Nature Moncton Nature News: June 25, 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 24, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Brian Donovan shares two more videos of wildlife doing their own thing, as well as a TURKEY VULTURE [Urubu à tête rouge] photo. The trail camera videos and photo were taken approximately 50 km due north of route 108, aka the Renous Highway, and so are in quite a remote area. In one video a BLACK BEAR [Ours noir] thinks it is a film director and takes the opportunity to turn the camera 90° that explains what it is up to. Take a look at the attached link.

https://youtu.be/DCMn4m4c3lg

Another video is a short capture of a LYNX. Take a look at that at the attached link.

https://youtu.be/id2O14wQQWU

Brian comments that this particular camera has picked up Lynx, Marten, another 2 Moose, a Coyote, as well as a few Canada Jays, all in the same week where it is placed in a bit of a funnel at the end of a lake. Brian comments that he would probably not have got the Turkey Vulture photo that is attached had the Black Bear not turned the camera for him. The Turkey Vulture was at least 60 km from the nearest house as the crow flies, or in this case as the Vulture flies, and was up about 500 meters elevation.

** David Lilly got 2 great photos of a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH [Paruline des ruisseaux] warbler with a beak full of delicious caterpillars, obviously with some rapidly growing nestlings to feed. David got the photos in the Swan Lake area near Gagetown.

** Catherine Hamilton kindly took Brian Stone and I on a tour of the Petitcodiac Waterfowl Trail on Monday afternoon that she frequents and is where she often gets great photos of nature. The water treatment lagoons had a notable diversity of resident waterfowl and is a spot where Catherine has photographed several interesting sea ducks that use it as a rest stop during migration. It is a very interesting, underbirded area. It borders the upper reaches of the Petitcodiac River and some very well hidden ponds and other bird habitat areas. We did see an AMERICAN BITTERN [Butor d'Amérique] fly over, and we visited a secluded area where Catherine had recently photographed WOOD TURTLES [Tortue des bois].

Catherine returned on Monday evening to hear the call of the American Bittern and quietly sought it out to be rewarded with seeing the Bittern amongst some cattails performing its sky gazing behavior to pretend it was just another cattail. She again secretly looked over the location where she had seen the Wood Turtles a few days ago to see an obvious female digging a hole and got some photos with her long zoom camera and left to not disturb.

Also seen on this outing in Petitcodiac were 3 or more SPOTTED SANDPIPERS [Chevalier grivelé], male YELLOW WARBLERS [Paruline jaune], several WOOD DUCKS [Canard branchu], SAVANNAH SPARROWS [Bruant des prés], a KILLDEER [Pluvier kildir], and lots of ducklings. A beautiful RIVER JEWELWING DAMSELFLY was joined by many BLUET DAMSELFLIES, some EASTERN FORKTAIL DAMSELFLIES, a COMMON WHITETAIL DRAGONFLY and a FROSTED WHITEFACE DRAGONFLY. A COMMON RINGLET BUTTERFLY was polite enough to join in the photography fest. A male YELLOW WARBLER was a value added bonus.

** I noticed in yesterday’s edition that if you turned the sound up loud in Brian Coyle’s video he submitted of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker the distinct call of an Alder Flycatcher can be heard in the background. Check on the attached link if you would like to listen to it again.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ok8gylhv294i5eo/DSCN3217.MOV?dl=0

** I am including more plant photos from Saturday’s visit to the Kingston Peninsula. Several ferns were at their prime. CINNAMON FERN was nicely shooting up its central, fertile fronds. MARGINAL FERN was nicely showing its marginal, underside fruit dots that give it its name. COMMON POLYPODY, which usually grows on rock, was found in a forest area as well as its much less common kin APPALACIAN POLYPODY. CRESTED FERN was showing its upright, central, fertile frond and triangular pinna. The root of GOLDTHREAD was exposed to show how it got its name. CREEPING SNOWBERRY was forming its few berries on its underside. COLUMBINE was in bloom as well as CANADA ANEMONE.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton