Nature Moncton Nature News: July 7 2016

** The shorebirds are starting their southerly migration, and David Christie heard his first of the season ... a calling LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule] on Wednesday, July 06, at Mary's Point. The Least Sandpiper and the Lesser Yellowlegs are often the first of the advance guard of shorebirds to arrive.

** Georges Brun got a photo of a HARBOUR SEAL [Phoque commun] that came up the Petitcodiac River on Wednesday, just after Tidal Bore arrival.

** Debbie Batog in McKees Mills has had a Woodchuck, aka GROUNDHOG [Marmotte commune], take a liking to the fresh, succulent grass under her birdfeeder recently.

** Gordon Rattray paid a visit to Grey Brook Marsh and pond in Hillsborough on Wednesday to spot an AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d'Amérique] hen with seven ducklings, however a NORTHERN SHOVELER [Canard souchet] cruised by with twelve ducklings in tow. Gordon also got nice photos of RED ADMIRAL [Vulcain] and VICEROY [Vice-roi] butterflies, a LANCET CLUBTAIL dragonfly, and an adult SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé]. We should be seeing the juvenile Spotted Sandpipers soon that don't sport a spotted breast.

** Aldo Dorio photographed three Sparrow species at Hay Island on Wednesday, including a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés] carrying food, a CHIPPING SPARROW [Bruant familier] and a SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur]. Nelson's Sparrows are also well represented there, but are tough to photograph while being easy to hear vocalizing. Aldo also got a butterfly that Jim Edsall feels is probably a SILVERY BLUE [Bleu argenté] due to the solid black border and white fringe, and also because it is on Vetch. It's hard to rule out the rare Greenish BLUE Butterfly, that is only known from the St. Leonard airport in N.B. at the moment.

** Brian Stone was out in the warmth of Wednesday to get photos of Damselflies in a mating wheel, an EBONY JEWELWING DAMSELFLY, a RAINBOW BEETLE, WATER STRIDERS, and one of our FISHFLY species. These are large winged, flying insects we see at this time of year, usually near water, that include the Dobson Fly, the Alder Fly, and the dark one Brian photographed in the genus Nigronia. Some of the Fishfly species have a wingspan of up to five inches.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca