Nature Moncton Nature News: June 19 2016

** Doreen Rossiter advises that she has watched closely but there’s been no sign of the HOUSE WREN [Troglodyte familier] that dropped by her Alma yard earlier in the week. All eyes should be alert for this bird as it could still be in the area.

** Another EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] Scenario. Claudette Belliveau has had a pair come to their Saint-Paul yard the past eight years, nesting in seven of them. She says they arrive with the swallows; there’s a brief housing contest, then all settle in. The family leaves when the young bluebirds fledge, but in September-October a flock of usually a dozen drop by, staying for a time and visiting seemingly everywhere in the yard. This is behaviour that several folks report on each fall. It is obviously typical of Eastern Bluebirds.

** There are hundreds of moth species out there at the moment, mostly nocturnal fliers and very significant pollinators. Susan Richards came across a LEMON PLAGODIS (Plagodis serinaria) moth, day-resting at her Memramcook site. It’s a medium sized moth. Susan reports that she is continuing to see many CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon tigré du Canada] butterflies in flight.

** Bob Childs draws attention to a notice from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, New Brunswick Chapter, that they are making a call for senior volunteers. The complete notice is added to this transcription as an attachment.

** The selection of dragonflies and damselflies that Brian Stone photographed on Friday are attached today. They include BEAVERPOND BASKET-TAIL [Épithèque canine], EASTERN FORKTAIL [Agrion vertical] damselfly, LANCET CLUBTAIL dragonfly [Gomphe exilé] and a possible COMMON or MANTLED BASKET-TAIL [Épithèque à queue de beagle ou Épithèque mantelée]. Gilles Belliveau helped with the identifications. Not included are some that had just emerged or ones that are difficult to diffentiate on a photo.

Brian also recently found a group of spiderlings, which hatched on Saturday, and he photographed the cluster. He also photographed a caterpillar that appears to be of the LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING moth []. It’s coming to that time when a lot of caterpillars will be on the move, many hard to identify.

** Heads up that the NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE AND BLOGSPOT will not be updated from Tuesday, June 21, to Saturday, June 25. Please continue to forward your observations and photos that will entered when operations re-start.

There are now not many places in New Brunswick without power, wifi, or cell service, but that’s where we will be for five days.

** The last NATURE MONCTON MEETING of the season will take place on Tuesday evening, June 21, at 7 p.m. at the Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge, across from Cabella’s. Very knowledgeable speaker, Gerald Chaput will deliver a presentation on fish migrations. A write-up is attached to this transcript.

Nature Moncton Monthly Meeting

Date: June 21, 2016 at 7pm

Location: Mapleton Lodge, Mapleton Park, Moncton NB

Presenter: Gérald Chaput

Coordinator, Centre for Science Advice, Gulf Region

Fisheries and Oceans Canada/Government of Canada

From scales to microchips: understanding fish migrations

Anadromous fish, including Atlantic salmon, gaspereau, striped bass, rainbow smelt are abundant and prized fish found in most rivers and estuaries of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Much has been learned of their biology and life history based on looking at their scales. Each species has its own signature inscribed on the scale which tells its age, when it first spawned, how often it spawns, and the local or distant migrations which the animal has undertaken. Increasingly, electronic technologies provide new insights into daily and seasonal migrations, behaviours, and environmental conditions encountered by fish. The information from these technologies provides an increasingly complex picture of fish behaviour and responses to a constantly changing environment, aspects which were not apparent from looking at fish scales alone.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton