Nature Moncton Nature News: May 6 2023

May 6, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**A very special Nature Moncton outing to Gagetown and Nevers Island is planned for this summer. The write up is at the end of this edition as a heads up.

**A few additions ago, Shannon Inman shared two photos of Bullfrogs, with one appearing to be female and the other male. These photos did not attach to that edition, and questions have arisen as to how to tell the genders apart. Shannon’s photos are reattached today.

The sex of an adult Bullfrog can be easily determined by examining the size of the tympanum (the external ear of the frog and arrowed) relative to that of the eye. The tympanum is a round circle located on the side of the head near the eye, and in males, it is much larger than the eye, whereas, in females, the tympanum is about the same size or smaller than the eye.

Female bullfrogs are larger in size than males, and males' heads are narrower. The female's throat is white, whereas the male's throat is yellow.

Although smaller in size than females, male Bullfrogs make their presence known by emitting loud calls, which females do not. A male mostly makes these sounds during the breeding time of the year at night to attract females as mates.

** Over the past few years, Roger LeBlanc’s neighbor Gerry Collins has been producing yearly about 20 Cliff Swallow nesting structures in pottery, and Roger sells them for her at $15 each (barely covering the artist's costs). If you are interested, please contact Roger at parus@nb.sympatico.ca. Roger will also try and answer any questions you might have on when, where, and how to install them. There are only 3 left, so first come, first served.

** Brian Stone visited Jones Lake in Moncton on Friday morning with hopes of relocating the Caspian Tern found there the day before and reclaiming his photographer standing with the nature group after missing out on the bird the day before. The tern was following the reported behaviour of flying up and down the lake continuously, seemingly not stopping for rest or feeding. Many birders and photographers were present at times and were not disappointed with the tern's aerial displays.

(Editor’s note: it has been a pleasant surprise to see the number of bird species that have been attracted to Jones Lake. Major work was done by the City of Moncton to the control gates at the end of the lake, which may be contributing to that).

Brian also photographed a few other lake occupants, including a brightly plumaged male Wood Duck, a male Common Merganser, a female Red-winged Blackbird, and a group of 3 Ring-necked Ducks, and made a valiant attempt to catch some of the many zooming Tree Swallows in flight.

On the other side of Main St. at Jones Lake, in the creek flowing to the Petitcodiac River, Brian photographed a group of 3 Great Blue Herons that included a juvenile bird.

(Editor’s note: the literature points out that the Great Blue Heron takes 22 months to mature, so it would not be uncommon to see an immature bird in its first spring. Note the bicoloured bill, lack of plumes, and lack of solid white on the crown).

**Nelson Poirier was pleased to greet 3 early emerging flowering plants in the welcome warmth and Sun of Friday.

Trout Lily was coming into pleasant bloom. The bloom will only open on bright days. The photo shows the spotted leaves resembling the dorsum of a Brook Trout which is how it got his name. This plant is ephemeral. This beautiful plant will completely disappear without a trace until next spring, leaving only an underground corm to come to life again.

Trailing Arbutus a.k.a. Mayflower was just bursting its blooms. Note the course green leaves, which are evergreen and with us all year.

Nelson noted pleasant early blooms on the lawn of Lynn Dube last spring and was gifted approximately 100 small bulbs to plant on the camp lawn. Every bulb was planted last fall! Friday’s warmth got them popping. They are called Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodaxa). The literature says they are one of the earliest spring flowering bulbs and naturalize well to come up year after year (my style of gardening!)

Nelson is hoping they will be enjoyed by the hordes of Mason Bees that he expects to be buzzing about very shortly from the dozen-plus bee houses attached to the camp.

** NATURE MONCTON OUTING

GAGETOWN ISLAND AND NEVERS ISLAND

Date: June 29, 2023 (rain date: June 30, 2023)

Meeting Time: 10:00 AM

Meeting Place: Gagetown Marina

Cost: $10

Not many of us have visited Gagetown Island, one of New Brunswick’s hidden gems in the middle of the St. John River. It’s a place we have all passed possibly hundreds of times but not ventured out to. The island has a very old historic homestead; it is also home to a breeding Black Tern colony, and no doubt holds many other of nature’s surprises.

Nature Moncton is planning an exploration visit to the island on Thursday, June 29, 2023 (rain date June 30). As a bonus, we will also visit Nevers Island. Nevers Island is a small island very near the main island, and it has recently become a bird magnet due to the refurbished Ducks Unlimited impoundment.

Gagetown Island is a short boat ride (15-20 minutes) from the Gagetown Marina. Frank Merrill with Ducks Unlimited has kindly offered to ferry folks over to the island. Local historian John Johnston will also be present to provide a historical perspective in addition to his observations as a keen naturalist. Gart Bishop will join us as well to help us out with our botanical discoveries.

We will meet at the Gagetown Marina at 10:00 AM to make sure not to miss the boat! The visit will end when it ends, but folks who wish to depart earlier can be transported back. Be prepared for biting insects and wet areas, and a packed lunch will be a necessity. The walking may be a bit rough at times, so please consider your level of physical fitness --don’t expect any groomed trails.

For those who are able, it’s a short canoe/kayak crossing if you wish to join by paddling.

Early registration is suggested with Louise Nichols, Activities Committee chairperson, at nicholsl@eastlink.ca with name and contact email as numbers may have to be limited to 20 people on the boats. Additional folk can be accommodated if they are able to use their own watercraft to get across.

Nature Moncton members will be given priority and can register up to June 1. After that date, registration will be open to both members and non-members.

A Personal Floatation Device or Life Jacket will be required to be worn on the boat.

Join us for this unique adventure!

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton