Nature Moncton Nature News: June 6 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 6 June 2020 (Saturday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

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

**Ed LeBlanc has been seeing a Weasel [Belette] in their St. Martin’s garage for at least a week, and Jane has always missed it. On Friday, Ed said it looked like she was moving her babies out, so Jane went out and sat. She was rewarded with a few fast photos. In the second one, the lump to the left of the weasel is what she was carrying (assumedly to be a baby). When Jane hit the shutter button on the camera, it dropped it and froze, before picking it up and hightailing it out of there. They suspect that she had two that they saw, but they weren’t sure if there were more that they missed or not.

Jane also got a photo of what is suspected to be a DUSKY CLUBTAIL DRAGONFLY [Gomphe pointu]. Gilles Belliveau comments he suspects it to be that, but cannot rule out a LANCET CLUBTAIL [Gomphe exilé] from the photo.

**Gordon Rattray paid a visit to Crooked Creek on Friday looking unsuccessfully for a BAY-BREASTED WARBLER [Paruline à poitrine baie] for a photo. He did get a photo of a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER [Paruline bleue] and a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne dorée], both in deep shade. He extended the trip over to Harvey, and stopped at the bridge just as you start onto Route 915 from Riverside-Albert, to see the CLIFF SWALLOWS [Hirondelle à front blanc]. It was very interesting to watch them getting mud from a puddle for their nest construction, and Gordon got some nice photos of the action.

At the Harvey dam, while looking at the DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes], two TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête rouge] flew over, and he could see more over the pasture. On driving over that way, he saw an adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] and 3 immatures in the grass. A CROW [Corneille] joined them, so there had to be a kill there. One drove the Crow away, and as you can see in the photo, it is carrying stolen food. The Crow landed a bit away, and was joined by Turkey Vultures. Gordon comments, very interesting dynamics.

At Gordon’s home in Weldon, the PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] brought four fledglings out for food. He got three in one group photo. Notice that the youngsters all look like female plumage. They will keep that plumage until the second fall of life.

Gordon also got a photo of the WHITE SPRING MOTH that is easily confused with a butterfly at first. Jim Edsall confirmed this one to watch for at this time of year and not confuse with similar butterflies.

**Aldo Dorio got three views of a BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY [Papillon du céleri] at Hay Island on Friday. It must be their chosen time, as I have had four more emerge from over-wintered chrysalids and released. It is important to look closely at Hay Island, as the much more uncommon SHORT-TAILED SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon queue-courte] does occur there and down the coast for its limited range of occurrence. Its favourite food plant is SCOTCH LOVAGE [Livêche écossaise] and COW-PARSNIP [Berce très grande], of which Hay Island has lots.

Aldo also sent photos showing the Hay Island boardwalk closed at the moment and a post photo of the Island. Aldo comments you can still do the interesting walk around the beach until repairs are made.

**Louise Nichols got a photo of a flower fly that Denis Doucet identified as a Variable Dusky-Faced Flower Fly (Transcriber note: could not find this name on internet for translation). If you look closely, you’ll note only the two wings, to make it a fly (Diptera), and a wasp imitator. The flower flies are not as effective at pollination as bees, but they do play a role.

Also, Louise got a real surprise on a trail camera video, which is a sudden appearance fly pass of a mystery object. Check the attached video link for what Louise’s camera recorded at the attached link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e3kfsmaai44x3vf/SOMETHING%20FALLING.%20JUNE%203%2C%202020.%20LOUISE%20NICHOLS.AVI?dl=0

Brian Stone was familiar with this effect. This is some type of insect flying past the lens of the camera very close. The slow frame rate of the camera causes the wings of the insect to multiply in a streak. This effect is more common in a video, but also occurs in a still photo as his did.

**MARSH-MARIGOLD [Souci d'eau] is a beautiful flowering plant that loves to grow on river shores, and is very abundant along the Miramichi River at the moment, as I’m sure it is elsewhere. I once transplanted some from the wild to an edge of a yard pond, and it took very well and kept sharing its beauty year after year.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton