Nature Moncton Nature News: August 5 2017

NATURE MONCTON’S INFORMATION LINE – 5 August 2017 (Saturday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.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 nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

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

To respond by email, please address your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

**Georges Brun reports there are low water levels in the ponds at Chartersville Marsh, making it very attractive for foraging shorebirds. He comments there are quite large numbers of shorebirds there at the moment, including YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier], SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS [Bécassin roux], and others that he finds it hard to be specific on. The very low water levels seem to have birds feeding there all the time.

**Margaret Murray had eight TREE SWALLOW [Hirondelle bicolore] nest boxes occupied this season. They fledged some time ago, but one box was late, fledging much later than the rest. Margaret also had two CLIFF SWALLOW [Hirondelle à front blanc] nests successfully fledge, that had been placed on a the end of a garage.

**Jamie Burris caught an awesome photo of a HOVERFLY [Syrphide] in flight. This group of Flies [Mouche] mimic WASPS [Guêpe], and get called Flower Flies, Syrphid Flies, and that other common name, Hoverfly, which is a very appropriate name, as they do often hover over flowers. Jamie also got a photo of a male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] in his Riverview yard. The adult males will be heading south over the next weeks. I suspect females and juveniles will be glad to wave a wing goodbye, and stay for another two to four weeks.

**Gordon Rattray photographed the striking medium-sized VIRGIN TIGER MOTH [Apantèse vierge] day-perched on Friday. The underwing of this Moth [Papillon nocturne], when it shows, is a brilliant reddish with black spots. Gordon also photographed one of our common CRANEFLY [Tipule] species. These are large and look like giant MOSQUITOES [Maringouin], but are harmless to humans.

**Brian Stone got a nice top-view photo of a GRAY COMMA Butterfly [Polygone gris] at the Twin Oaks Trail recently. From the top view, this can be a hard one to tell from the EASTERN COMMA [Polygone virgule], but three marginal dark spots on the upper forewings are larger than the small dots in the Gray Comma, and the Eastern Comma has three black dots on the top hindwing, where the Gray Comma has two. Jim Edsall separated them for us.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton