NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 06, 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)
** Georges Brun was surprised to see a
male SURF SCOTER [Macreuse à front blanc] sailing upriver after the Bore
arrival on the Petitcodiac River on Wednesday. Georges spotted a shorebird fly
down from up river and land in the silty bank to show some interesting field
marks. All the soiling from the silt made it a challenge to identify with
certainty but Gilles Belliveau looked at it closely and points out several
features that likely make it a SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé]. The bill
in one photo looks curved, but I suspect it is a photographic blip. It was an
unexpected spot to see a Spotted Sandpiper. Am including several of Georges’
photos as some interesting field marks show.
** Brian Stone noticed an unusual
insect occurrence in his driveway and front yard on Wednesday afternoon. As he
stepped out into his driveway he was surprised to see a stream of ants rushing
across the driveway from an undeveloped lot next door and crossing into and
across the front lawn of the house. This stream was about 40 cm (16 in) wide
evenly across its length and the ants were busily rushing back and forth along
this line carrying undeveloped larvae for what reason he did not know. A little
bit of searching, aided by his phone identification capabilities, led him to
this information on Wikipedia (and similar information on BugGuide) about
Slave-making Ants in the "Formica sanguinea" group. Something Brian
had never witnessed or known about before. The information is quoted below
From Wikipedia … “Slave-making ants are
brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker
force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers
work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers only
concentrate on replenishing the labor force from neighboring host nests, a
process called slave raiding.
The slave-making ants are specialized
to parasitize a single species or a group of related species, and they are
often close relatives to their hosts, which is typical for social parasites.
The slave-makers may either be permanent social parasites (thus depending on
enslaved ants throughout their whole lives) or facultative slave-makers. The
behavior is unusual among ants but has evolved several times independently.”
Brian captured a video of the event but comments it just does not capture the
drama of the real event. Take a look at the attached site:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7yeknpr49zkqz6r/Ant%20Stream%2003.MOV?dl=0
Brian and Annette also visited Clarence
Cormier in Cassie Cape to tour his naturally bountiful land and enjoyed the
views and wildlife present there. Many bird species were active but only the RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] was kind enough to pose for a portrait
along with one of two warm looking PORCUPINES [Porc-épic d'Amerique]. Brian
also photographed a mushroom there with pink gills and white body that could
well be a FIELD MUSHROOM. A black spore print would have made it more certain.
Earlier the night before a large CRANEFLY
posed for an image on Brian’s back window and he also noted the gills on his YELLOW-SPOTTED
SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] larva had shrunk to nubs over the last two or
three days. It might soon be time for drier land in the tank.
** Not many birders are EUROPEAN
STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet] fans but one that visited our Moncton yard
really caught our eye. It is a young of the year bird and in very crisp teenage
plumage with all natal molting complete. The dark feathers on the wing with the
rusty scalloped edges are quite noticeable as is the dark patch behind the eye.
I am also attaching a photo of a COMMON
WOOD NYMPH BUTTERFLY [Satyre des prés] enjoying that ever popular nectaring
plant blooming THISTLE.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
SPOTTED SANDPIPER. AUG 5, 2020. GEORGES BRUN
