Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 15 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 15, 2018 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** Barb Curlew spotted a BLACK VULTURE [Urubu noir] on the road at Waterside on Sunday afternoon. She phoned Dave Christie who went over to investigate, but at first couldn’t find it. He dropped by Barb’s to see a photo that showed it was a juvenile bird, feathered onto the top of the head. They went out to look for it and stopped and walked about with no sign of it. At one spot the roadside vegetation was less dense so Dave walked towards the woods and spotted a black bird lying on the ground under trees. As he approached, it clumsily started to walk farther into the woods. It seemed weak but after a few minutes it spread its wings and was able to hop to a low branch. As Dave moved forward slowly it opened its wings, flew again and this time landed 25 feet high in a spruce tree. If it’s still there Monday, Dave plans to bring some food to the site. The vulture was on the south side of Route 915 close to the Cape Enrage sign that is about halfway between Long Marsh Lane and Long Marsh Creek. Dave got a photo of the bird, which is attached.

** Dale Gaskin very much enjoyed 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l’Est], and there may have been more, that were flying about his Dawson Settlement Road home, checking out nest boxes on Sunday. This is something we tend to see each fall, since the Bluebirds have made somewhat of a recovery over the past 10+ years. It is assumed they are investigating potential real estate possibilities for next spring.

Dale also spotted something white in the field near his house. He investigated to find a freshly emerged clump of delicious HORSE MUSHROOMS [Agaric des achêres], to equal a four and a half pound collection that headed for the kitchen.

** Brian Coyle came across a cluster of 50+ SHAGGY PARASOL [Lépiote déguenillée] mushrooms in spruce woods near his Upper Mountain Road home. In my experience this is not a commonly found mushroom in this area. It happens to be an excellent edible. Brian’s photos show the very identifiable cap of this mushroom, from the top and the shaggy partial veil and white gills, when fresh, from an underview. It produces a white spore print and when the flesh is cut into, it tends to take on a faint saffron colour, which is an important identification feature.

** Louise Nichols visited the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Sunday. There are lots of WILSON’S SNIPE [Bécassine de Wilson] there now. She counted 19 on Sunday morning. There is still a good population of yellowlegs, mostly GREATER YELLOWLEGS [Grand Chevalier]. Louise saw two rather plump SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS [Bécassin roux]. It’s that time of year when it’s indicated to watch for the later passing-through LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS [Bécassin à long bec] but from the appearance of the tertials in Louise’s picture, they do not appear to be Long-billed Dowitchers.

The park is still dominated by GADWALLS [Canard chipeau] and AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d’Amérique], but Gadwalls do not seem to occupy any of the nearby lagoons, so there’s surely something about the Sackville Waterfowl Park that attracts them. The COMMON GALLINULE [Gallinule d’Amérique] was still present, as it has been for weeks, and Louise got a great photo of it.

Louise again saw what appeared to be fresh egg masses on the small pond at their Aulac property, that once again look like YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] eggs. We can’t seem to get an explanation of apparent egg masses appearing in October. Any comments would be appreciated.

** Shawn Cormier got an excellent photo of an AMERICAN DAGGER MOTH [Acronicte d’Amérique] caterpillar on Sunday, on a twig approximately 3 feet off the ground in woods. This caterpillar is likely about to surround itself with a cocoon made from the hairs (setae) on its body, to over-winter as such.

** Doris Hatt, in Alma, had a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] attending her feeder from October 6 to 12. Some days, she would see it only a few times and on two days did not see it at all. However, on October 12, it fed approximately every 20 minutes all day. It was apparently fueling up, as it was not seen on Oct. 13, seemingly having moved on its way. Dave Christie checked several photos that Doris got that strongly suggest it to be a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

** Aldo Dorio sends a warbler photo that is very suggestive of a PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse], still showing some bright plumage. Palm Warblers often forage on the ground, which is also suggestive of that species, along with the field marks noted, even with its attention directed away from the photographer.

** Pat spotted a hawk taking prey in a roadside ditch by a home in Shemogue late Sunday afternoon. We were able to watch it at a distance for some time, as it moved from spot to spot, seemingly most attracted to roadside areas. It turned out to be a juvenile RED-TAILED HAWK [Buse à queue rousse] that gave some nice photo ops to show its juvenile as well as Red-tailed Hawk features. Photos show the juvenile yellow eye, dark brown dorsal surface of the tail, with darker narrow bars, yet pale underside. Other Red-tailed Hawk identification features were the variable pale mottling of the scapulars to often form a V on a perched bird, a feature that usually shows in both immature and mature birds, as well as the thin white margin of the tail.

There were also many hundreds of mushrooms about. HORSE MUSHROOMS [Agaric des achêres] were exceedingly abundant, but we also noted the first fruitings of clumps of SHAGGY MANE [Coprin chevelu] mushroom. These are great edibles but it’s a must to gather them fresh, as the body and gills liquefy in a few days, often leaving only the stalk, as two attached photos show.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton