Nature Moncton Nature News: June 2 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 2, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: david.cannon@rogers.com

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

** Early June is surely a period of intense blooming. There are a lot of spring plant photos today and a chance to review them and look closely at any that you may not be familiar with, as well as some ferns. I’ll try to get them arranged in series to peruse easier.

** Jamie Burris photographed a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER [Tyran huppé] on a powerline near their Riverview home on Monday. This is quite an uncommon bird to see in the Moncton area, but nesting in the area has been uncommonly recorded. They are much more common in the Grand Lake area and western New Brunswick. A great yard bird to get! They will nest in man-made bird boxes and natural cavities.

** Mac Wilmot continues to enjoy his GREAT HORNED OWL [Grand-duc d'Amérique] family on his Lower Coverdale property. He is now able to confirm 2 owlets out of the nest but they will not be flying for a time yet. Mac got a photo of the male parent with the female present but in too much of a hurry - possibly with groceries for her rapidly growing family on mind. Mac took a close-up of the already well-developed claw weaponry of one owlet. They are very used to Mac now and seem to be very aware that he is not a threat.

** Gordon Rattray shares an array of flora photographs from the Nature Moncton Caledonia Gorge field trip: A queen TRICOLOURED BUMBLE BEE [BOURDON TRICOLORE] on a DANDELION gathering pollen for a fodder to start a new nest, a BUNCHBERRY in bloom showing the central business part of the seed production with the side sterile ray petals to attract pollinators like the bumble bee, DWARF RASPBERRY in flower that will produce a fruit very similar to a raspberry but often not as tasty, GOLDTHREAD, named by its golden coloured underground roots that has been used medicinally as a toothache remedy (and it works!), HOBBLEBUSH with a floral arrangement similar to the Bunchberry with the same plan in mind, INTERRUPTED FERN showing the sporophyte stalks with the interruptions of spore-producing parts half-way up the fertile stalks, LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY, which has a large cultivated version and a smaller wild version, a NORTHERN BEECH FERN with its bowtie basal pinna, PAINTED TRILLIUM, PIN-CHERRY with its pin-cushion style clump of blossoms, RED-BERRIED ELDER that will end up with a cluster of not-edible-for-humans red berries, SENSITIVE FERN, that is very sensitive to cold frosty nights like last night, a TROUT LILY that takes 7 years to produce that bloom, and suspected COWSLIP. Cowslip is a garden escapee which Gart Bishop helped us with.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of one of our 4 EMPIDONAX FLYCATCHERS with white eye ring and 2 white wing bars that are tricky to identify on a photo, but much easier to separate if heard vocalized. The 4 most likely in New Brunswick, in order, would be: ALDER FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle des aulnes], LEAST FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle tchébec], YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle à ventre jaune], and WILLOW FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle des saules]. Aldo also got a frontal photo of a male EASTERN TOWHEE [Tohi à flancs roux] in a tree which is an uncommon visitor to NB but seems to be becoming more frequent. Gilles Belliveau’s sharp eye had to rescue us on this one.

** Jane LeBlanc came across a lone male SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] in the Bay of Fundy at St. Martin’s on Monday. Most would have passed through by this time to their breeding grounds to the north of us.

** With all the blooms coming out, CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] find the petals and parts of several blooming plants a foraging delicacy. Ray Gauvin shares a video of Cedar Waxwings enjoying the exploding blooms of RED MAPLE in his Shediac area yard. Take a look at the action in the attached video link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x2oqjld0b6ix8xx/CEDAR%20WAXWINGS%20.MAY%2018%20%2C%202020.%20RAY%20GAUVIN.%20MOVIE.MOV?dl=0

** In answer to J. Lestage’s query about decreased number of gulls [goélands] in the Shediac - Cap Pele area, Roger Leblanc wonders if it could be that adult gulls are now tending nests on islands and fewer birds are moving about. It is the only reason suggested so far and if indeed the case, only temporarily.

Roger LeBlanc also reports a pair of Eastern Bluebirds has arrived to evaluate his yard nest box real estate in Notre Dame. The male is exuberantly singing with satisfaction; however the female will make the ultimate decision. Roger agrees with the male!

Dan Sullivan came across a nesting of a pair of GREAT HORNED OWL in the Shediac area on Saturday. There were 2 owlets present. From reports, this owl seems to be doing well this season with 3 known nest sites of 2 young ones which of course must mean others are out there. The 3 known ones seemed to have chosen urban areas and are doing well.

** Brian Stone got an excellent photo of 2 BLUISH SPRING MOTHS mating. This is not a commonly encountered moth so suspect Brian has a hot spot for them or it’s a very good year for them. It’s really blooming time and Brian adds to Gordon Rattray’s photos with LUPINS emerging, the CRABAPPLE trees we are all enjoying right now, whose fruit will be so welcomed by the fruit connoisseur birds next winter. Keep in mind; every bloom we see in today’s photo will be pollinated mainly by those queen bees’ progeny, moths, butterflies and other super important pollinators. Brian also got CANADA MAYFLOWER in bloom, BUNCHBERRY in pre-bloom, and COMMON MILKWEED shoots really springing up fast to be ready to welcome the MONARCH BUTTERFLIES [Monarque].

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton