Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Tuesday 9 August 2022

Aug 9 2022

               NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

                        August 9, 2022


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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

 

**Details and directions of the Nature Moncton Wednesday evening walk are repeated at the end of this edition and upfront tomorrow. Weather forecast suggesting tomorrow afternoon and eve to be clear.

 

** Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins found an empty Monarch butterfly chrysalis which had a hole in the side where it appeared something had eaten through it. A spider was spotted on the empty chrysalis, but she is unsure if that was what preyed on it or not. Jane has many caterpillars of all sizes, and one other (healthy) chrysalis she found. There are probably more, but the jungle of the yard makes it hard to find them.

 

**Jamie Burris announces the emergence of a pair of twin boys (Monarch butterflies) on Monday morning at 8am. With the temperatures so low, one departed 4 hours later and the other 6 hours later. That's 5 gone and 3 to go!

 

**Anna Tucker walked down Church St. in Moncton at 10 am Monday morning, to note many House Sparrows picking away in the grasses and on the sidewalks as well. There is a blend of genders and young-of-the-year.

The population of House Sparrows has decreased very notably over the past years with residual flocks in several sites especially in urban areas. The decrease in population of this invasive species has been welcome news to Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows as the House Sparrow was an aggressive competitor for cavity nest boxes.

 

**Bob and Sharon Blake’s Red Fox continues to enjoy the amenities of their yard, especially enjoying the fruit of Bob’s blueberry patch.

 

**Lisa Morris photographed a duo of bumblebees enjoying the squash blooms in Lisa’s garden. They are coated with pollen to supply their needs as well is making sure Lisa will have plump squash for her larder.


Lisa also photographed a female meadowhawk dragonfly helping to keep bugs at bay on the blueberry patch. Gilles Belliveau suspects it to be a Cherry-faced or White-faced Meadowhawk but these species are hard to distinguish from photos.


**Aldo Dorio captured a photo of a young-of-the-year Great Blue Heron at Hay Island suspecting it is wondering whether it is really alone or not!

 

 

**Nelson Poirier has only a few feeders up for summer use and noted an influx of patrons fueling up before the onset of the delicious heavy rain (wishing the rain could be shared with Newfoundland and western North America). A few photos are shared of a group of Chipping Sparrows vying for space on the white millet feeder and House Finch and American Goldfinch sharing sunflower chips.

A young-of-the-year American Robin was very closely following its mother who appeared to be very attentive to it.

 

 ** Nature Moncton Walk for Wednesday evening, August 10th, 2022

Tankville School, Malcolm’s Way & Vince’s Walk

This week’s Nature Walk is meeting at the Tankville School, 1665 Elmwood Drive, at 6:30 p.m.  The Tankville School is 3 km north of Costco on Elmwood Drive, and 2 km north of the main entrance to the Irishtown Nature Park.

We are beginning the evening with a tour and short talk inside the Tankville School museum (the upper floor). This one-room schoolhouse was used from 1868 to 1967 and is a designated historic site rarely open to the public.

Afterwards we will enjoy a 3 km walk, beginning through the woods along Vince’s Walk to the old artesian well. After that we will start and continue along the Malcolm’s Way board walk. This board walk is over mixed brush and wetlands until it reaches the forest at the north end of the board walk. Here we will see the ‘cathedral’ of red pines planted by Boy Scouts in the 1940s. These pines are now 80 feet tall.

 

 

 Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

                                                                                           

 

 

GREAT BLUE HERON. AUG 8, 2022. ALDO DORIO

AMERICAN ROBIN WITH YOUNG-OF-YEAR. AUG 8, 2022. NELSON POIRIER 

AMERICAN ROBIN WITH YOUNG-OF-YEAR. AUG 8, 2022. NELSON POIRIER 

HOUSE FINCH (MALE). AUG 8, 2022. NELSON POIRIER

HOUSE FINCH AND AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (MALES). AUG 8, 2022. NELSON POIRIER

CHIPPING SPARROWS. AUG 8, 2022. NELSON POIRIER

HOUSE SPARROWS. AUG 8, 2022.  ANNA TUCKER

HOUSE SPARROWS. AUG 8, 2022.  ANNA TUCKER

HOUSE SPARROW (MALE). AUG 8, 2022.  ANNA TUCKER

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES. (MALES). AUG 8, 2022.  JAMIE BURRIS

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES. (MALES). AUG 8, 2022.  JAMIE BURRIS

MONARCH CHRYSALIS (EMPTY). AUGUST 8, 2022. JANE LEBLANC

MEADOWHAWK DRAGONFLY (FEMALE). AUG 8, 2022. LISA MORRIS

BEES IN SQUASH BLOOM. AUG 8, 2022.  LISA MORRIS

BEES IN SQUASH BLOOM. AUG 8, 2022.  LISA MORRIS

RED FOX ENJOYING BLUEBERRIES. AUG 8, 2022. BOB BLAKE