Nature Moncton Nature News: June 26 2023

June 26, 2023

Species names in boldface indicate that a photo is included.

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**The fledgling Peregrine Falcon that ended up in the parking lot of Assumption Place on Thursday night was indeed picked up and taken to the Atlantic Wildlife Institute.

Pam Novak reports the two fledglings in their care are doing fine and will be released back to the Assumption Place area when they feel they are ready for capable flight.

It is believed there was a third nestling which is not accounted for at the moment as far as I am aware.

**On May 15^th, Deana and Peter Gadd saw a male Ruddy Duck in the company of two females at the Chatham Head decommissioned water treatment lagoons (also known as the Canada Point Lagoons). Finally, on Sunday, they checked to see if there were any young. They were happy to see that 2 Ruddy Ducks were still there, as this is a species they don’t often see in that area. (They did see a male in the same location last spring for a couple of weeks.)

It turns out that seemingly this pair are yet to become new parents as they felt they witnessed a mating display Sunday morning. (Perhaps there is already a nest with the second female from last month!). Like many male ducks, the head bobbing was displayed but in a unique manner. Take a look at the action at the link below:

https://flic.kr/p/2oKwP2c.

The bells (wedding bells?) of St. Mary’s church across the river in Newcastle can be heard in the background!

**Gordon Rattray took some wildflower photos on last week’s Nature Moncton Wednesday walk and, due to technical problems, could not get them posted. Gordon recorded 3 ferns Interrupted, Cinnamon, and Hay-scented Fern. The other flowers he got photos of were Woodland Agrimony, Blackberry, Bunchberry, Starflower, Common Buttercup, Common Winter-cress, Dane’s Rocket, Nodding Sedge, Old Field Cinquefoil, and Small Forget-me-not.

Gordon also got photos of a Green Frog, a Boreal Cranefly, and an Angle Shades Moth. On arriving home, there was a clear view of the crescent Moon with Venus on the Solstice.

**Susan Richards captured a photo of the striking Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly nectaring on one of its favourite plants, the lilac. Their appearance seems to coincide with blooming lilacs.

There has also been a Black Swallowtail flitting about but it has chosen to elude Susan’s camera (for the moment).

** Anita Cannon’s sharp eyes spotted an unusual creature in their garden under a Mulberry tree. It was approximately 3" long and no thicker than a hair, yet it was quite mobile and swept its front half around in the air seeking something. It was quite worm-like, with no apparent head, and no legs.

It was a Gordian Worm a.k.a. Horsehair Worm in the genus Nematomorpha. There are many species in this genus, and they are easily overlooked.

The online reference below gives some of the biology of these creatures.

"Nematomorpha (sometimes called Gordiacea, commonly known as horsehair worms, or Gordian worms) are a phylum of parasitoid animals superficially similar to nematode worms in morphology, hence the name. Most species range in size from 50 to 100 mm (2.0 to 3.9 in) long, reaching 2 m in extreme cases, and 1 to 3 mm (0.039 to 0.118 in) in diameter. Horsehair worms can be discovered in damp areas, such as watering troughs, swimming pools, streams, puddles, and cisterns. The adult worms are free-living, but the larvae are parasitic on arthropods, such as beetles, cockroaches, mantises, orthopterans, and crustaceans. About 351 freshwater species are known and a conservative estimate suggests there may be about 2000 freshwater species worldwide. The name "Gordian" stems from the legendary Gordian knot. This relates to the fact that nematomorphs often coil themselves in tight balls that resemble knots."