Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 13 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 13, 2020 (Thursday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** The fallout of LITTLE BLUE HERONS [Aigrette bleue] and GREAT EGRETS [Grande Aigrette] has made lots of happy birders. Louise Nichols was back at the Tantramar Wetlands on Wednesday morning to find the 3 Little Blue Herons still there. They were grouped tightly together at first but then started to move around the impoundment feeding on (mostly) frogs. Louise attached one photo in which one heron had prey that she was not sure of. I queried Alyre Chiasson on this one and he favours a Leopard Frog, noting the roundish spots. Mostly they seemed to be getting frogs. Sonia Hinds from Miramichi joined Louise and while they were watching the 2 GREAT EGRETS [Grande Aigrette] flew in so they had a full show. One of the photos attached shows a Little Blue Heron and a Great Egret side by side. It is evident how much smaller the heron is. They might hang around for a while given the size of the frog population. Pat and I visited the site at approximately 1:30 pm and were treated to a similarly fantastic show. I am only going to include 1 of my photos with 3 heads poked up on the grassy promontory of the herons as Louise’s photos are so good as well as Yves Poussart’s that arrived this morning.

**Thanks to the information shared on Tuesday, Suzanne and Yves Poussart visited the Tantramar Wetlands (behind the Tantramar Regional High School in Sackville) to find the 2 Great Egrets and the 3 juvenile Little Blue Herons. This visit was successful and gave a good chance to get several photos of these two not so common species. Such an opportunity was obviously quite exciting and really appreciated. Some of the photos Yves took on Wednesday morning are attached that show some flight photos and stars of the show mingling with a Great Blue Heron.

** We haven’t heard much from ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS [Cardinal à poitrine rose] lately. Judith Dewar photographed a female, or possibly a juvenile male at this point, in her Quispamsis yard.

** It is that time of year to be able to see the very large and beautiful SILKWORM and SPHINX caterpillars. Susan Richards had a LUNA MOTH caterpillar in her Taylor Village yard on Wednesday. The vast majority of Luna Moth caterpillars are deep green but some can be the pale brown colour in Susan’s photo but still have a very green head.

** Louise Richard comments that she watched a couple of bats flying behind her Moncton home on Jones Lake on Tuesday evening at dusk. There seems to be more bat reports in the past week.

** Some folks visiting Hay Island may get a surprise to see what looks like a large fin protruding from the water. A local chap had a piece of wood that simulated a sea mammal fin and placed it as a joke and it surely got attention! No, there are no Orcas at Hay Island. One of Aldo Dorio’s photos shows a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT [Cormoran à aigrettes] drying its wings on it. Aldo also photographed a MERLIN [Faucon émerillon] in the Tabusintac area on Wednesday. The young are flying now and seemingly staying as a family unit with the young resembling the chocolate plumaged female.

** Brian Stone had a FIELD CRICKET [Cricket des champs] outside his door on Monday night stridulating so loudly that he went out and swished it on its way, but not before getting a photo. This is the time of year that this species can become very loud. Brian also got a photograph of a LARGE MAPLE SPANWORM MOTH perched on the outside of his kitchen window, also on Monday night, as he was setting up to watch for meteors. While using a flashlight to get things ready for his relaxing hours of star and meteor gazing the moth fluttered around him and landed on him several times. It then took up its position on the window where the camera’s flash illuminated it as if in daylight. This moth is a medium sized moth.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton