Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 15 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 15 August 2020 (Saturday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

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

**Roger LeBlanc guided a group from the Canadian Nature Federation on Friday, taking them to the Lavoie Ducks Unlimited impoundment on Tucker Street in Riverview. Roger was very pleased to find 10 shorebird species present there, seeing 38 species of birds in all. He comments he had never got above 8 shorebird species yet this year. With Riverview Marsh and Bis Marsh so devoid of water, this seems to be a popular shorebird spot at the moment. Roger also comments that he has never seen so many KILLDEER [Pluvier kildir] in one spot.

**A heads-up on the Nature Moncton shorebird field trip scheduled for next Saturday, with details attached. Bear in mind COVID-19 is still very much a pandemic, so precautions will be observed.

NATURE MONCTON SHOREBIRD OUTING

BIS MARSH, DIEPPE (AND POSSIBLY RIVERVIEW MARSH)

DATE : SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

TIME : 1 :00 pm

PLACE : PARKING LOT BEHIND BURGER KING AT CHAMPLAIN MALL

GUIDE : ROGER LEBLANC

** PLEASE REGISTER WITH LOUISE NICHOLS AT nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Even though we are smack in the middle of a beautiful warm summer, fall migration has already started. No, not so much those confusing autumn warblers or hard-to-differentiate flycatchers yet, but shorebirds for sure. Now the simple mention of shorebirds can bring a glazed look to the eyes of many, and for good reasons. There are dozens of species and they are often seen in mixed flocks far off in a marsh on a mud flat or beach. Plus here in the Maritimes, we mostly see them at a time of year when they are in drab basic or winter plumage that is essentially the same for all: a bicolored combination of darkish gray on top, with white on the bottom -- great for hiding from predators but not so good for birders to figure what they are. So all of this explains the fact that some just call them peeps and move on to more “reasonable” birds. But shorebirding can be lots of fun and we are in fact fortunate, in our region, to be near some great shorebird migration stopovers, even just minutes from the city centre along the Petitcodiac River. But how are we supposed to identify those little gray birds all the way out there on the mud flat that just won’t stand still and don’t vocalize a lot?

Once again Nature Moncton comes to the rescue. On Saturday August 22we are offering a shorebird outing. Our own Roger Leblanc will lead this outing and will share with us the tricks of the trade that he has honed over several decades to help us put names on most of the shorebirds out there. As well as lead the outing, Roger will focus on field marks, habitats, behaviors and other clues that can help birders more easily identify the dozen or so shorebird species we should see. So if you have been hoping

**Lisa Morris was finding brown oblong objects attached to a screen at her home, and was rather perplexed as to what they were. Lisa collected several and dropped them off for photography and hopeful identification. The objects were appropriately 1 cm long. Some were empty, almost looking like a lid was taken off one end, while others were whole. Making a cut through the unopened objects, several winged insects emerged, very much alive. BugGuide eventuallly identified the emerged insects as Chalcid Wasps [Chalcidiens]. Chalcid Wasps are parasitoids that lay their eggs on chrysalids/pupal cases/cocoons of flies, butterflies, moths, etc., depending on the specific species of Chalcid Wasp. The eggs hatch, kill the parasitized pupa using it as its food supply, then break open the case and fly off as adults, which was happening or about to happen in the attached photos. The original case is suspected to be the pupal case of some species of fly, which could not be identified with certainty. The emerging Chalcid Wasps were approximately 5 mm long.

**Jane and Ed LeBlanc were on the St. Martin’s beach at sunrise on Friday to catch a photo of some COMMON MERGANSERS [Grand Harle] that were out for a morning sail on the incoming tide. They also saw six COMMON LOONS [Plongeon huard], an immature BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche], a GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron], and an unidentified peep did a flyby. Jane also got a photo of a MONARCH BUTTERFLY caterpillar [chenille du Monarque], one of several nice-sized specimens in her Milkweed [Herbe à coton] patch. Note the tubular morsels of frass (poop) that are so characteristic of caterpillars as they forage. See the red arrow. It can be a great way to locate cryptic caterpillars. Look for the frass pellets and a caterpillar is not far away.

Jane got a photo of Spur-throated grasshopper on her milkweed. I took it at first to be a katydid however Bug’s Guide identified it as one of the Melanoplus genus of grasshopper commonly called Spur-throated Grasshoppers.

A Groundhog visited their woodpile on Thursday to get their dog in somewhat of a tizzy. One photo nicely shows those rodent incisors.

Jane’s prize of the day was several superb photos of the stunningly adorned Calico Pendant Dragonfly that are abundant on a lakeshore of a lake near St. Martens but not generally common unless the correct habitat. Jane’s camera had quite a day on Friday!

**Jim Wilson leaves a follow-up to some ticks with human involvement. Jim and Jean received a report on the BLACKLEGGED TICK [Tique à pattes noires] that they removed from Jean’s leg on June 22nd and sent off for Lyme disease testing through their local medical clinic. It was the third Blacklegged Tick that they had sent off for testing this spring. The first two, collected in May, tested positive for the Lyme disease organism. The good news is that the June tick proved to be negative. So the three from their property were running at a 66% positive rate thus far. These are the first Blacklegged Ticks they have found, after 48 years of residency at their site! This scenario, and one reported by Sally Jackson recently, emphasizes the importance of folks to be aware of the increased incidence of potentially infected Blacklegged Ticks that can be right in our yards as well as in the bush. It has become very important to be tick-aware and protect ourselves appropriately, checking our clothing and body to find them before they attach, and if attached, removing promptly, which reduces the possibility of infection considerably if the Blacklegged Tick happens to actually be carrying the Lyme spirochete. Prompt medical treatment is very effective, but Lyme disease can become a serious chronic health problem if not treated promptly.

**Brian Stone paid a visit to the Tantramar Wetlands marsh on Friday. The Little Blue Herons and Great Egrets were a no-show however; an American Wigeon family offered a consolation prize as well as a finely dressed Great Blue Heron. Brian photographed a Pigskin Poison Puffball mushroom. This is the only non-edible puffball mushroom. If cut in half when fresh, the interior is almost always black or very dark grey and the rough skin are good identification features.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton