Nature Moncton Nature
News
Clicking
on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.
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.
If you would like to share
observations/photos with Nature News, contact the editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com, as well as proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca, if any errors are noted in wording or photo
labelling.
Proofreading courtesy of
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
The camera on the peregrine
falcon nest box on the summit of Assumption Place is now live. When
checking the link to watch the activity, scroll down to the first large image,
which shows what is happening in real time.
It was quite a surprise on
Tuesday morning when most of us took our first look at the peregrine falcon
family to find that there were only three nestlings in the box.
Jessica Boulanger-Mainville
had an email in her inbox first thing Tuesday morning from a colleague in the
UK who had seen a nestling leave the box, suggesting it “made a tumble” rather
than intentionally trying to fly out.
Fred Richards, with the
help and guidance from nearby building management, was able to locate the
nestling deceased on the roof of the Delta Hotel.
Peregrine falcons nest on
precarious cliff ledges, so one would have to assume an incident such as this
occurs; however, we never see or know about it.
We have learned a lot
about the life and times around a peregrine falcon nest under camera surveillance.
City of Moncton Webcams
were down early Wednesday morning, but suspect that will be corrected as
technicians arrive.
Https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
**Jane LeBlanc
photographed recent butterflies, a mourning cloak and a Canadian
tiger swallowtail in her yard...still waiting for a monarch butterfly.
Walking her dog down to
the river below her house, something caught the dog's eye. After leashing the
dog, she discovered a fledgling pileated woodpecker. It was unable to
fly but was climbing the tree trunk with its feet. Since it couldn't fly
(yet), it made an excellent photo subject.
**Deanna Fenwick took part in the "Birding on Miscou Island" excursion on Sunday at the Festival of Nature weekend, which took place in the rain. The guide, Roland Chiasson, was very good at helping to identify various warblers such as the cape may, common yellowthroat, black and white, American redstart, and a few others. There were some beautiful boardwalks where loons, green-winged teals, common mergansers, common eiders, great blue herons, and a northern harrier hawk made an appearance.
Later that day, when the sun came out, Deanna went
back to the Miscou Island lighthouse, where there were great flocks of northern gannets
very far out on the water and a nesting osprey nearby. The following day
at Hay Island, Deanna stopped to take a few pictures of willets and a least
sandpiper.
**On his way home from the
Festival of Nature in Shippagan, David Lilly stopped in at Hay Island and was able to only photograph a willet and an American black duck there.
Like so many, David was
able to get memorable photos of a piping plover very close up without
any significant disturbance to the bird on its mission.
**On Monday, Brian Stone
went on another expedition to the small bog in the White Birch Ducks Unlimited
marsh in search of the elusive jutta arctic butterfly. After a two-hour
squishy, buggy search, Brian was heading to the exit of the bog when he spotted
a dark, butterfly-shaped shadow flitting through the trees that landed on a
twig and paused, as if waiting for its moment of celebrity. Brian
enthusiastically (panicked, more likely) waded into the trees to help the
butterfly achieve its goals and, after a bit of hide-and-seek, finally got the
photo they were both hoping for. While Brian was searching the bog earlier, a common
nighthawk flew overhead for an uncomfortably vertical photo, and a few brown
elfin butterflies perched for the photographer as well, with one being
quite faded.
Brian was not expecting bog orchids to be blooming yet, but he found dozens of small, pink arethusa bulbosa orchids scattered about the bog in full flower. Hiding inside one bloom he noticed a crab spider had caught what looks like an ant and was having it for lunch. Also, Brian found a lady's slipper orchid in flower too.
A
beaverpond baskettail dragonfly and a spiny baskettail dragonfly
joined a chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly in getting caught by the
camera, as well as a black-shouldered drone fly and a northern yellow
warbler, a common yellowthroat, and a tree swallow.
A flock of several cedar
waxwings were hawking insects in the trees, bushes, and reeds at the
entrance to the small bog. On the way to the bog Brian saw a couple Wilson's
snipe, a wood duck poking out of a nest box beside the marsh trail, a pair of
bald eagles flying and calling overhead, and a million red-winged blackbirds,
but no photos were taken of these marsh tenants.
**On Monday, Brian Stone
photographed Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky, the day before their
closest approach to each other. On Tuesday evening, when they were at their
closest, Brian wasn't able to get out for another photo then, but just imagine the two planets slightly closer to each other while you are looking at the
photo from Monday, and you will experience the close conjunction.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
