Nature Moncton Nature News: April 16 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 16, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

The live feed to the Peregrine Falcon nest box camera can be accessed at https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**The Nature Moncton meeting is coming up tonight Tuesday, April 16, and will be a double bill with all details below:

** NATURE MONCTON APRIL MEETING

Topic: “Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Maritimes”

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Presenter: Denis Doucet

Did you know that

New Brunswick has over 140 species of dragonflies and damselflies, which is more than is found in all of Europe!
A species of dragonfly that occurs in New Brunswick and is widespread globally actually has the longest migration of any insect, even further than the Monarch butterfly.
The order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) is one of the oldest groups of insects found on the planet. They have been around for more than 300 million years!

Come learn more about this fascinating and very important group of insects in a rich presentation using imagery, notes, quotes, and anecdotes. Denis Doucet, a naturalist and long-time Odonata enthusiast, will undoubtedly grant us with an engaging, visually stunning, and thought-provoking talk.

This will be an in-person presentation at the Rotary Lodge with a Zoom link for those who want to join in from home.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86288656653?pwd=NWREdStjWGZxVU9sMnhhaEY1ajhYUT09

After the break, Brian Stone will give a presentation pointing out the many observations folks saw during the total solar eclipse that we have never seen before and will not be seeing again.

Brian will show a series of photos demonstrating these items so we can all get one last look to add to the memory bank of the special occasion. Both portions will be recorded and available live during the meeting at the Mapleton Lodge and online virtually at the above link for those who cannot make the live presentation at the lodge.

**Norbert Dupuis was fortunate to get a photo of a double rainbow that suddenly appeared Monday evening after a sudden shower in Memramcook. He was able to see 2 rainbows at once for the price of one. Interestingly, the second bow is fainter and more pastel, and also the colour sequence in the second bow is reversed to that of the main bow as it is indeed a reflection. Double rainbows may not be particularly uncommon but they can disappear as fast as they form to make it hard to capture a photo.

Norbert also captured some spectacular views of a female American Kestrel, catching it in flight to show her beautiful plumage and then a perched view. This is our smallest falcon and Norbert was fortunate to get photographic observations of this fast-moving bird.

**Lynn Dube was able to get a nice photograph of a perched Joker Moth (Felalia jocosa).

This is the time of year we can see this colourful moth. It overwinters as the adult, able to escape predators with its cryptic colours and incredible antifreeze capabilities. It will soon be laying eggs to produce equally colourful larval caterpillars that forage from the newly emerging buds of conifer trees. It is single-brooded to accommodate this mission to feast on freshly emerged buds.

**Jane LeBlanc sat patiently beside her St. Martins yard pond Monday afternoon and managed photos of Wood Frogs. There were at least 5 present and egg masses were seen as well.

**Aldo Dorio noted Bufflehead still present near the shore of Hay Island on Monday. They appeared to be predominately paired off and assumedly ready to head off on their northerly migration soon.

**On Monday afternoon Brian Stone revisited the Salisbury lagoons and wetland ponds to check on the large patch of Unequal Cellophane Bees and any other newly arrived wildlife that may have shown up. This time he noticed some of the Cellophane Bees were frequently mating and managed to catch some of the action in photos. Brian also noted his first sighting of a Tree Swallow checking out one of the nest boxes on the fencing around the lagoons.

A small raptor that Brian suspects was a Merlin flew past so fast that it almost avoided the camera as did a male Northern Harrier Hawk in a local field. Several male Red-winged Blackbirds had moved into the marshy area and were staking their territories. Along the river beside the ponds, a pair of vocal Bald Eagles called to each other in the close vicinity of the old eagle nest. Back at home, Brian photographed the male Ring-necked Pheasant once again in his back yard but this time he was accompanied by a female companion that he kept a close watch over.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton