Nature Moncton Nature News: July 24 2022

July 24, 2022 (Sunday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**The sheer tenacity and determination of Andrew Darcy is almost hard to comprehend!
The editor is going to quote his report word for word as the enthusiasm is palpable.

“After hearing about the Mississippi Kites in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia I couldn't help going and checking them out! Alix d'Entremont first reported 6 birds hawking insects over highway 101 on July 20th. Five birds were reported the next day. I counted at least 10 birds kettling and hawking over Hardscratch Road and there was possibly a few more! Craziness !!! Lifer ×10!!!!! That equals 1 Kite for each hour driven to see them, not a bad ratio at all! One of the photos I took actually shows 10 birds in one frame! A very rare visitor to Canada, so it really was something else to see that number in one place! One has to wonder how they all came together like that, but as we all know Mother Nature is a crazy and mysterious lady! The strong SW winds and Jetstream blasting right towards Yarmouth most definitely played a role but still miraculous, nevertheless. I spent the better part of the day waiting for the birds and it wasn't until about 4 pm until I saw my first one! I was so excited I was shaking! I was getting worried up until that point as well because I had been there since 10:30am. Apparently these birds are not really active until later in the day, and around 4 pm is when the thermals are at their strongest and when the birds will utilize these updrafts to take flight and start hunting. What a relief and feeling of pure elation when I saw them though! Afterwards a few more birders started to get more eyes on the birds, and I watched 6 birds hawk insects and eat them on the wing (while flying) over the highway 101. Reports on discord kept birders on the kites and finally over Hardscratch Road I saw a large group of them kettling together and as I attempted to count them I couldn't believe what I was seeing! There have been 12 kites now confirmed and possibly even more present. A once in a lifetime opportunity to view that many Mississippi Kites in our country and maybe even ever! An experience and story I won't ever forget!”

**Brian Coyle was out to his beaver dam trail cameras Saturday morning in Berry Mills and came upon an adult Great Horned Owl. It regarded Brian with great disdain, before quietly lifting off. Brian suspects that this is one of the parents of the 3 owlets that he got beautiful photographs of and shared with us from the same location only a few editions ago.

**Louise Nichols found a sawfly in their Aulac woods recently, which was identified as an Elm Sawfly, apparently one of the largest of the sawfly family. Louise comments that it was very large -- at least an inch long -- and rather fierce looking as it pointed its antennae up towards her when it sensed she was nearby. (Editors note: the eggs from this fly will hatch into a strikingly colourful yellow plump larval caterpillar with black spots down the back which we will be seeing later in the season)

Louise has also been observing some American Robin nesting activity on the back of their greenhouse. Earlier in the season, a robin built a nest on top of the fan unit, a smart location as it's shielded by the roof, out of the wind, and would get the morning sunlight. She fledged one successful brood in June and went for another in July which also appeared to be successful and have now left the nest. Louise attaches a photo of the first brood and another of the second. There were two or three nestlings in the second brood even though only one head is showing in the photo. Louise and Glen wonder if she'll go for a third!

**Louise Nichols checked the milkweed plants in her Aulac yard on Saturday morning to find a good number of tiny Monarch Butterfly caterpillars already taking chunks out of the leaves. She also could see some eggs unhatched yet. Several Monarch Butterflies were flying around the flower beds and on to the milkweed.

Louise also noted that the Great Spangled Fritillary Butterflies that were also present did not seem to appreciate the Monarch Butterflies and would often chase them off the Swamp Milkweed plant that the fritillaries seemed to like. Louise comments that it's so wonderful to have Monarch Butterflies present in their yard this summer.

**Jane LeBlanc still has between 3 and 4 Monarch Butterflies in her St. Martins yard daily. At least one was a fresh a looking male. Many caterpillars are starting to appear as well.
Jane attaches a beautiful photo of this beautiful caterpillar!

**Aldo Dorio photographed a female Eastern Bluebird looking careworn, very possibly appearing that way after delivering a clutch of freshly minted fledglings to Mother Nature’s community.

**Brian Stone walked behind Crandall University and along the Gorge Rd. offramp milkweed patch on Friday in the balmy, warm, sunny weather searching for butterflies. Along the shaded woods trail between the Common Milkweed patch and the Crandall University area he found a Harvester Butterfly flitting about and landing on the rough tree trunks. (Editors note: this is our only carnivorous butterfly. It lays its eggs in the nest of the Woolly Alder Aphid and the butterfly larvae feed on the larvae of the aphid)

At the milkweed patch he saw one Monarch Butterfly that was energetically flapping and gliding around the patch and the surrounding area and had to wait 20 minutes for it to settle briefly for a photo. At the same spot he also encountered his first cicadas seen this season.

Other life photographed along the walk were a Leaf-cutter Bee, (editors note: this be may not be a rare bee but we sure don’t often see them. They will chew out a section of a leaf, rolling it up cigar style, deposit an egg with a pollen food supply and bury it to let it continue its development), a Tarnished Plant Bug, a Band-winged Grasshopper (the "clacking" kind), and a Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly.

Brian photographed what he initially thought was a Bald-faced Hornet only to find when he got home that it was a Bald-faced Hornet Fly, a mimic. (Editors note: what an amazing cryptic imposter).

Brian also drove to some spots along the New Scotland Rd. and got photos of 3 Olive-sided Flycatchers that were calling at a small bog area. (Editors note: this species is very reduced in numbers and seeing 3 at once is nothing short of a bonanza. A family unit has to be a possibility).

Another bird seen foraging was a Magnolia Warbler. A male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was pecking in the distance on a thin, dead tree.

A Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly and some Grasshoppers were photographed, one resting on the windshield of Brian's car to appear to be hovering in mid air. A Crimson-ringed Whiteface Dragonfly was the last photo to be recorded as Brian headed back out of the beautiful, heavy heat to the boring coolness of his air-conditioned home.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com