Nature Moncton Nature News: June 8 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 8, 2020 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Karen and Jamie Burris recently visited the Salisbury lagoon. They spotted AMERICAN REDSATART, CEDAR WAXWING, YELLOW WARBLER, BOBOLINK, and a GOLDEN KINGLET. Jamie comments that it was a very nice outing. The male YELLOW WARBLER [Paruline jaune] nicely shows the reddish bars on its chest that are muted on the female. The BOBOLINK [Goglu des prés] seems to have nesting material on its mind.

On the home front, they have fledgling SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur] running about their Riverview backyard, while the parents bring a steady harvest of insects to them. Jamie got some nice photos of the parents carting groceries to their family. They have a crow that comes daily now and likes to dip its food in their birdbath. This really shows the intelligence of the AMERICAN CROW [Corneille d’Amérique].

They were excited seeing TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] bringing nesting material to one of the nest boxes that they had recently erected in their backyard. Everything seemed to be going well until the neighbour let their 4 dogs out and they barked up a storm. The swallows left quickly and have not been seen since. They are very disappointed and hope that the swallows will take a second look.

** Louise Nichols has been photographing plants bursting into flower on their Aulac property, which has a few differing habitats. A bog area is completely covered with THREE-LEAVED SOLOMON’S-SEAL [Smilacine trifolée], which likes to grow where its feet stay wet. LEATHERLEAF [Faux bleuets] is another that favours wet areas and comes and goes so quickly that it is often overlooked.

In the drier areas of her property, Louise photographed CLINTONIA [Clintonie], aka Blue-bead Lily, that will produce large blue berries inedible for humans when mature, and as well, the striking PAINTED TRILLIUM [Trille ondulé] and PINK LADY’S SLIPPER [Sabot de la Vierge].

** Pat Gibbs has been noticing several pale orange-yellow lumpy globs that first appeared on her Rhubarb leaves and also finding it now on the brick on the side of her house, as well as an elongated blob that she photographed on her deck. Most of them are round, with the attached photo the only stretched-out one noted. Any comments as to what it may be will be appreciated.

I have noted some of the SLIME MOLDS will do something similar. The texture would be very soft if that is what it is.

** Debbie Batog hangs decorative teapots on her clothes-line for her bird visitors. While taking them down for re-fueling, an EASTERN CHIPMUNK [Suisse] took the opportunity for tea-time and re-fueling.

Ray Gauvin has noted a resident pair of CHIPPING SPARROWS, one of which has a very obvious wing misalignment. It does not seem to affect regular flight so will be passed off as more of a blemish than problematic.

** When Brian Stone was out on his walk on Friday, he came across a dried-up puddle and some still damp amphibian egg masses, appearing to be of YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre à points jaunes]. He felt sorry for the little larvae that were doomed to dry up and die. He scooped up a small bit of one mass and took it home for a photo shoot. He planned to bring them back the next day and put them in the pond that still had water, but the bouncing on the walk home with them in a bag, some of them came out of the egg mass and there was a nice little group of them swimming around in his bowl. He has fallen for the little guys and has decided that since he isn’t going anywhere this summer, and he is getting lonely for company, that he would try to raise a couple and put the rest back in the larger pond. Brian did this before and, with T.L.C., released adult Yellow-spotted salamanders, getting lots of photos of their development.

Brian also noted some COLUMBINE [Ancolie des jardins] that he had never noticed before, growing on the side of the house. It appears from the leaves to be the European Columbine that is an introduced cultivar that has widely escaped to the wild. We also have a similar native version.

** I’m attaching a few more photos from the trail camera of some creatures enjoying fish entrails on a woods-road. There were many photos of crows and ravens, but one photo shows a Turkey Vulture putting the run to them. A few more photos show the huge wings of the vultures as they come and go, showing off the silvery-grey flight feathers with the black lining. Several Turkey Vultures have become regular diners.

** The FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR [Livrée des forêts] is a species that actually does not build tents, but weaves a silky sheath where they lie together during moulting. As numbers grow up they can be a threat to various species of trees with the potential defoliation they can cause. I have noticed several travelling about recently. It may or may not be a potential problem, depending on the numbers.

They look very much like the EASTERN TENT CATERPILLARS [Livrée d’Amérique] that we are seeing in their tent nests at the moment. A quick ID difference is the spots along the back instead of the solid stripe on the back of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar and as said the Forest Tent Caterpillar is a species that would not be associated with a tent nest. A photo taken Sunday is attached.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton