is great to hear for this species for which there has been a lot of concern over the years, but recent reports have been good. Hopefully they are finding fallow fields and are returning to them to nest successfully. Jim has been going through a liter a day of Hummingbird liquid. He also had two CLIFF SWALLOW [Hirondelle à front blanc] nests above two garages but he saw at least fifteen flying about recently so suspects that other nearby nesters are flocking with them. Jim had eleven occupied TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] nest boxes which have all fledged. He did not have any Eastern Bluebird takers this year as he has had in the past, but did see four in a back field in May.

** Brian Coyle again shares two nice videos he got on his trail cameras. One is of a doe WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] with her fawn following her, and another is of a MOOSE [Orignal] that came up to his trail camera, blew on it, and walked off. I wonder exactly what it said to the camera! Take a look and listen at the attached links, especially if someone understands Moose jargon.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fa0af5k5k81aezr/DEER%20AND%20FAWN%20AT%20TRAIL%20CAMERA.AVI?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6fkkj1g6ari8ldl/moose%20at%20trail%20camera.AVI?dl=0

** In follow up to Judy Marsh’s peanut possibility Pat, who lives in Dennis Beach Albert Co., found a peach pit that had sprouted in her greenhouse a few years ago. She planted it and it grew and flowered last year but this year is the first year for fruit. Pat comments that she was astonished to see peaches growing along the Fundy coast.

** To add a few more photos of the Nature Moncton field trip to Grand Lake Meadows, the parasitic vining plant DODDER [cuscute] was in full bloom as was MONKEYFLOWER [fleur de singe]. An EASTERN FORKTAIL DAMSELFLY posed nicely on a participant’s arm for a photo. That habitat was perfect for the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH [Paruline des ruisseaux] warbler which vocalized loudly. CANADA ANEMONE [anémone du Canada] had gone to seed. There was lots of POISON IVY [sumac vénéneux], both ground variety and some of the climbing variety. An example of the ground one is attached. Note the three leaf arrangement and also note that in some leaves one half of the blade is larger than the other half to give a clue to its identity. Our venerable guide often quoted from the Flora of New Brunswick bible according to Hinds.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton