NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 21, 2021 (Wednesday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** While Gart Bishop was walking his dog along
the Kennebecasis River, they came across a WOOD TURTLE. It played the “not at home” trick by drawing
its appendages and head into its shell.
The dog gave it a sniff and their walk continued.
The Wood Turtle is classed as
threatened in New Brunswick due to the long period it takes to reach sexual
maturity and its vulnerability to vehicle strikes when crossing roads. Kouchibouguac National Park has developed
under-road tunnels with structures leading to them to try to reduce vehicle
mortality of amphibians and turtles.
The world-wide distribution of the Wood
Turtle is restricted, and we are fortunate to have part of that range as New
Brunswick.
** It must be a good year for Haploa
Moths and Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonflies.
Verica LeBlanc had a CONFUSED HAPLOA day perch on her Miramichi window,
and a TWELVE-SPOTTED SKIMMER DRAGONFLY visited her flower garden last
Thursday.
** Many thanks to those who noted the
video on yesterday’s edition was actually a RIVER OTTER family, not
Fisher. They were in a wooded area which
would lead to Fisher, but they must have been on their way between two water
courses. Clues to identity is the tail
is not bushy enough for a Fisher and the humped back shape of the animals while
running is more suggestive of River Otters.
Theresa McCready who got the lucky videos comments that they have ponds
on their property and at one point, had a pond stocked with Rainbow Trout, but
one year River Otters got through the fence and had a great feast. The link to Theresa’s video for a second look
is attached below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p9ive2l3ko629ma/Fishers.AVI?dl=0
** Jane LeBlanc got a photo of a CEDAR
WAXWING as she was biking in St. Martins on Tuesday. She also photographed a MERLIN, but
she says, “not good enough to share.”
The impatient Merlin can be a challenge to photograph.
**Andrew
Darcy shares his photographic contributions to the FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER
sighting in Memramcook on Tuesday. Thanks to Caroline and Yannick Dupuis for
their hospitality and allowing them all to see this special bird. It was a
lifer for Andrew, and he comments “a magnificent sight to see”.
**Maureen
Girvan visited the MALISEET TRAIL to Hay Falls on July 16. This trail is
located past Fredericton on the old Highway and is a very recommended trail to
visit ascending a woods path with a heavy canopy to end up at a spectacular
falls which is featured in Nick Guitard’s book Waterfalls of New Brunswick.
There is much to take note of on the trail. Maureen shares a few photos of the
falls and mushrooms noted en route.
**The
Tuesday Night Nature outing took place at the Mapleton Park Trail on Tuesday
night led by Andrew Darcy. There will be lots of photos to follow over the next
days. One early photo in is of a Garter Snake that paid the group a
visit that Maureen Girvan was able to photograph.
**Aldo Dorio
got a great photo of a young-of-the-year BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON as it
made a stop at Hay Island on Wednesday morning.
** It is hard not to get enough of the
special FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER antics during the visit to Memramcook on
Monday. I’m attaching several more
photos Brian Stone got, especially one showing the curiosity between a SAVANNAH
SPARROW and the flycatcher. It would
have to be assumed that these two species would see little of each other.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
