Nature Moncton Information Line

Saturday, 25 September 2021

Sept 25 2021

NATURE MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE, September 25, 2021 (Saturday)

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: david.cannon@rogers.com

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

** Suzanne and Yves Poussant took part in the Great Atlantic Pelagic Bonanza 2021 on September 18^th off Grand Manan Island. Such a trip is always special. Unfortunately, the fog lasted all day, sometimes being quite dense - an unfortunate situation that limited the opportunities to locate the birds and whales. The photography was of course severely affected, with a lack of contrast and difficulties to precisely focus. The processing with Lightroom helped Yves get some acceptable photos. Among the special species, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, NORTHERN FULMAR, COMMON MURRE (with a young-of-the-year) and a few ATLANTIC PUFFINS were seen and photographed. In addition, several whales were heard and seen. A nice encounter happened when two HUMPBACK WHALES, that were at rest at the surface, slowly moved towards the boat while it was stopped. One of them almost passed under the boat and some nice close-up views were captured. It finally went underwater but nobody got a photo of the underside of the tail - needed to identify the individual. On Sunday and Monday, the nice clear weather provided nice opportunities to explore some beaches for birds. A photo of a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and another one showing a group of SANDERLINGS is included. Thanks are extended to Captain Russel Ingalls and Alain Clavette for their efficient contribution in organizing such an activity.

** Richard Blacquiere sends photos of some 200+ TURKEY VULTURES that were at the Hampton lagoon Friday morning, by far the most he has ever seen there. Richard thought they were reluctant to take flight Friday morning in the warm, humid, and calm conditions that persisted up until about 10:00 a.m. Once a slight breeze developed, the vultures began to lift off, and within 15 minutes almost all had departed. A spectacular sight watching them leave!

** Yvette Richard dropped by the area in Miramichi Bay/ Route #117 where a group of SANDHILL CRANES have been appearing for awhile. Conditions were low overcast and showers, but she did nice photos as they were not as distant as when Verica LeBlanc recently photographed them. Yvette said she saw 9 in total. I am including several of Yvette’s photos to show the plumage of the 1 immature and 8 mature birds.

Yvette also got a photo of a BLISTER BEETLE she saw roaming across a local golf course. These are the beetles that get their name from the defensive secretion of the blistering agent cantharidin to avoid predators, including over interested naturalists!

**Jane LeBlanc got a great photo of BLACKPOLL WARBLER (fall version). This one of our wood warblers that makes a very significant change in its fall plumage molt to confuse bird watchers!

Jane also photographed a RED-EYED VIREO that visited her St. Martins yard.

** Kelly Honeyman forwards a mushroom/ fungus photo forwarded to him by Ed Blake from Northern Maine. This same critter appeared in the yard of John Massey in Dieppe in 2017 and we had a good chance to follow it. The scientific name is Phycomyces blakesleeanus with no common name unfortunately. With the banner mushroom/ fungus year we are having, I am surprised no-one has come across this strange looking growth.

** The large female spiders are being noticed more this time of year. The BANDED ARGIOPE is one of our colourful ORB WEAVERS. Verica LeBlanc got a nice photo of one in her Nelson-Miramichi garden on Thursday.

** Leon Gagnon sends more news from Wilson Point on Miscou Island. He saw a RED-EYED VIREO on his woodlot; it ate at the tall grasses, quite bold to come towards him about 2 meters away. The sky was hazy and without much light, but he was able to get some photos. Leon set up a trail camera near a path in a clearing in his woods. His findings on the camera are interesting because it gives a good idea of the state of the sun, lighting, temperature, and wind during the installation period. In addition to the presence of passing animals, are birds attracted to a feeder. Within days he had documented the presence of MOOSE, BLUE JAYS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, HERMIT THRUSH, and AMERICAN ROBIN.

There are several camera models that can be programmed in several ways. The cost of Leon’s device was around $150. Trail cameras are becoming popular with naturalists to document Nature nocturnally when we humanoids slumber.

Nature Moncton is planning a presentation on trail cameras at our December meeting.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

BLACKPOLL WARBLER (FALL EDITION). SEPT. 23, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

TURKEY VULTURES. SEPT 24, 2021. RICHARD BLACQUIERE

SANDHILL CRANES. SEPT 24, 2021. YVETTE RICHARD

SANDHILL CRANES. SEPT

24, 2021. YVETTE RICHARD

GREAT PELAGIC BONANZA. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

COMMON MURRE WITH YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

NORTHERN FULMAR. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

ATLANTIC PUFFIN. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

HUMPBACK WHALES. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

HUMPBACK WHALE. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

PECTORAL SANDPIPER. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

SANDERLINGS. SEPT 21, 2021. YVES POUSSART

RED- EYED VIREO. SEPT. 23, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

RED-EYED VIREO. SEPT 22, 2021. LEON GAGNON

AMERICAN ROBIN (TRAIL CAM). SEPT 20, 2021. LEON GAGNON

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE (TRAIL CAM). SEPT 22. 2021. LEON GAGNON

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. (TRAIL CAM) SEPT 22. 2021. LEON GAGNON

MOOSE. (TRAIL CAM) SEPT 17, 2021. LEON GAGNON

PHYCOMYCES BLAKESLEEANUS FUNGUS. SEPT 23, 2021. ED BLAKE

BANDED ARGIOPE SPIDER (ARGIOPE TRIFASEATA). SEPT 24, 2021. VERICA LeBLANC

BLISTER BEETLE. SEPT 24, 2021. YVETTE RICHARD

Friday, 24 September 2021

Sept 24 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 24, 2021 (Friday)

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: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

** Louise Nichols got a nice photo of a COMMON BRANDED SKIPPER that she saw at the Anchorage Park on Grand Manan Island last weekend. She was surprised to see any kind of skipper this time of year.

** Because of a project that Brian Coyle is working on with Search and Rescue (of which he is a volunteer), he took photos recently of POISON IVY and STINGING NETTLE. The characteristics of Poison Ivy, such as the reddening of the leaves this time of year, a central leaf having a longer stem than the other two, a central leaf being irregularly lobed on both sides of the leaf while the other two are smooth on the bottom and irregularly lobed at the top, are present in the photos. He took these photos at a large patch of Poison Ivy at the dead end of Ryan Rd. where it stops at Wheeler Blvd. (Editor’s note: what excellent fine features for naturalists to retain when identifying this bad actor)

The Stinging Nettle was in Brian’s own backyard. Formic Acid and Histamine are two chemicals that are present in the fine hairs of this plant that let us know when we should not have touched as it gives an unpleasant burning sensation that some may be more sensitive to than others).

** Brian was also out checking his trail cameras to find a fresh smallish print of a BLACK BEAR. He suspects it to be one of the triplets he got on his trail camera earlier in the season. Also, he noted BUMBLEBEES taking advantage of our prolific late-blooming Asters.

** Jane LeBlanc got a photo of an EASTERN PHOEBE on her Saint Martins clothesline on Thursday. It has the unkempt look of a young-of-the-year bird, possibly a recent fledgling as this species often double broods as it starts its first nesting early in the season. Jane also photographed a BLUE-HEADED VIREO while out biking, nicely showing its signature spectacles. She also saw CEDAR WAXWINGS, GRAY CATBIRDS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and BLUE JAYS. Lots of birds moving about.

** Stella LeBlanc spotted a lone WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in their Bouctouche yard last week, but none since then. They expect to see more soon.

** Brian and Annette Stone went on a ‘driving outing’ and drove to a few spots to look for birds or whatever may show. They went to Ried McManus Nature Reserve where Brian got a LAKE DARNER (suspected) and a male WOOD DUCK (looking like striking breeding plumage has returned). They then went to Arthur St. lagoon where he got a male AMERICAN KESTREL and RING-BILLED GULLS. The GREAT BLUE HERON and BALD EAGLE were at Johnson’s Mills and the PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and YELLOWLEGS were at the Sackville Pond on Lorne/St. James St. There were more than 100 shorebirds there, but Brian couldn’t stay to document them due to another commitment.

A nice point that Gilles Belliveau leaves on Brian’s Pectoral photos is to note the rather long projection beyond the tertials. A Least Sandpiper would only have a bit of the primaries projecting beyond the longer tertials.

** It’s Friday and the day to check out what next week’s sky will have to offer, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 September 25 – October 2
Small constellations tend to get overlooked unless, like Delphinus the Dolphin, they have fairly bright stars or an eye-catching pattern. Aries the Ram and cleverly named Triangulum aren’t quite as pretty as Delphinus but they do get noticed. Okay, Triangulum isn’t pretty, but it is acute, situated below Andromeda in mid-evening. Below it is brighter Aries, which resembles a somewhat squashed triangle.

In mythology, the god Hermes sent a flying, golden ram to rescue a prince who was being sacrificed to end a famine. The prince showed his gratitude by slaughtering the ram and giving its fleece to a man in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Golden Fleece later became the quest of Jason and the Argonauts. Over 2000 years ago the Sun was in Aries on the first day of spring, and the vernal equinox is still called the First Point of Aries despite having moved into the constellation Pisces long ago.

Triangulum is not associated with an exciting tale from mythology but at times it had been regarded as a tribute to both the Nile Delta and the island of Sicily. I use the tip of the triangle as a reference for locating the Triangulum Galaxy, also called M33. It is almost halfway and a tad to the right of a line from the tip to orange Mirach in Andromeda. Smaller and slightly more distant than the nearby Andromeda Galaxy (M31), this face-on spiral galaxy is dim but attainable with binoculars in a reasonably dark sky.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:10 am and sunset will occur at 7:10 pm, giving 12 hours of daylight (7:15 am and 7:15 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:19 am and set at 6:56 pm, giving 11 hours, 37 minutes of daylight (7:23 am and 7:02 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is at third quarter on Tuesday evening, rising at 11:15 pm and setting around 3 pm Wednesday. Venus is the brightest object in the early evening sky, but once it sets Jupiter reigns until moonrise. On Tuesday evening, between 9:40 and 10 pm, telescope and binocular users might see Jupiter’s moon Europa disappear behind the planet (9:50) and moon Io emerge from Jupiter’s shadow (9:53) on the opposite side. Moons Calisto and Ganymede are also seen on opposite sides, with Ganymede being closer to Jupiter. After that, move westward for a view of Saturn’s rings and its moon Titan. This week Mercury begins a two-week plunge toward the Sun.

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

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

PECTORAL SANDPIPER. SEPT. 23, 2021. BRIAN STONE

PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. SEPT. 23, 2021. BRIAN STONE

AMERICAN KESTREL (MALE). SEPT. 23, 2021. BRIAN STONE

BALD EAGLE. SEPT. 23, 2021. BRIAN STONE

BLUE-HEADED VIREO. SEPT. 23, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

EASTERN PHEOBE. SEPT. 22, 2021. JANE LEBLANC

GREAT BLUE HERON. SEPT. 23, 2021. BRIAN STONE

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. SEPT 18, 2021. STELLA LEBLANC

WOOD DUCK. (MALE) SEPT. 23, 2021., BRIAN STONE

WOOD DUCK (MALE). SEPT. 23, 2021., BRIAN STONE

COMMON BRANDED SKIPPER. SEPT. 18, 2021. LOUISE NICHOLS

COMMON EASTERN BUMBLEBEE. SEPT 23, 2021. BRIAN COYLE

LAKE DARNER DRAGONFLY (SUSPECTED). SEPT. 23, 2021.. BRIAN STONE

POISON IVY. SEPT 23, 2021.. BRIAN COYLE

STINGING NETTLE. SEPT 23, 2021. BRIAN COYLE

Aries 2021

Thursday, 23 September 2021

Sept 23 2021

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 23, 2021 (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)

** Roger Leblanc checked out Bis Marsh in Dieppe on Wednesday afternoon for some interesting action. There were many PECTORAL SANDPIPERS there on the mud flats however an uncommon BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was with them and was easily observed, especially with a scope. There were at least 1,000 GREEN-WINGED TEALS in eclipse plumage so it looks like a choice spot for these eclipse plumaged birds to hang out. Two NORTHERN HARRIERS and 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS, all juveniles, started hunting and were sometimes putting the birds in flight.

** Daryl Doucette got 2 great photos of a RUFFED GROUSE. It is displaying the black ruff on the neck from which it got its name as well as the legs feathered to the toes (booted). They don’t often cooperate so nicely for a photo.

** It surely is the time for colourful caterpillars to be on mission. Aldo Dorio got a photo of a WHITE PINE SAWFLY CATERPILLAR near his Neguac home on Wednesday this is very likely one that few of us have encountered. This species is not native, having been introduced from Eurasia into northeastern North America. It is now gradually becoming established. The larval caterpillars feed on the needles of pine trees, especially the White Pine.

** The early appearance of the HEN-OF-THE-WOODS mushroom has been unexpected. It usually does not start fruiting until October. Gabriel Gallant found one earlier in the season. I was driving down McLaughlin Rd. in Moncton on Wednesday and was very surprised to see a large, fresh Hen-of-the-Woods on a lawn. This is a choice edible so it took only a brief stop to get placed into my possession and become haute cuisine after taking appropriate photos to share. This mushroom grows in association with oak. This specimen was fruiting under a planted Linden tree, but Oak trees were approximately 40 ft. away. For some reason this mushroom does not become insect infested and stays fresh for several days. It has the brown leafy appearance on top and the underside is white being made up of very small pores that make it look velvety white.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

RUFFED GROUSE, SEPT 20, 2021. DARYL DOUCETTE

WHITE PINE SAWFLY CATERPILLAR (DIPRION SIMILIS). SEPT 22, 2021. ALDO DORIO

HEN-OF-THE-WOODS MUSHROOM (TOP VIEW). SEPT 22, 2021. NELSON POIRIER

HEN-OF-THE-WOODS MUSHROOM (UNDERSIDE VIEW). SEPT 22, 2021. NELSON POIRIER