August 15, 2022

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Mother Nature’s forecast of rain for Wednesday has the regular Nature Moncton evening walk on the run. It is rescheduled for tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 16 with a much more favourable forecast. All details and directions below:

Nature Moncton Walk for Tuesday Night, August 16

Bis Marsh in Dieppe a shorebird mecca

This week’s outing is to Bis Marsh in Dieppe. The sides of the Petitcodiac River estuary from Shepody Bay to roughly Salisbury are occupied by extensive brackish marshes. Here and there natural ponds have formed in these marsh habitats and one of the most extensive is located in Bis Marsh on the Dieppe side of the river. Covering several acres, this pond system is quite shallow and because of this is favoured by several species of ducks, water-loving birds and at this time of the year a great diversity of shore birds. Upwards of a dozen species of shorebirds should be findable there and our own Roger Leblanc will be our guide to find and recognize them.

How to get there:

From the corner of Main and King St. in Moncton go East on Main St, cross the bridge on Halls Creek into Dieppe and keep going on what becomes Champlain St or route 106. At the third set of lights in Dieppe (2 km from corner of Main and King) turn right on Acadie Avenue (still route 106). Keep going for about 2.3 Km to the parking lot of Wee College on the right at 281 Amirault St. We will meet there at 6:30 PM and proceed from there to a trail head of the linear trail that will bring us to Bis Marsh. The walk will be about 2 km on very level ground so classified as easy going.

**John Inman captured a nice photo of a duo of American Redstarts that appear to be female or young-of-the-year birds.

John also got a photo of two Bald Eagles, a mature and juvenile in animated discussion which may be positive or negative interaction. Only the eagles know for sure!

**Shannon Inman was surprised to have to come to stop for a group of shorebirds in the midst of the roadway on Sunday. She wondered if they may have landed there thinking the wet surface may be a muddy area. Shannon got some quick photographs in the rain to indicate the group consisted of yellowlegs and at least one peep suggestive of a Least or Semipalmated Sandpiper.

** Fred Richards came across and photographed an adult Violet Oil Beetle (Meloe violaceus). The adult is easily spotted by the significant size as shown by Fred’s hand in the photo.

This beetle is a European introduction with an interesting lifestyle. The adult does not fly and moves slowly. If squeezed, it will secrete cantharidin as Blister Beetles do which can create blisters and irritate the skin to give its name of oil beetle. The adult crawls about flowers to feed on pollen and nectar.

The larvae that hatch from the eggs are much more devious. They wait on flowers until a bee arrives to attach to it and be taken back to the bee colony to feed on the same thing the bee larvae will.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com