Nature Moncton Information Line

Saturday, 8 August 2020

Aug 8 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 8 August 2020 (Saturday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

**Louise Nichols had a young-of-the-year SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé] drop by their Aulac yard pond on Friday. It posed nicely for a photograph. Note the young of the year at this point lack the heavily-spotted breast of the adult. From Louise’s records, it was a year to the day that a Spotted Sandpiper dropped by their pond last year. The Spotted Sandpiper tends to leave us quite early to migrate, often in August.

Louise made a trip to Westcock Friday to see if any shorebirds were around the mudflats there. Nothing was there at all. Other years she has seen large numbers of sandpipers there around this time. Last year the shorebirds were early at Johnson’s Mills and other places, but they seem to be slower this year.

Louise stopped at the Tantramar Wetlands in Sackville to find a large group of Yellowlegs [Chevalier] on the water there. She then stopped at the Lorne Street water impoundment in Sackville and saw again lots of Yellowlegs, approximately 50, along with 110 CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada].

**Brian Stone did a photographic tour of Louise and Glen Nichols’ Aulac property on Thursday, that always has lots to find. He got a photo of a GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY [Argynne cybèle], suggesting it to be a male, with no front wing dark border, as well as an ATLANTIS FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY [Argynne de l'Atlantique] to show its more complete black border. A GREEN FROG [Grenouille verte] and LEOPARD FROG [Grenouille léopard] were very cooperative. Note the distinctive squarish dark spots on the Leopard Frog. A male COMMON WHITETAIL DRAGONFLY [la Lydienne] nicely shows its extensive white pruinosity and wide dark wing bands, to make this an easily-identified dragonfly. The berries of the CLINTONIA plant [Lis boréale] have matured to the dark blue that gives the plant the other common name of Bluebead. They are inedible to humans. BUNCHBERRY [Quatre-temps] is in full red-berry clumps and are edible to humans but not particularly flavourful to most. Glen’s beehives were very active, showing the HONEY BEES [Abeille domestique] busy at work. A young of the year WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche], a Spreadwing Damselfly [Lestes], and a Meadowhawk Dragonfly [Sympétrum] joined the troop to be photographed.

Brian’s YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] he has raised after being rescued from a dried pond is now leaving the water and exploring its dry terrarium.

**Grindstone Island in Shepody Bay is an island that has many historical tales to tell. It is now under the management of the New Brunswick Nature Trust. You can see it readily from Route 114 in the Shepody area. It was an interesting sight on Thursday morning, when it was completely surrounded by fog with only the top showing. It was the only fog-covered land in the area.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier, Nature Moncton

YELLOWLEGS SP. AUG. 7, 2020. LOUISE NICHOLS

SPOTTED SANDPIPER (JUVENILE). AUG. 7, 2020. LOUISE NICHOLS

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

ATLANTIS FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

GREEN FROG. AUG. 06, 2020.. BRIAN STONE

LEOPARD FROG. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER. AUG. 07, 2020. BRIAN STONE

COMMON WHITETAIL DRAGONFLY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

MEADOWHAWK DRAGONFLY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

SPREADWING DAMSELFLY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

HONEY BEES AT HIVE. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

HEDGE BINDWEED FLOWERS. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

CLINTONIA BERRIES. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

BUNCHBERRY. AUG. 06, 2020. BRIAN STONE

GRINDSTONE ISLAND ENVELOPED IN FOG. AUG 6, 2020. NELSON POIRIER

Friday, 7 August 2020

Aug 7 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 31, 2020 (Friday)

Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

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

** Jane Leblanc spotted her first MONARCH BUTTERFLY [Monarque] caterpillar in her St. Martins yard on Thursday, and it was looking very ready to continue its mission.

** Veronica Leblanc comments that the butterflies seem to be having a challenge with the wind in her Nelson, Miramichi yard. On Wednesday, in spite of the wind, she had a very fresh VICEROY BUTTERFLY [Vice-roi] visit to get a great photo. This is very likely a second brood. At the end of July, she had a GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY [Argynne Cybèle] visit, and two days later, an ATLANTIS FRITILLARY [Argynne de l’Atlantique], again to get nice photos. Note the solid black border and gray eye of the Atlantis Fritillary, and the dark forewing border of the Great-spangled Fritillary to suggest a female. Also, the eye is brown.

** More and more folks are getting into natural gardening. Chris and Mike Antle have become very serious about it, and are now able to grow enough fruit and vegetables to last the year. Chris comments that she would like to see other posts of other gardens for the birds and kitchen like theirs is. Lots of fledglings are appearing in their garden with a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine rousse and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER [Paruline noir et blanc] photographed enjoying the bird bath. Chris sends along some photos of the fruits of their labours with lots of rewards. Louise and Glen Nichols are another couple that are able to achieve this end, with Glen’s very green thumb and Louise’s passion for birds.

** It’s Friday already and time to review what’s happening in this week’s Sky-at-a-Glance, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason, with the Perseid Meteor showers as a main event.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2020 August 8 – August 15
The main event in the sky this week is the Perseid meteor shower. You can see a few meteors per hour any night in a clear, dark sky, but the number increases greatly when Earth passes through a trail of pebbles and dust left by a comet that makes frequent orbits around the Sun. The pebbles left by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle in its 133 year orbit are quite large at a few centimetres, and they enter our atmosphere at a high relative velocity of 60 km/s (Earth travels at 30 km/s). Therefore, they can be very bright. The Perseids will seem to be coming from a point between the constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia, which are at their highest in early morning. You will see fewer in the evening but they tend to be long and bright.

Meteors, also called shooting stars or falling stars, are the streaks of light created when pebbles enter the atmosphere at an altitude of about 100 kilometres, and those particles from comets disintegrate before they reach an altitude of 50 kilometres. Many meteors are faint and easily made invisible by moonlight and light pollution. This year the Perseid shower occurs near the third quarter Moon phase, which rises after midnight and will interfere somewhat with the morning viewing.

Although a dark sky is preferred for watching meteors, many can still be enjoyed from an urban or suburban area. Get comfortable in a chair, have extra clothes or blankets if you plan to stay long as it can get very chilly, and select a patch of sky that is free of clouds and light. It is better to keep Perseus to your side rather than look in that direction because the meteors will look more spectacular, covering a longer distance. Under ideal conditions one might see 60-100 Perseids, but be very happy if you see about 20-30 per hour on the peak night or fewer a day before or after.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:10 am and sunset will occur at 8:38 pm, giving 14 hours, 28 minutes of daylight (6:17 am and 8:41 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:19 am and set at 8:27 pm, giving 14 hours, 8 minutes of daylight (6:25 am and 8:30 pm in Saint John).

The Moon passes below Mars this Sunday morning and it is at third quarter on Tuesday. Jupiter and Saturn are at their best for observing in late evening. Telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot around 10 pm Monday and 11:30 pm on Wednesday, while Saturn’s rings are a memorable sight. Mars rises around 11 pm and offers telescopic views of its south polar ice cap. Venus is at its greatest elongation from the Sun on Wednesday, and Mercury has moved too close to the Sun to be observed. The Perseid meteor shower is at its best on the night of August 11/12 but the nights before and after will also be rewarding if the weather cooperates.

With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold, you can watch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

VICEROY BUTTERFLY. AUG 5, 2020. VERICA LeBLANC

ATLANTIS FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY. JULY, 2020. VERICA LeBLANC

GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY. JULY, 2020. VERICA LeBLANC

MONARCH BUTTERFLY CATERPILLAR. AUG. 6, 2020. JANE LEBLANC

NATURAL GARDENING. AUG 5, 2020. .CHRIS ANTLE

Perseids_evening

Thursday, 6 August 2020

Aug 6 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 06, 2020 (Thursday)

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

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Georges Brun was surprised to see a male SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] sailing upriver after the Bore arrival on the Petitcodiac River on Wednesday. Georges spotted a shorebird fly down from up river and land in the silty bank to show some interesting field marks. All the soiling from the silt made it a challenge to identify with certainty but Gilles Belliveau looked at it closely and points out several features that likely make it a SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé]. The bill in one photo looks curved, but I suspect it is a photographic blip. It was an unexpected spot to see a Spotted Sandpiper. Am including several of Georges’ photos as some interesting field marks show.

** Brian Stone noticed an unusual insect occurrence in his driveway and front yard on Wednesday afternoon. As he stepped out into his driveway he was surprised to see a stream of ants rushing across the driveway from an undeveloped lot next door and crossing into and across the front lawn of the house. This stream was about 40 cm (16 in) wide evenly across its length and the ants were busily rushing back and forth along this line carrying undeveloped larvae for what reason he did not know. A little bit of searching, aided by his phone identification capabilities, led him to this information on Wikipedia (and similar information on BugGuide) about Slave-making Ants in the "Formica sanguinea" group. Something Brian had never witnessed or known about before. The information is quoted below

From Wikipedia … “Slave-making ants are brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers only concentrate on replenishing the labor force from neighboring host nests, a process called slave raiding.

The slave-making ants are specialized to parasitize a single species or a group of related species, and they are often close relatives to their hosts, which is typical for social parasites. The slave-makers may either be permanent social parasites (thus depending on enslaved ants throughout their whole lives) or facultative slave-makers. The behavior is unusual among ants but has evolved several times independently.” Brian captured a video of the event but comments it just does not capture the drama of the real event. Take a look at the attached site:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7yeknpr49zkqz6r/Ant%20Stream%2003.MOV?dl=0

Brian and Annette also visited Clarence Cormier in Cassie Cape to tour his naturally bountiful land and enjoyed the views and wildlife present there. Many bird species were active but only the RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] was kind enough to pose for a portrait along with one of two warm looking PORCUPINES [Porc-épic d'Amerique]. Brian also photographed a mushroom there with pink gills and white body that could well be a FIELD MUSHROOM. A black spore print would have made it more certain.

Earlier the night before a large CRANEFLY posed for an image on Brian’s back window and he also noted the gills on his YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] larva had shrunk to nubs over the last two or three days. It might soon be time for drier land in the tank.

** Not many birders are EUROPEAN STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet] fans but one that visited our Moncton yard really caught our eye. It is a young of the year bird and in very crisp teenage plumage with all natal molting complete. The dark feathers on the wing with the rusty scalloped edges are quite noticeable as is the dark patch behind the eye.

I am also attaching a photo of a COMMON WOOD NYMPH BUTTERFLY [Satyre des prés] enjoying that ever popular nectaring plant blooming THISTLE.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton