Nature Moncton Nature News: June 16 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 16, 2019 (Sunday)

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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)

** This past winter, Roger LeBlanc arranged to have some old artificial CLIFF SWALLOW [Hirondelle à front blanc] nests that I had purchased some years ago copied by a neighbour who is a potter. I had two used a few years ago, but the folks who had the birds lost their colony.

Mitch Doucet took six of the artificial nests and placed them in an existing colony he had around his cottage in the Beresford area. Mitch was able to prove to us that they work. Cliff Swallows did indeed take them and in some instances added their own modifications to suit themselves. This now makes the pilot project a certain success, so another Nature Moncton swallow nest project may be in its pioneering stage. The nests are designed with a long neck, so the birds tend to poop a distance from the place they nest so as not to soil the sides of homes they choose to build on. Mitch installed six nests and all have been rented. If the birds thought the entrance was not long enough they put on an extension, and they filled between the nests and the siding in some cases. They even used them as supports to build more nests on top of them, condo style. All kudos to Roger LeBlanc for persisting on this obviously successful effort to help a dwindling species.

** Louise Nichols got a nice photo of a BROWN ELFIN [Lutin brun] butterfly in a bog area on their Aulac property. The elfins are a special genus of butterfly, and rather elusive. They fly for a relatively short time window, which is right now, which actually is just a bit late this year, due to the cold spring, but conditions are great for them at the moment. They are very hard to photograph and equally hard to net to identify as species. Louise got a very lucky photo.

** Jean-Paul and Stella LeBlanc watched a male COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet] making a very serious preening effort continuously, for over 30 minutes, in Cocagne on Saturday. Jean-Paul comments that it would stop as if it was putting on a show for them, and then get right back to preening. They also got a photo of a CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon tigré du Canada] butterfly that we’re all enjoying at the moment. This large butterfly seems to have a passion for lilacs.

Brian Stone several photos of spring activity while hiking the North end of the Lake Charles Trail in Dartmouth. He photographed Pink Lady’s Slipper, colourful Hawkweed, Common Sarsaparilla in bloom, Sundew in bloom clearly showing the sticky drops to trap insect prey, Three-leaved Solomon’s Seal in bloom, and a Canada goose with youngsters. There are no longer fuzzy yellow balls! Also Clintonia a.k.a. Bluebead Lily in flower, Potentilla in bloom, and a nice photo of a Harvestman AKA Daddy Long Legs. Brian’s new friend, the American Dog Tick, is discussed separately.

** Brian Stone while visiting the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, area found an AMERICAN DOG TICK [Tique américaine du chien] climbing up his leg. This tick is much larger and faster moving than the potential LYME DISEASE [Maladies du Lyme] carrying BLACK-LEGGED TICK [Tique à pattes noires]. It is also ornamented with white blotches that can be seen with the naked eye. This tick is very prevalent in the Keji area of Nova Scotia, but has spread to many other areas in Nova Scotia. It is not common in New Brunswick yet but is present and very likely on the way. It can carry the organisms that cause ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER [Fièvre pourprée des montagnes Rocheuses] and TULAREMIA [Tularémie] but is not recognized as a carrier of the lyme disease organism. Its bite is very felt and it is not fussy about who or what it latches onto for a blood meal.

Nelson Poirier, <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Nature Moncton