Nature Moncton Nature News: June 10 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 10, 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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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.

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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

** Monday morning has arrived and the Nature News editor and proofreader are back in harnass after a wonderful weekend at the Festival of Nature in Woodstock. With 100 naturalists roaming the trails in the area, one can only imagine all the interesting findings and the photographs taken. Many will be shared gradually over the next days.

As a start, Peter Gadd shares some of the group photos and I expect many familiar faces will be recognized.

The lady in white (in both photos) is Lisa Sappier, an elder with the Woodstock First Nation. She welcomed participants to the woods and the ancient trail and gave some history and insights into the spiritual significance of the area.

Susan Richards shares a beautiful photo of the white form of the Pink Lady's Slipper, one of many beauties they saw along the BIRDING AND A BREWERY hike at the Festival of Nature on Sunday morning.
(Editor’s note: a significant portion of the white form of the Pink Lady’s Slipper can be found in New Brunswick.)

**On Sunday morning Brian Stone joined Dale Pugh, Judy Cairns, and several other birders at a spot on the Wilson Marsh trail where a rare Sedge Wren had been reported earlier that day. After a long wait and many very brief glimpses of the bird Brian and Dale finally managed to get a few satisfying photos of the wren as it perched and flew at the limit of their photographic equipment. Others at the spot with better equipment got better photos but Brian intends to try again on early Monday morning with hopes that the wren will take pity on him and show closer so he can feel even more satisfied. It seems that the little wren has no tail feathers and so appears as just a small, feathery ball in flight. (No calls were used).

(Editor’s note: National Geographic lists this bird as uncommon or rare in the east with it nesting in the Midwestern US dipping up into Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Chances are this is a male bird vocalizing to attract a female which may prove quite a challenge in New Brunswick!)

**Jamie Burris’ grandsons Oliver and Eli found what they believe is a Viceroy Butterfly caterpillar. They say it has transformed into a chrysalis.

(Editor’s note: The ‘Picture Insect’ AI app agrees with Oliver and Eli.)

Jamie also comments that there was a male Eastern Bluebird around their Riverview home on Thursday, singing most of the afternoon.

**Mac Wilmot’s daughter Kim and grandson Oliver startled a doe White-tailed Deer along Demoiselle Creek last week, and it bounded across the creek, stopped briefly to look back, then ‘blew’ and left. Oliver bent down to get a skipping stone and then noticed a fawn, hiding in a flattened motionlessness position. They left it so mum could return and collect her little charge and returned later to find it gone. The camo works pretty well on a gravel beach!

(Editors note: a beautiful example of being in the right place at the right time to witness one of nature’s scenarios. A mother White-tailed Deer will blow (a loud snoring sound) with the ploy of putting the intruder’s attention on her instead of her fawn which has been instructed to remain motionless to avoid detection until she returns.)

**Norbert Dupuis shares more of his ‘special moment’ photos that include a bright male American Robin and a Blue Jay with a very colourful background accentuating their own colours.

Norbert also captured a Chestnut-sided warbler appearing to announce its territory.

**Barbara Smith was thrilled to see an endangered frog on Friday. But it wasn't in a pond or along a river. It was at the Canada Post outlet in Riverview. The post office has released a set of two endangered frog/toad stamps by Jocelyne Saulnier, featuring the Oregon Spotted Frog and Fowler's Toad, drawn by a local graphic designer from Riverview. The illustrations are spectacular and were drawn with the assistance of several experts in the field. Barbara thinks they will be a perfect complement to all those Nature Moncton greeting cards that are available.

(Editor’s note: neither of these amphibians occur in New Brunswick.)

Barbara also spotted a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterfly at the side of a path. One wing looked worse for wear, and she hoped it would be okay. A bluet damselfly was also beside the larger butterfly which cropped out nicely in Photoshop.

Gilles Belliveau comments “This is one of the difficult-to-separate bluet species but from what I can see in the image, I think I can at least narrow it down to either a Hagen’s Bluet or Marsh Bluet.”

**Rheal Vienneau’s daughter bought a pot of flowers a few weeks ago and just noticed a nest in the pot on Saturday. She is wondering if it was there when she bought it or if a local bird set up its nest in her flowerpot.

Nest dimensions are 3” outside diameter and 2” inside with an egg at 3/4” long.

Once again, Jim Wilson shares convincing thoughts that are quoted verbatim below:

“Dark-eyed Junco seems especially attracted to hanging flowerpots for nesting, particularly when attempting to raise a second brood of the season. Nest construction and egg looks right for junco as well. Looks like the nest may be lined with shed winter deer hair which is often used by both junco and White-throated Sparrow because it’s warm and the woods are often full of it by June. I can’t say 100% that it’s junco, but will bet 99% that I’m right.”

Thanks Jim!

**On Friday (June 07) Brian Stone went to the Hampton lagoons once again to see if the large Snapping Turtle that had tried unsuccessfully to lay eggs on the trail on Thursday was still present. That large turtle was not anywhere to be seen but a different, slightly smaller (but still large) Snapping Turtle was there a little further up on the same trail and it appeared to have been much more successful in digging nest holes. Brian watched the turtle for a while and it alternately tried to dig the hole deeper and then seemed to take short breaks where it appeared to be straining to try to lay eggs. Brian left after about 45 minutes as he had family waiting but wishes he could have stayed longer to see if the turtle managed to finish its reproductive task.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

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