Nature Moncton Nature News: June 27 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 27, 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

**Thank you to Brian Stone for leading the Nature Moncton Wednesday evening walk to Mapleton Park last evening. It was enjoyed by a vibrant group of participants with some of Brian’s photographs to follow as well as one by Maureen Girvan that seemed to show greenery appreciating the slight shower.

Brian Stone sends a few photos from Nature Moncton's Wednesday Walk at Mapleton Park. The weather was damp and occasionally drizzly but spirits were high and participants were enthusiastic. The light was a bit dim for good photography but Brian did his best to get photos of some of the nature seen, including a new Mallard duckling with a group of older youngsters, an Eastern Phoebe, a couple of Cedar Waxwings, and some larvae inside an opened plant gall.

(Editor’s note: the previously mentioned gall is the Chokecherry Fruit Gall midge that uses one of the fruit on its life mission. One fruit will appear enlarged and pear-shaped along with all the other normal fruit but will house the developing larvae as Brian’s photo shows.)

**Paul and Rhonda Langelaan saw some Eastern Bluebirds on O'Neal Road off route 112 not far from Salisbury on Wednesday.
There were some up by some houses as well but these were nesting by the brook in a dead tree. They were carrying food to their young. They got some excellent photographs of the busy family at a safe distance so as not to disturb them.

**Louise Nichols visited Jolicure, near the Jolicure lakes on Wednesday morning. On the trail approaching Big Jolicure Lake, the Common Yellowthroats were obviously nesting nearby and investigating Louise's presence. The female was carrying what looks like a juicy ant and the male was close by, making sure there was no real threat.
Louise saw a flock of birds in the distance which began to vocalize and she realized they were Red Crossbills. They eventually flew past Louise and landed high in a tree where they could not be seen, but several landed on the trail ahead of Louise, presumably to eat some grit. Louise was able to get some photos of the birds on the ground, which included a grey-striped juvenile.
As part of her morning walk, Louise was also able to capture a photo of a White Admiral butterfly and a Yellow-collared Scape moth.

**Norbert Dupuis got a photo of a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the Creeping Thyme in his Memramcook yard. It is, like some others today, in prime condition.

**Aldo Dorio got a nice photograph of a freshly minted White Admiral butterfly posing nicely in an open-wing position.
A Viceroy butterfly did the same thing in his own Neguac yard.
(Editor’s note: this is the butterfly most easily confused with the Monarch Butterfly; however, it is a bit smaller, more orange in colour, and the bars going across the wing (arrowed) are a quick clue it is a Viceroy butterfly.)

**Georges Brun shares a link to a very interesting video on a visit to the Monarch Butterfly wintering grounds in Mexico. It is 6 minutes long but it’s a wet rainy day, ideal for taking a break and listening to this interesting video cited below:

https://youtu.be/u7SSt0hqu6Y

**On Wednesday morning Brian Stone visited Barbara Smith's home to photograph the Red-eyed Vireo nest in her backyard. The pouch-like nest was hanging low to the ground in a maple tree branch and had at least three new hatchlings being dutifully fed at regular intervals by doting parents. Brian took a series of photos from a distance across the yard on Barbara's back deck while enjoying a hearty slice of her excellent homemade banana bread. Barbara also had a Northern Flicker visiting her yard and Brian managed a distant photo of it perched on a neighbor's roof.

(Editor’s note: the editor was scheduled for a bit of Barbara’s banana bread as well for arranging the scenario but ‘oink’ (Mr. Stone) ate the editor's share!)

**Bonaparte’s Gulls are starting to appear in New Brunswick and their numbers will build up until late fall.
Nelson Poirier dropped by the Bouctouche lagoon on Monday to note several Bonaparte's Gulls. Some were still showing the black hoods of breeding plumage while others showed the terminal black tail band and some brown in the plumage indicating immaturity.
While there, Nelson heard what sounded like the vocalization of the Northern Cardinal, but noting the long tail, he checked it out more closely to find it was a Northern Mockingbird doing its mockingbird thing. Photos are distant and documentary.