September 24 2023

 

 

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

September 24, 2023

 

 

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 .

 

Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

 

**On Friday, Barb Curlew went to the place where the shorebirds have been roosting on Waterside Beach. It was infuriating to find that a truck had driven through there earlier, and there were hardly any birds left there.

There were a few Sanderlings running along the surf edges, some Herring Gulls just standing around, and a Ruddy Turnstone. In the afternoon, they were pleasantly surprised to find 2 Eastern Bluebirds back at the Shortcut Road, Waterside location, where they saw this species this summer.

 

**Yolande LeBlanc found 5 Black Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillars in her carrot patch in Memramcook, obviously the second brood of the season.

Rheal Vienneau will be collecting them today for grow out and release, so we can expect some nice photos to arrive over the next weeks.

 

There will be no updates to Nature News for, I suspect, 4 days unless things change as the editor will be out of internet range.

Please forward your nature photos, and they will all be shared as soon as the editor gets back into an internet service area.

 

--

 

                             Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

 

RUDDY TURNSTONE. SEPTEMBER 23, 2023. BARB CURLEW

SANDERLINGS. SEPTEMBER 23, 2023. BARB CURLEW

EASTERN BLUEBIRD. SEPTEMBER 23, 2023. BARB CURLEW.

HERRING GULL .SEPTEMBER 23, 2023. BARB CURLEW

 

 

 

 

 

September 23 2023

 

 

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

September 23, 2023

 

 

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 .

 

Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

 

** Louise Nichols visited Ann's Acres beach on Friday morning to do a shorebird count.  At low tide, the birds were widespread, and most were heavily feeding and not too concerned with Louise's presence.  She saw 7 species in all, including the three regular sandpipers, some Dunlin, Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers, and Black-bellied Plovers.  The sun was shining most of the time, but the north breeze made it quite chilly out on the sand flats.  In Louise's photos, some ID features are visible -- notably the smudgy dark shoulder of the Sanderlings and the reddish colour at the base of the lower mandible on the White-rumped Sandpipers (arrowed in one photo).

 

 

**We all enjoy taking photos of shorebirds and studying them closer when we can get home and put them on a larger screen for scrutiny and rewarding identification.

Barb Curlew shares 2 nice photos that clearly show that challenge.

A consult with Gilles Belliveau gives some excellent comments to consider and makes us all feel just a bit better!

I am sharing some of Gilles’ comments below:

"I believe the 2 most prominent birds (with their underparts brightly lit) are likely White-rumped Sandpipers due to the fine streaking/spotting on the flanks.

The other birds I can’t say for certain what they are.

With photos with most of the birds laying down and partly/mostly obstructed and no context for size or structure, sometimes we just have to accept that they can’t all be identified.”

(Editor’s note: I always recall a comment Kathy Popma made to me one day while looking at a group of shorebirds saying “shorebirds with their head tucked under their wing should be classed as ‘the ones that got away!'")

** Georges Brun notes that another wild fruit tree species is doing very well this season. The Hawthorne Trees that are situated along the east side of Milner Road just down from Alexander Ave in Moncton's West End are heavily laden with fruit.  Georges did a rough count of more than a dozen trees.

He also noted a Woolly Bear Caterpillar (larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth) on the service road/trail atop former solid waste cells west of Jonathan Creek.

Georges also noted an abundance of Gem-studded Puffball Mushrooms on the walking/bike trail.  

Georges met with Ranger Sebastien Arsenault of the Department of Natural Resources.   Numerous people called the Dept. yesterday morning, informing folks that a Moose was seen wandering the northside marsh of the Petitcodiac River next to the new bridge. He sends a photo of the image that might be a young moose well concealed.

 

**Jamie and Karen Burris had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on their flowers Thursday. The photo attached was taken earlier this year as their visitor on Thursday was camera shy.

Jamie also shares a photo of a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth that was feeding on Swamp Milkweed earlier in the season.

 

Jamie and Karen also share a taste of the wild on Friday, making Staghorn Sumac and Hawthorn Berry jelly. They comment, “They are delicious when combined! Foragers alert.”

 

 

**The recorded audio (recorded on a hand recorder) of the very popular presentation by Pierre Janin and Sam Legresley at the Nature Moncton September meeting is available at the link below:

The volume is low so the use of earphones is very helpful.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6lxc2j3xz3p55r8lyjk3l/Z0000064.MP3?rlkey=o8j2p1375pamz1ikqpx0708vo&dl=0

 

Pierre and Sam made their PowerPoint presentation available, which can be accessed at the link below.  The  presentation pointed out some extremely interesting information. If you listen to the presentation, open up the audio first, then click on the PowerPoint presentation to follow along.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yg1v0ntzfhhyi2fccrqbv/Copie-de-Promoting-the-native-plants-of-the-Wabanaki-Acadian-Forest.pdf?rlkey=y7stzwhw93c0gzjdvb9mhmuql&dl=0

 

Some slides to take particular notice of are the following:

- nutritional differences between native and non-native berries.

-the most important insect for birds is the caterpillar and these

insects are evolved to associate with native plants.

-the slide on keystone species with sunflower, goldenrod, and aster at the top, as well as the slide on keystone tree species.

-Clicking on Grow Me Instead in the closing slide opens a very informative book dealing with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

(Editor’s note: we also have the audio of the second half of the meeting when Peter and Sam answered more questions from the group. If anyone wants this, the audio link can be emailed to them, but as with the first link, the volume is low, and earphones are indicated.

 

 

                             Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

DUNLIN. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

DUNLIN. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

SANDERLINGS. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

SANDERLING. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER. SEPT. 22, 2023. LOUISE NICHOLS

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (SUSPECTED). SEPT 21, 2023.  BARB CURLEW

SHOREBIRDS. SEPT 21, 2023. BARB CURLEW

RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. JULY 31, 2023. JAMIE BURRIS

HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING MOTH. AUG 3, 2023. JAMIE BURRIS

WOOLLY BEAR CATERPILLAR. SEPT. 21, 2023. GEORGES BRUN

GEM-STUDDED PUFFBALL MUSHROOMS. SEPT. 21, 2023. GEORGES BRUN

HAWTHORNE. SEPT. 21, 2023. GEORGES BRUN

MONCTON MARSH. SEPT. 21, 2023. GEORGES BRUN

STAGHORN SUMAC AND HAWTHORNE BERRIES READY FOR JAM PREPARATION. SEPT 22, 2023. JAMIS BURRIS

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 22 2023

 

 

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

September 22, 2023

 

 

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 .

 

Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

 

**A few weeks ago, Louise Richard found 2 Monarch Butterfly caterpillars on her milkweed. Rheal Vienneau immediately came and picked them up to let them feed and go into chrysalids. They emerged this week and got tagged Wednesday and released Thursday to start their journey to Mexico to overwinter. Louise comments, “What a great experience and a very kind man.”
 

**Shannon Inman has found an area with a diversity of mushrooms, which we can expect to find more of with wet ground and cooling nights.
A few that Shannon has photographed are the Northern Tooth Mushroom, which is almost always found fruiting on Sugar Maple, or occasionally Beech; the bright red Scarlet Waxy Cap which is a relatively easy one to identify; the Thin-maze Polypore which is a tentative identification. The brilliant Yellow Slime Mold Fungus species interestingly will attach to plants occasionally, as Shannon’s photo shows. The texture of the fungus quickly gives away its identity.

(Editor’s note: Pictures of mushrooms are tough. It is helpful to get several photos of a single mushroom over and under where applicable, the substrate it is growing on, does it ooze latex when cut, is the stalk friable or does it just bend, a spore print is very valuable, is it growing on wood or ground, is there a specific odour, and more. The more info, the better.

In saying all that, some are very easy to ID.)

 

**It’s Friday, and time to take a look at what next week’s night sky may hold for us, especially with the suggestion that Mother Nature may provide us with some clear nights. Thanks to sky guru Curt Nason for the outlook below.

 

 This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023, September 23 – September 30
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 will 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 7:07 am, and sunset will occur at 7:15 pm, giving 12 hours and 8 minutes of daylight (7:12 am and 7:20 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday, the Sun will rise at 7:16 am and set at 7:01 pm, giving 11 hours and 45 minutes of daylight (7:20 am and 7:06 pm in Saint John). This Saturday at 3:50 am the Sun crosses the equator, heading southward, to begin our autumn season.
    
The Moon is at first quarter on Friday, September 22, leading us into Fall Astronomy Day. It passes near Saturn on Tuesday, Neptune on Thursday, and it is full next Friday. Brilliant Venus rises around 3:45 am midweek, followed by Mercury two hours later. The steep angle of the ecliptic on early autumn mornings places them higher in the sky for better viewing. Saturn is at its best for observation in the late evening, and Jupiter rises around 9:45 pm midweek.

The RASC NB star party at Kouchibouguac National Park takes place on Friday and Saturday, September 22-23. Also, Astronomy Day public observing will be held at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John on September 22 from 8 – 11:30 p.m., with a back-up date of September 23.

(Editor's note: great field outing opportunities!)

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

 

                             Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (READY TO EMERGE FROM CHRYSALIS). SEPT 21, 2023.  VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING BY RHEAL VIENNEAU). SEPT 21, 2023. .,,. VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

MONARCH BUTTERFLY (TAGGING). SEPT 21, 2023. . VIA LOUISE RICHARD

NORTHERN TOOTH MUSHROOM. SEPT 20, 2023.   SHANNON INMAN

NORTHERN TOOTH MUSHROOM. SEPT 20, 2023.   SHANNON INMAN

SCARLET WAXY CAP MUSHROOM. SEPT 20, 2023. SHANNON INMAN

THIN-MAZE POLYPORE. SEPT 20, 2023.  SHANNON INMAN

THIN-MAZE POLYPORE. SEPT 20, 2023.  SHANNON INMAN

SLIME MOLD FUNGUS SP. SEPT 20, 2023. SHANNON INMAN