Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 8 2020

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 8 August 2020 (Saturday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

To respond by email, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Catherine Clements Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

**Louise Nichols had a young-of-the-year SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé] drop by their Aulac yard pond on Friday. It posed nicely for a photograph. Note the young of the year at this point lack the heavily-spotted breast of the adult. From Louise’s records, it was a year to the day that a Spotted Sandpiper dropped by their pond last year. The Spotted Sandpiper tends to leave us quite early to migrate, often in August.

Louise made a trip to Westcock Friday to see if any shorebirds were around the mudflats there. Nothing was there at all. Other years she has seen large numbers of sandpipers there around this time. Last year the shorebirds were early at Johnson’s Mills and other places, but they seem to be slower this year.

Louise stopped at the Tantramar Wetlands in Sackville to find a large group of Yellowlegs [Chevalier] on the water there. She then stopped at the Lorne Street water impoundment in Sackville and saw again lots of Yellowlegs, approximately 50, along with 110 CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada].

**Brian Stone did a photographic tour of Louise and Glen Nichols’ Aulac property on Thursday, that always has lots to find. He got a photo of a GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY [Argynne cybèle], suggesting it to be a male, with no front wing dark border, as well as an ATLANTIS FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY [Argynne de l'Atlantique] to show its more complete black border. A GREEN FROG [Grenouille verte] and LEOPARD FROG [Grenouille léopard] were very cooperative. Note the distinctive squarish dark spots on the Leopard Frog. A male COMMON WHITETAIL DRAGONFLY [la Lydienne] nicely shows its extensive white pruinosity and wide dark wing bands, to make this an easily-identified dragonfly. The berries of the CLINTONIA plant [Lis boréale] have matured to the dark blue that gives the plant the other common name of Bluebead. They are inedible to humans. BUNCHBERRY [Quatre-temps] is in full red-berry clumps and are edible to humans but not particularly flavourful to most. Glen’s beehives were very active, showing the HONEY BEES [Abeille domestique] busy at work. A young of the year WHITE-THROATED SPARROW [Bruant à gorge blanche], a Spreadwing Damselfly [Lestes], and a Meadowhawk Dragonfly [Sympétrum] joined the troop to be photographed.

Brian’s YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER [Salamandre maculée] he has raised after being rescued from a dried pond is now leaving the water and exploring its dry terrarium.

**Grindstone Island in Shepody Bay is an island that has many historical tales to tell. It is now under the management of the New Brunswick Nature Trust. You can see it readily from Route 114 in the Shepody area. It was an interesting sight on Thursday morning, when it was completely surrounded by fog with only the top showing. It was the only fog-covered land in the area.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier, Nature Moncton