NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
July 10,
2023
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Edited by
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols
at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Take special note of Brian Stone’s photo record of the Ornate Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix) discussed later in this edition.
**Heads up that the Nature Moncton Wednesday evening walk will be led by Gordon Rattray to
the Hillsborough trails.
Details at
the end of this edition and upfront on Wednesday.
**Susan and Fred Richards spotted 2 SANDHILL CRANES in a field beside Route 940 in Upper Sackville on Sunday; always a nice surprise to accidentally come across these beautiful birds.
One must
wonder if this may be part of the group returning to that area that has been
seen the last several years. Breeding in the area has to be a potential possibility.
**John
Massey recently got a nice photo of one of the species of katydids we
have a New Brunswick. We have only a handful of this insect in the genera Scudderia in NB.
Each of the
species we have in New Brunswick does have a recognizable vocalization.
**The Rosy Maple Moth is a colourful
medium-sized moth commonly seen day perched this time of year.
Bob Blake
had one resting on his windowsill on Sunday morning.
Lois Budd
sends photos of 2 Nature Moncton Nesting
boxes, some of the first that Fred Richards built. The swallows nest in them
every summer, sometimes twice. One photo shows one mom/dad feeding
a little one. You can see the head as she/he puts hers in the box to
feed. There were three at that same nesting box.
**Aldo
Dorio photographed a Greater Yellowlegs at
Hay Island on Sunday. It seems early for shorebird migration to begin but only
the bird knows for sure!
**Georges Brun found
one of the nest boxes placed by Nature Moncton on the Riverfront Trail had been
damaged. The iron pole was the only part damaged which can be repaired and
replaced.
Fortunately, the
mission had been accomplished before the incident as a successfully used Tree
Swallow nest was still intact in the box.
**On Thursday, July 06, Brian Stone took advantage of the first hot sunny
day to go butterfly hunting on Taylor Rd. in Second North River. The
temperature was hot and humid and great for butterflies, dragonflies, and other
such critters that love that type of weather. Driving out along that dirt road
and walking out on smaller side roads off of it allowed Brian to collect a variety
of nature photos that kept him up late processing and surely made for extra
work for Nelson in the morning to sort through.
From the Taylor Rd. Brian sends photos of Atlantis Fritillary
Butterflies, Common Ringlet Butterflies, a Pink-edged Sulphur
Butterfly, a Northern Azure Butterfly, a Harris's Checkerspot
Butterfly, a Silvery Blue Butterfly, a Northern Crescent
Butterfly, European Skipper Butterflies, Least Skipper
Butterflies, and an Arctic Skipper Butterfly.
From the same area, Brian photographed Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Dragonflies, a pair of Dot-tailed Dragonflies mating, one of the Clubtail
Dragonflies, Four-spotted Skimmer Dragonflies, a male Common
Whitetail Dragonfly, and a new looking Meadowhawk Dragonfly. A male
and female Superb Jewelwing Damselfly were kind enough to pose, and a
pair of mating Phantom Craneflies were rudely observed trying to make
more craneflies.
Also, a Black-throated Blue Warbler came close and couldn't avoid the camera.
Added to the list were a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, a Green-striped
Grasshopper, and Brian's prize of the day ... a rare
for N.B. Ornate Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix).
Brian stopped in at Highland Park in Salisbury on the way home and got
photos of a female American Wigeon Duck and Ducklings, two Bald
Eagles, a Blue-winged Teal Duck, young Pied-billed Grebes,
and a Viceroy Butterfly. He then went home to an air-conditioned living
room and a large soft chair, and a lot of photo processing.
(Editor’s note: Brian’s find and photo of the Ornate Bella Moth (Utetheisa
ornatrix) is a very significant one. This beautiful moth may be common
to the south of us, but Peterson points out is a very rare immigrant north of
its range. BugGuide has no record of this species this far North, and Brian’s
record could well be a New Brunswick first)
** The Nature Moncton
Wednesday walk on July 12th will be at the Trails in
Hillsborough. We will start from the
parking lot on Steeves Street by the airplane and proceed around the trail
loop, about 2KM on a flat gravel surface.
This walk is classified as low-impact walking. The walk will give good exposure to birds, aquatic
species, and many plants found in marsh-type environments.
This outing will be hosted by Gordon Rattray, and all
are welcome. Be sure to bring your
camera and binoculars if you have them.
Bug control is essential to your enjoyment of the evening.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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