Nature Moncton Nature
News
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well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share their
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** The regular Nature Moncton Wednesday Evening Walk is
tonight with details below:
July 15 Wednesday Evening Walk
Location: Pointe-Du-Chêne, Shediac
Start time: 6:30 PM
Hosts: Marbeth Wilson
Starting Location:
Railway Avenue parking lot
Directions:
From Highway 15, take exit 37, Ohio Road, turn left onto
Route 133, then right onto Pointe-Du-Chêne Road, then left on Railway Avenue.
There are a few spots available in the parking lot, but it is acceptable to
park along the road.
Our walk will take about 1 ½ hours as we make our way along
Railway Avenue and follow the gravel trail on the marsh. On previous visits, we have observed a
variety of shorebirds including terns, as well as kingfishers and
warblers.
Bug spray and protective clothing are recommended. Don’t
forget to wear your name tag too!
Tick protection is always indicated.
All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.
**Anne and Leo Mahoney, who live in the north end of Moncton
have had a bird nest in a flower bed. They suspect the eggs hatched on
Tuesday and are wondering what species of bird it may be as apparently they
have not been able to see/ photograph a parent bird. They describe the eggs as
marble-sized, and one egg/shell can be seen to the side and is dark-spotted. It
will be interesting to find what this ground-nesting species may be. Any
thoughts are welcome.
**Pat Gibbs shares three photos of ducks she saw at the St. Anselme
Park pond. It can be a challenging time of year to identify some waterfowl,
with males going into their eclipse plumage and the young-of-the-year rapidly developing.
Gilles Beliveau shared his thoughts and felt one was a male mallard
duck for certain, but the other two had to be labelled as mallard duck suspects,
both in plumage and gender.
By default, mallard ducks would be more expected than black
ducks in such a public pond.
(Editor’s note: as a side comment on the mallard duck, I was
on a field trip with a group led by the very experienced birder, Ian Walker, who
recalled the day when he saw his first mallard duck, which was then a very rare
visitor to New Brunswick from the west. Those pioneers must have sure liked
what they found!)
**Lisa Morris reports there is a massive hatch of insects on at the moment at Jones Lake and the swallows are loving it. Lisa comments the insects are very small and so numerous one has to keep tight-lipped when walking through them! The insect hatch is very likely stoneflies, mayflies, or caddisflies, which can emerge in massive mating flights.
A handsome male northern cardinal often drops by for a visit. Lisa hears him daily, so suspects a nest is nearby.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
