Nature Moncton Nature
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**After a month-long
hiatus, the peregrine falcons were back atop the Assumption building
logo. First the male showed up, and the female followed a few days
later. Georges Brun was able to get a few photographs with an injured
camera.
In the Riverview Marsh, Georges
photographed an adult female northern harrier and her juvenile while they were hunting
and practicing their acrobatic flight. They, along with a male northern
harrier partner, have been in the area all summer and fall.
Although the tidal bores
are currently ranked 2 out of 4, they appeared to be 5 feet high in some areas
of the Petitcodiac River. Georges Brun was able to get nice documentary
photos, despite his camera in need of medical attention!
**A few days ago, we
wondered whether monarch butterflies had ceased activity, except in warm places
like St. Martins.
Not the case, as Yolande
LeBlanc in Memramcook also saw a monarch chrysalis last week, and on Friday,
the emerged adult was flying around the flower beds. Yolande comments, “Hope it
aligned southwest.”
**Jane LeBlanc had
hatchling number 18 on Saturday...another female monarch butterfly.
Jane comments, “I just saw on the weather network that, because of climate change, the window for
butterflies to migrate is longer in the fall than 10-20 years ago.")
**Jane LeBlanc was
enjoying a rare day off in her St. Martins yard and found both a common
grackle and a white-throated sparrow spending the day. She also
found an autumn meadowhawk dragonfly and a bee species, as well as a wasp
mimic hoverfly enjoying her late flowers.
**Brian Stone shares a few
more recent photos that finally managed to get processed on Saturday. A Canada
darner dragonfly and a suspected female Lance-tipped Darner dragonfly were
possibly his last good dragonfly photos of the season. Both were found for him
by his sister Carol Shea, as well as a small, dark, spiky caterpillar that was
about 2 cm in length. Not much to offer, but photo outings have been scarce
over the last few days.
(The caterpillar is
suspected to be the larva of the saltmarsh tiger moth, which is not necessarily
found on salt marshes. The caterpillars vary considerably in colour from yellow to black.)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
