Nature Moncton Nature News: May 21 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

May 21, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

The live feed to the Peregrine Falcon nest box camera can be accessed at https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Tonight, Tuesday night, May 21, will be Nature Moncton meeting night with the speaker live at Mapleton Lodge and available. The second half of the meeting will be devoted to our Peregrine Falcon family. Write up below:

MAY MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION

Topic: Fundy Biosphere’s “Forests of the Future”

Tuesday, May 21^st, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge

Presenter: Nigel McLaughlin

This presentation, about the Fundy Biosphere’s “Forests of the Future” program, will show how the program aims to increase the overall climate resilience of the Wabanaki (Acadian) forest by planting climate resilient, native tree species and connecting with landowners and the public to spread awareness about climate resilient forestry practices. Nigel McLaughlin, who is a registered professional forester for the Fundy Biosphere Region and manager of the project, will go over the guiding principles of the program as well as explain what native species will be best suited to our future climate condition. He will also showcase what the Fundy Biosphere is currently working on in our forests, including their current tree planting efforts and forest carbon inventories, and ending with what the future of the program will look like.

After the break, we will check in with Moncton's most famous family. Many people, both within the club and beyond, have been glued to their computer screens in recent weeks, watching the Peregrine Falcons on camera as they settled in their nest, laid their eggs, patiently incubated the eggs and now finally are caring for the chicks. Fred Richards and Cathy Simon will present an update on some of the highlights of recent weeks and let us know what we can expect to see as the chicks continue to grow.

This will be an in-person presentation at the Rotary Lodge with a Zoom link for those who want to join in from home.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85991525901?pwd=d3R2Ly9kSnMzSGFqYWFkeTBNRUZiUT09

**Some anxious moments on Monday night after darkness set in when the nestling Peregrine Falcons were left alone in the nest box. Fred and Sue Richards and Nelson Poirier were concerned why a parent would not be keeping them warm. Was there a problem or was this normal??

The parents obviously knew what they were doing as when daylight broke this morning, a huge breakfast was being served!!

**Louise Nichols visited one of the Walker Road trails in Sackville on Monday morning to look for warblers. She was able to get photos of Northern Parula, American Redstart, Black-and-White Warbler, and Black-throated Green. She was also surprised by two Canada Jays, a bird she hadn't seen for a while. Other birds heard but not seen, or seen but obscured included Winter Wren, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Ovenbird, and Hermit Thrush. Some plants photographed by Louise were Hobble Bush, Indian Cucumber, Painted Trillium, and Red Trillium with its flower hidden beneath the leaves.

In the afternoon, Louise visited the Missaquash Marsh along the NB/NS border to look for Black Terns. They were back in the same area they occupied last year. Louise saw four of them and was able to get a couple of documentary photos

**Aerolynn Green shares a documentary photo of a Red Fox Cross that appeared near her son’s home in Cocagne. It has unusual pelage showing the dark body which would be the result of the crossbreeding of a wild Red Fox and the farmed Silver Fox that would be an escapee. It is interesting that the white-tailed tip of the Red Fox was retained in the cross. The photo is at a distance but clearly shows the phenotype result of the crossbreeding. This is not often seen today as the remnant genes have become very diluted only expressing themselves when the genetic makeup lines up.

**The Red-backed Salamander is one of our small common salamanders that is not often seen during the day when it takes refuge under things.

Lisa Morris photographed one breaking its behavioural pattern.

**Lynda Leclerc, while visiting family around May 5 in Mascouche PQ , had a wonderful early morning walk in the woods with her grandson when they had a treat finding four different types of Red and Painted Trilliums, Trout Lilies, and Bellwort as well as a Scarlet Tanager, and saw a Great-crested Flycatcher from a distance confirmed by an ID from her Merlin app.

**Jane LeBlanc was visiting family near St. Martins and caught an excellent photo of a Ring-necked Duck in a nearby lake.

**Nikki Taylor was surprised to spot a Moose trotting through her yard Monday morning. Nikki’s neighbor told her he saw one a couple of times in their yard back in the winter but they didn't see it. Nikki lives very close to the highway so was surprised to see such a large and often elusive creature. This was her first up-close Moose sighting.

(Editor’s note: Moose at this time of year usually have a lot of denuded areas from rubbing to remove winter ticks. The animal in Nikki’s photo does not appear to be heavily affected.)

**On Saturday Brian Stone walked trails behind Crandall University up to the large beaver pond and back. Many warblers and other wildlife were noted and photographed to be shared with the Nature News blog. Warblers photographed were Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, and American Redstart. The Redstart was caught grabbing and swallowing a small caterpillar. A male Pileated Woodpecker was flying from tree to tree and investigated an older hole in hopes of a snack being present.

A damselfly, a Northern Azure Butterfly, and a Hudsonian Whiteface Dragonfly were photographed along with a couple of moths. Hobblebush was in flower and Painted Trilliums were in full bloom. A couple of False Morel Mushrooms were seen and Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia) was growing in many spots in large numbers. Lady's Slipper Orchid was halfway up and flower buds were showing.

Along a roadway in the open area Brian came across a young adult Garter Snake crossing the road and he did a full frontal dive to grab the little beauty and picked it up for a photo. Brian held the snake for about 15 minutes, letting it slide around in his hands, so it would calm down and relax when he put it down and sit for a while for photos. Brian also made a short video of the snake's tongue flicking in and out as it tasted the air. Above it all, as the day went on, the Sun displayed a strong 22° halo as its light refracted through high altitude ice crystals.

Video link ...

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zz79az9i2vhy4k1cr7kfx/Garter-Snake.mp4?rlkey=q2ipx9fz3lt81cg4sj46s55v7&st=jwr2kvmt&dl=0

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton