NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
August 1, 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
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Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Louise Nichols visited Ann's Acres beach on Tuesday afternoon to do a shorebird count. Birds were present in small numbers but a variety of species including the three usual peeps, both yellowlegs, some Short-billed Dowitchers, Black-bellied Plovers, a Ruddy Turnstone and Willets.
Also interesting was a large flock, estimated at about 200, of Bank Swallows
that rose up from the banks at the far side of the beach. Many were
flying and vocalizing around the beach while Louise was there. As she was
watching the Bank Swallows, she heard a commotion behind her and turned around
to see an altercation between a Northern Harrier and a Willet. The
Willet was calling loudly and attempting to chase the Northern Harrier
off. Louise was able to get a distant documentary shot of the
encounter. Later, she realized the reason for the Willet's concern when
she saw a Willet chick on the beach, perhaps not very long out of the
nest. The Willet continued to vocalize from another part of the beach as
though trying to draw attention away from the young one. Louise attaches
some photos of the Willets (adult and young) along with other shorebirds
**With 85+
butterflies and 800+ moths that all have a larval caterpillar stage, there
surely are lots of caterpillars to spot at the moment. Some are strikingly
beautiful even though some of their adult forms are not.
Lisa Morris got
nice photos of the Yellownecked moth caterpillar, a species of the Prominent
group (Notodontidae). This colourful caterpillar enjoys chowing down on the
leaves of all deciduous trees.
The second
caterpillar Lisa photographed was the Fall Webworm moth which is just
getting started forming their webbed nets around the leaves of hardwood trees,
shrubs, weeds, alfalfa, and clover. They will feed in large groups to increase their
survival rate.
The Ugly Nest caterpillar
has been active for a few weeks already with similar webbed nets. These two
caterpillars are easily distinguished from one another.
**Gwyn Martin got
quite a surprise when she looked out her Moncton window to her backyard pool to find a
flock of European Starlings having a pool party! She has not seen it happen
before.
Gwyn got a video of
the frolic. Take a look at the action at the video link below:
**Norbert Dupuis’ Common Milkweed patch is still in prime bloom to let Norbert get an excellent photo of a Hummingbird Clearwing moth and a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly.
**Brian Stone
processed some older images from the last few weeks and sends a selection that
were taken at several different areas in N.B. The most recent photo is a
picture of the sun taken on this Wednesday afternoon from his driveway
showing the many sunspots that are presently crossing its surface.
Behind Crandall University and at the Gorge Rd. milkweed patch Brian photographed Flower flies, a Robber fly, several tiny Ten-spotted Spurleg Lady beetles, (a very small Lady Beetle easily overlooked) a Least Skipper, an Eastern Phoebe, and a male Ebony Jewelwing damselfly.
**The New Brunswick
Environmental Network publishes a list of all the month’s activities they are aware
of. That list is below and clicking on any item opens up details of that
activity.
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