Nature Moncton Nature News: June 29 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 29, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**John Foster had an uninvited (but still welcome, as they think he or she is fascinating!) guest, a Pseudoscorpion, at their supper table Tuesday night.

While pseudoscorpions look like tiny scorpions, they are harmless and do not attack structures or occupants. They spend most of the time outside under leaf litter and mulch but are sometimes noticed when they wander into homes. They are less than 1/4 inch long and cannot bite or sting. Control of Pseudoscorpions is not necessary, as they are beneficial for homes and gardens. They are predators and feed on other arthropods, small insects, and mites.

** Shannon Inman came across some new honeybee hives that had been placed in a field and she suddenly noticed a large group of bees had left the hives as a group and moved to a nearby tree.

I consulted beekeeper Glen Nichols, and he pointed out this is a classic swarm. They have left the mother hive and are staying at a temporary site without cover until scout bees find a suitable new home to move to. They may stay in this cluster for up to a few days before settling into their new home.

They have come from a mature nearby colony that is ‘reproducing’ by creating a new colony.

If they are still there, a note to NB Beekeepers Association will help find a beekeeper in the area who might want to gather the swarm.

**Brian Stone went to the Assumption Building in Moncton on Wednesday to check the Peregrine Falcon situation. He saw two adult falcons, one on top of the nest box and one on the big A logo that was calling loudly and frequently. Brian waited a while, but the birds did not move or change their behavior.

(Editor’s note: it is assumed the adults are searching for their young fledglings, two of which are still in rehabilitation care at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute and will be released back in their care as soon as Pam Novak feels they are flight ready. As far as I am aware, the third fledgling is not accounted for.)

Brian then went to the Riverview Marsh Trail to look for the Glossy Ibis that has been seen frequently over the last weeks and located it in the same section of the ponds it has been foraging in regularly. In the same pond, a Dowitcher was also foraging and had also been seen there by others before.

Other birds photographed were a Bald Eagle that was circling above and occasionally being harassed by smaller birds, a female Common Yellowthroat that was guarding a nest somewhere close by with her male partner that did not get photographed, a Song Sparrow bathing in a puddle on the trail, an immature European Starling, and a Mallard Duck family.

Brian photographed a Milkweed Plant along the trail to document its development and didn't realize until it was loaded onto the laptop that a Virginia Ctenucha Moth was resting on one of its leaves.