NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
June 19, 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
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respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line
editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader
Louise Nichols at Nicholsl@eastlink.ca if
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Proofreading
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To
view the live feed of the Peregrine Falcon nest cam on the summit of Assumption
Place in Moncton, go to:
**Becky Gillcash
captured an excellent video of a cow moose that ambled by her trail camera
on Friday morning to provide a very clear observation.
(Editor’s comment: It is interesting to note that the very scruffy pelage of late winter moose from the ravages of winter ticks is completely recovered, with all ticks having dropped off some time ago, and the fresh glistening pelage of summer is near complete.) Check the action at the link below:
**Oscar
LeBlanc leaves a report on nesting birds around his Bouctouche home. Oscar
reports that fewer of his tree swallow nest boxes are occupied this year, with 7 out
of 12 occupied. Cliff swallows are doing well with three nests occupied, two
of which are man-made clay nests, a project initiated by Roger Leblanc several
years ago. A black-capped chickadee nested in one box and the young have now fledged. An eastern bluebird-occupied box has young being fed at the moment. Oscar also found a chipping
sparrow nesting in a witch's broom.
**Some
species of fireflies are out in number at the moment, giving sparkle to the night air,
doing their mating performance just after dusk. Fred Richards reports there is
a wet spot on his Taylor Village property where a surprising number of fireflies
put on an amazing late evening show.
**Tony
Thomas reports a female polyphemus moth was on his deck Wednesday morning (June 18, Fredericton). She must have been attracted to the deck
light, a 'regular' lamp. Females are not often attracted to lights.
Tony placed her in a cage to prevent attack by squirrels, chipmunks,
and birds. He will allow her to lay some eggs and then release her at some
future night.
**On
Wednesday evening, Brian and Annette Stone joined 16 other Nature Moncton
participants on the first Wednesday Night Walk of the season at the Humphrey
Brook Trail in Harrisville. Skies were cloudy, the breeze was strong at
times, and the biting bugs were not a problem until later in the walk. An eBird
list was recorded along the way by Megan Boucher, and some interesting
subjects were seen along the way, including cedar waxwing, a very active
male yellow-bellied sapsucker attending to its sap-serving willow tree,
a firefly, a slow-moving slug, and some fuzzy white patches of woolly
alder aphids. A few flowering plants noted were twinflower, blackberry,
wild raisin, and ox-eye daisy. The social aspects of the
walk were enjoyed by all, and all are looking forward to future walks.
**Five years
ago, Jim Johnson tipped off Nelson Poirier that he was seeing turkey vultures
around the barn on the farm where Nelson grew up that had been sold in the 1970s.
Nelson and Jim did a stakeout and eventually saw one very young turkey vulture (photo attached) still with some natal down that suggested nesting had happened
there. They were able to get a photo of that recently fledged bird and climbed
into the raft of the old barn that had been unused for 50 years and had badly
deteriorated. What appeared to be remnants of a depression in the old hay and scat were all that remained of the nest. The farm was resold a
second time, but the new owners left the doors of the barn open, and the birds
did not nest the following years.
However, Jim Johnson recently spotted four turkey vultures
on the old barn's roof. Nelson went to check it out from a distance on Tuesday
and saw no birds on the roof, but one flew from the interior of the building,
so nesting is assumed to be happening again. A watch for fledgling birds will
start again in late September. A photo of the old barn with assumed nesting
inside is attached.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
