Nature Moncton Nature News: July 12 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 12, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Tonight, the Nature Moncton Wednesday walk on July 12^th will be at the Trails in Hillsborough meeting at 6:45 for 7:00 PM departure. We will start from the parking lot on Steeves Street by the airplane and proceed around the trail loop, about 2KM on a flat gravel surface. This walk is classified as low-impact walking. The walk will give good exposure to birds, aquatic species, and many plants found in marsh-type environments.

This outing will be hosted by Gordon Rattray, and all are welcome. Be sure to bring your camera and binoculars if you have them. Bug control is essential to your enjoyment of the evening.

**Louise Nichols visited the Missaguash Marsh again on Monday morning to find the Black Terns still present. She observed five terns flying in the same location as before, this time vocalizing almost constantly. Louise was also on the lookout for butterflies and dragonflies, both in the marsh and along the dirt road leading to the marsh. She was able to pick up several butterflies, including a Bronze Copper in the marsh, which is one she had not seen for a while. Other butterflies found along the road were White Admiral, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, European Skipper, Viceroy, and Dun Skipper (found at Aulac home site), as well as a couple of dragonflies. The Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly was notable from a side view, showing a lot of yellow markings that Louise had not seen before on that species.

**On Monday, Brian Stone went back to Taylor Rd. in Second North River (near Salisbury) with hopes of relocating his interesting moth discovery from last week but found heavy truck traffic on the road that was creating large dust storms that were obscuring much of the smaller life in the area. He did manage photos of some of the life that made it through the dust, including Bullfrogs, a female Superb Jewelwing Damselfly, a Harvestman on an Oxeye Daisy flower, a White-spotted Sawyer Beetle, a Northern Crescent Butterfly, a Meadowhawk Dragonfly, and Swamp Candle Flowers near Purple Loosestrife Flowers.

On a side road, Brian noticed that the recent heavy rains had washed out a section of the very long Beaver dam that had created a very large pond, which appeared to be draining. In the trees at the edge of a different pond, Brian photographed what he believed to be a young Belted Kingfisher that was calling continuously and was being watched over by an adult female kingfisher. An Eastern Kingbird looked on from a distant treetop. Brian also managed to find another moth to photograph that has been identified as a Girard's Grass-veneer Moth.

Brian had an interesting and cute experience as he was leaving Taylor Rd. when he spotted a Ruffed Grouse standing in the road that seemed to be holding its ground against Brian's slowly advancing car. Brian stopped to watch, wondering what would make the grouse so brave when suddenly a young chick scooted out of the brush behind it and zoomed across the road to disappear on the other side. A few seconds later, another chick repeated that performance, and as each one vanished into the brush on the opposite side, another would appear and do the same. After five chicks had crossed, the adult grouse slowly sauntered to the other side and gently merged with the greenery to complete the event. Brian felt privileged to have witnessed the crossing.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton