NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
October 7,
2023
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Edited by
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Christine Lever and Barbara Smith went to Aboiteau two
weeks ago, and even though the water was a bit chilly, Barbara could not resist
wading from one end of the beach to the other and back again. She saw dozens
and dozens of Hermit Crabs dragging
their shells about in about a foot of water, including this guy, Beast O'Toole,
(temporarily christened by Barbara), who wasn't quite as laid-back as his
compatriots. He made a beeline for Buddy Love (also temporary nomenclature), and the two of them really got into it. It was a Hermit Crab cage match! After scuffling about, Beast decided he'd proved whatever point he was trying to
make and took off. Once Buddy was sure there wasn't going to be a rematch, he
quickly popped back into his shell.
Barbara
got a quick video of the action. Check it out at the link below:
(Editor’s
note: the Hermit Crab is a soft-bodied crab that protects itself by placing its
body in an empty snail shell. When it grows too large for its adopted shell, it
simply crawls out and locates a larger one.)
**On Sept
22, Christine went to Aboiteau where she took a photo of the sandpipers
feeding. They were churning up the sand, looking for food.
On Sept 28, they went back, and there on the beach was a lone Sanderling. There were a
few other stragglers, and Christine wondered if some had started their
migration southerly.
**On
Thursday, Brian Stone took his new hiking boots out for a test run at the
Tankville School Trail and was quite happy to have comfortable feet again after
walking a few weeks in a worn-out pair held together with crazy glue. While out
there, he noted a few Band-winged Meadowhawk Dragonflies that seemed to
enjoy basking in the sunlight on the boardwalk handrails.
(Editor's note: we don't get to see this meadowhawk dragonfly that often. The male Band-winged Meadowhawk Dragonfly has the bright red abdomen and tail, with the females a lighter orange/yellow, but both genders have the inner third to half of the forewing showing the signature amber patch.)
A Two-striped
Grasshopper also briefly used the boardwalk as a rest stop, and on one of
the tall, straight pine trees, Brian saw a large, white Cocoon that was approximately 2" x ¾" (inhabitant unknown) in size. Many
trees were beginning to display their best fall colours and offered plenty of
photo opportunities.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
