NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
May 10, 2025
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 the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader
Louise Nichols at 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 Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
To
view the live feed of the Peregrine Falcon nest cam on the summit of Assumption
Place in Moncton, go to:
**Heads up on the last-minute postponement due to weather of the Nature Moncton visit to Wilson Marsh scheduled for this morning. It will take place tomorrow, Sunday, starting at 1:00 PM.
**Spring is certainly in the air in the
garden of Deana and Peter Gadd in Miramichi.
All sorts of courting and mating (and
rejected attempts) by common grackles, mourning doves, pigeons, and northern
cardinals. The cardinals seem to have a lot of class in that the
male has been feeding the female sunflower seeds for the last ten days or so, and their relationship seems much more than a casual one. Perhaps the same can be said
for the mourning doves, as one pair at least seems quite happy to spend time
together, post copulation! On Thursday, a pair of brown-headed cowbirds were
frolicking together in a bird bath. Not sure though if this was actually a
courting behaviour, but after the bath, they left together.
**John Inman has had a second female
orchard oriole and a male Baltimore oriole arrive at their Harvey
yard.
Also, a female ruby-throated hummingbird
has arrived, and it is having trouble getting to the feeder due to all the
pugnacious males. A male yellow warbler also joined the new arrivals.
Blue jay numbers are going up with the start
of their migration.
(Editor’s note: We do see some blue jays overwinter with us in New Brunswick, but the majority do migrate south and are
returning right now.)
Shannon Inman captured an excellent
photograph of a rove beetle, which is not done easily as they are small, fast, and react quickly when disturbed by rolling up the tip of their abdomen.
(Editor’s note: The rove beetles are one of
our largest families in the beetle order. The slender black to brown body with
shortened wings is a clue to their identity. The various species have
a menu too varied to list, but it is notable that some species are reared for
maggot control. In most instances, rove beetles are a valued beetle.)
**Brian Coyle was able to film a male
Pileated Woodpecker on the same "drumming tree" as he had
recently filmed the female. On Friday, both the male and female landed on this tree
as a pair, making it quite likely that they will be nesting very soon. The
flash of the red "moustache" identifies this as a male.
Brian got a pleasant video of the male on its
territory announcing its mission. Take a look at the action below:
Brian also came across a cluster of false morel
mushrooms, noting the many chambered cap.
(Editor’s note: false morel mushrooms are
expected to fruit in early spring. This
mushroom is not considered a safe edible as it contains gyromitrin that is heat
labile and toxic.)
Brian also photographed nodding trillium ready to burst into bloom within a few days, as well as Canada mayflower
and partridge berry.
(Editor’s note: Partridge berry is an
evergreen plant with its leaves staying brilliant green all winter, along with some of its bright red berries persisting perfectly intact until spring, as
Brian’s photo shows.)
**Lisa Morris spotted her first sighting of Canada goose goslings this year by the Jones Lake dock in Moncton. Interestingly, the
male kept charging two other geese but ignored the mallard duck pair who were
closer to the goslings. Lisa kept her distance as they appeared to ignore her
and let her approach quietly in a congratulatory tone!
**Brian Stone sends some late processed photos from over the last week that took a bit longer to finish.
On
Tuesday, Brian joined Cathy Simon on an outing to the mayflower (trailing
arbutus) patch on a trail behind Crandall University. Finally, the mayflowers
were in bloom, and some close-up photos were taken. Also, several warblers were
heard along the trail but were barely seen. A bald eagle nest at the far
end of the trail was occupied, and two adults were present. A small pond showed
an interesting observation of a group of mosquito larvae breathing at the
surface through their tails that scurried deeper into the water as the
photographer got closer. False morel mushrooms were growing alongside
the trail, and a northern azure butterfly appeared for a few minutes.
On Monday, the day before, Brian got some photos of a male northern cardinal that decided to visit his yard for a few hours.
Later in the day, at Highland Park in Salisbury, Brian photographed
an American coot that had been present for a week or two, and a pied-billed
grebe on its nest. A male red-winged blackbird came close enough for
a photo.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
