Nature Moncton Nature News: June 15 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 15, 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

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

**Maureen Girvan visited Wilson Marsh on Thursday morning and discovered that yet another Mallard duckling had fallen into the overflow basin by the gazebo. She contacted Dale Pugh, and that evening Dale and Mark went to the marsh with their net and successfully freed the duckling.
(Editor’s note: Adam Campbell with Ducks Unlimited has been notified of the problem with the overflow basin. He responded promptly and hopes to do reparations shortly.)

Their reward arrived shortly after when they spotted a young Porcupine coming down the path towards them. To their surprise, the porcupine seemed oblivious to their presence and walked right on by within a few feet. At one point the Porcupine stopped for a quick pose (most likely because it became aware of their presence?) before continuing on and eventually crawling into the tall grass. Dale also got a video clip of the young porcupine as it waddled up to them which one can watch at the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pua8y4tatdagn39r43nbo/8A6A0326-2.mp4?rlkey=or22liy4wottbfzyjf4nggfjh&st=i3uqc27c&dl=0

**Fred and Susan Richards, on their cross-Canada trip, found American White Pelicans present on the South Saskatchewan River. There were 4 working the water at the bottom of a dam. There were several more resting on an island in the middle of the river.

They sent a photo of signage about these birds and a documentary photo of them.

**Patricia Pelletier shares some trail camera photos she has captured recently in a field very near Hillsborough Rd. in Lower Coverdale including a Black Bear, Coyote, and White-tailed Deer.

**Leigh Eaton captured a screenshot of supper being served at the Peregrine Falcon nest box at 6:08 on Friday evening. The teenagers are developing very rapidly!

**Brian Stone managed to find a brief slow day in his hectic summer schedule and he processed some long-delayed photos from back on Sunday, June 02. He walked a trail behind Crandall University that followed Gorge Creek up to a large beaver pond and he sends a selection of photos from that day. He knew where a small patch of Pink Lady's Slipper Orchids bloomed regularly each year and he went there to get pictures, but then was pleasantly surprised to find at least 60 of them further up along the trail. A few of them were quite pale in colour and were almost white.

Other photos taken there include Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia), Painted Trillium, Canada Lily, Blue-eyed Grass, Common Milkweed coming up, Sarsaparilla (covered in small brown beetles), a Bluish Spring Moth, a White Spring Moth, Silvery Blue Butterfly, Northern Azure Butterfly, a shy Yellow Crab Spider, a small, black Spider Wasp, American Robin, a male Hudsonian Whiteface Dragonfly, a fresh, new Chalk-fronted Corporal Dragonfly, a female Racket-tailed Emerald Dragonfly, a Phantom Crane Fly, and a couple of the Mosquitoes that were biting Brian.