NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
May 28,
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
**The Fork-tailed
Flycatcher that was spotted at Hay Island near Neguac last Saturday was
still present on Monday.
Frank Branch
found it staying in the first parking lot
at the playground and using the railing as a perch. It came to within a meter
of the hood of his car. The site is near the lighthouse.
Aldo Dorio also photographed it on Monday and again at
the same site.
This tropical bird is a long way from home; however, it is a very welcome vagrant visitor to New Brunswick. This individual is suggestive of an immature bird. Gilles Belliveau points out the paragraph below from Birds of the World:
“Juveniles duller
than adults with much shorter tail, especially compared to adult males, with
sooty gray head, more brownish back, and pale cinnamon margins on upper tail
and wing coverts (Mobley 2004). Juveniles and immatures may also have some
brown on crown and lack or have reduced yellow crown patch (Hilty and Brown
1986, AEJ and G.I. Giraldo, personal observation)”
**Louise Nichols went out to visit the Missaquash
Marsh again Monday along the NB/NS border to look for the Black Terns.
She saw at least five of them flying above the marsh, circling around and
occasionally dropping down to the water to go after prey. When Louise was
standing on the berm at the far end of the impoundment, the terns definitely
noticed her presence, making close passes by her and vocalizing loudly.
One tern perched on a post in the water (the same perch they often used last
year), and Louise was able to get a few photos. Louise was also struck by
a male Red-winged Blackbird with shoulder patches that seemed even brighter
than usual. She attaches a photo of him showing off his colours.
**Shannon Inman spotted a Giant House Spider (Eratigena atrica) that measured approximately 2 inches from tip of front leg to
rear leg. She was able to help it outdoors.
(Editor’s
note: this spider is native to Europe but has been introduced into North
America. It spins a web in the corner of rooms and waits close by for
unsuspecting insects to get caught. They do have a preference for houses and
buildings.)
John Inman now has a duo of Groundhogs enjoying
a handful of whole corn for breakfast. They posed nicely for photographs.
It would
appear both of these are adult animals.
**The Ostrich Fern fiddleheads are unfurled
in most of New Brunswick by this time.
Nelson
Poirier noted an unfurled clump with the intact sporophyte still in the centre
which we don’t often see. A photograph of the sporophyte is attached but one
must remember folklore has it that witches used these to cast spells!
“Here
is the latest Journey North "First Sightings" map for Adult monarchs.
Hopefully, some will be arriving soon in Atlantic Canada. The monarchs first
arrived in early May in extreme southwestern Ontario and moved eastward into
Ontario. Please report your first adult sighting, and sighting of eggs and
caterpillar to Journey North, iNaturalist, or another database. Having helped
found Journey North 30 years ago, I have loyalty to that program. Great
conditions currently in Ontario - lots of tender milkweed, rains currently
falling so adequate moisture. Lilacs have just finished blooming but there are
other nectar sources.”
Nature
Moncton
