NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 04, 2021 (Wednesday)
To respond by e-mail, 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: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
**David and
Anita Cannon led the Tuesday night outing on an excellent walking tour of some
of Irishtown Park's lakeside trails. David passed along interesting bits of
information about the park along the way and everyone had an enjoyable time.
There were soooo many mushrooms
that Brian Stone couldn't photograph every different variety. He also didn't
have time to flip them all over and get gill shots as the crew moved along at a
good pace. He took a lot of mushroom photos that will be editing and sharing
them on tomorrow’s edition.
Brian made a 4-image panorama of
the lake at the lookout point which is attached along with some of the
participants.
** Katie Girvan got a photo of a SPRING PEEPER FROG on her finger to
show how small this little guy really is. Note the suckers on the foot pad that
allow it to cling onto upright surfaces. This frog is in ponds only in the
spring and is a landlubber the rest of the season.
** Alain Clavette is organizing 2 more
pelagic trips off Grand Manan Island this season. Click on the links below for
all details and booking space.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/midweek-pelagic-2021-tickets-162970211289
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/great-pelagic-bonanza-2021-tickets-163740908465
Alain also shares some photos from the
recent pelagic trip taken this past Sunday. The AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER photos are from the pair nesting this summer
on Bill’s Island. The GREAT SKUA, SOOTY SHEARWATER, and MANX SHEARWATER are from the pelagic
trip and the HUMPBACK WHALE photos
again are from that pelagic trip trying to imitate birds to impress birders.
** Aldo Dorio again got photos of 2 EASTERN BLUBIRD young-of-the-year this
time at Malpec.
He also photographed JEWELWEED, aka TOUCH-ME-NOT.
This is a hummingbird favorite due to its concentrated nectar and gets one of
its common names from the sudden burst open of seed pods when they are touched
when ripe to expel their seeds.
Aldo also got his first SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER at Hay Island on Tuesday. They should increase in numbers quickly
now.
** I recently noted what I thought was
a bumblebee digging out several Mason
Bee nests in a Mason Bee house and seemingly destroying them. I was finally
able to catch one for a photo. To my surprise BugGuide identified it as a
bumblebee mimic called the BUMBLEBEE
DIGGER (Anthophora bomboides). It sure looked like a bumblebee to me. It
dug in the nest holes of the Mason Bees that they had constructed earlier in
the season. Apparently, the Bumblebee Digger is an effective pollinator so all
is not lost with the loss of some of the Mason Bee nests. Photos of the
destroyed Mason Bee nests and the Bumblebee Digger are attached. This is the
first year I have noted this insect around the Mason Bee houses that have been
filled with nests each year for several years.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
