Nature Moncton Nature News: August 14 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

August 14, 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

**Tonight’s Wednesday evening Nature Moncton walk write-up is below.

AUGUST 14th WEDNESDAY EVENING WALK

Location: Water Retention Ponds (Sackville)

Start time: 6:00 pm

Host: Louise Nichols

Starting Location: Parking available along the side of St. James St. in Sackville. Driving the Trans Canada, take Sackville exit #504. Go through the lights and continue along Main St. (Rte 940) as it veers to the left. You will reach a 2nd set of lights at the intersection of Main and Bridge St. Turn left onto Bridge St. Turn right on the next street (Lorne St). Turn left on St. James St.

The Sackville Retention Ponds were created in the heart of Sackville to divert rainwater through a series of ponds connected by culverts and ditches out to the Tantramar River. Not only does the system provide flood protection to the town, but it is also a potentially significant area for waterfowl, shorebirds, and other bird and insect life. The ponds are surrounded by easy walkable trails, so this walk is classified as an easy walk of approximately two to three km. In mid-August, we should see some ducks and shorebirds, but familiarity with the site is also worthwhile because shorebird activity may pick up as fall approaches and people may wish to return. In past years, many species of shorebird have been present, including the uncommon Stilt Sandpiper and Hudsonian Godwit.

Bug spray and protective clothing are recommended. Don’t forget to wear your name tag too!

All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.

**Jane Tarn sends 3 photos of a tiny frog that were taken by her grandson, David Griffith, at their Chamcook cottage.

David, age 18, is visiting from St. Bruno, Quebec and has a great interest in plants and wildlife. They were fairly sure it was a Spring Peeper. They find one on a stack of lawn chairs almost every day by their beach. It is usually on the second or third chair in the stack (5 chairs) sitting in an indented area along where the arm joins the seat of the chair.

(Editor’s note: their identification was quite correct, but the markings called for a consult with Don MacAlpine at the NB Museum. Don comments “It’s at the extreme end of the variation in mottling one sees in the Spring Peeper. The small black dots are unusual though. It is certainly an uncommon variant.”)

**On Monday, Peter and Deana Gadd had a few visitors to their “Warblerfall” water feature set up on their patio. See the May 20^th edition of Nature News for more information:

Nature Moncton Nature News: Search results for warblerfall (nminfoline.blogspot.com)

Warbler visits to their garden (yard) have been quite frequent lately which is a little unusual for them in mid-summer. Monday’s visit included a Cape May Warbler, two Bay Breasted Warblers, a Tennessee Warbler, a Black-and-White Warbler and an American Redstart. Although these birds showed some curiosity in the babbling fountain below, perching nearby, looking down, and flying about, only a Bay Breasted Warbler actually got wet. A Black-capped Chickadee was the first to take a plunge earlier but its influence it seems was limited. What is interesting is that they all visited at about the same time, back and forth, over about a one hour period, responding to the sound of the fountain presumably. Some of the resident Purple Finches were getting into the act as well.

(Editor’s note: the editor has visited this water feature at the Gadd’s and is copying the idea with nearly all parts required but not assembled yet and hoping he will get the activity Peter and Deana were rewarded with.)

**Shannon Inman spotted a previously reported Great Egret in the back of Calhoun Marsh buddying up with Double-crested Cormorants on route 114.

** Gordon Rattray was driving through Dawson Settlement on Tuesday and spotted a female Merlin posing on the line to capture an excellent photograph.

**On Tuesday, Aldo Dorio photographed a Least Sandpiper and a young-of-the-year Semipalmated Plover at Hay Island.

**On Tuesday afternoon Brian Stone took a photo of the Sun showing the large sunspots on its surface that are the source of solar flares and coronal mass ejections which are causing the wonderful examples of the Aurora from last Sunday night and early Monday morning. The active phase of the Sun can occasionally cause problems for electronics here on Earth, but it can also cause an evening of extreme beauty for sky gazers and photographers. Some thin clouds were passing in front of the Sun which caused the mottled effect.

Check out the link below that Brian shares for more detailed information.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejections

**Brian Stone is home from a week-long family visit at Hampton and he sends some photos taken at the Hampton lagoons over a few of the days that he was there. Along the first part of the trail that circles the lagoons, he saw dozens of Cedar Waxwings, Yellow Warblers, and Chestnut-sided Warblers foraging for insects in the trees and over the lagoon. The lagoons were full of ducks with Wood Ducks being in large numbers and Green-winged Teals present along with some Blue-winged Teals.

Two Bonaparte's Gulls stood out from the duck population and Brian was close enough to one of them for a photo to be taken. A couple plain-looking Hooded Mergansers were close and the resident Turkey Vultures posed perched and in flight, as they love to do. More lagoon photos will be sent as soon as they get processed.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton