NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
June 23, 2025
Nature Moncton members, as
well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share
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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:
**Leigh
Eaton shares a screenshot of the peregrine falcon teenagers in their
nest atop Assumption Place, commenting, “They certainly grow up fast and must
be very well fed. What an enjoyable experience seeing them go from white puff
balls to looking like adult birds in such a short time!”
**Georges Brun leaves some interesting comments on the peregrine falcon youngsters as well, commenting “On June 19, one of the peregrines ventured to test the box perching board and eventually dared to plant both feet. The following day, another was successful, and finally, all three of the birds sat on the perch. The first one to try was the bird who made its way on the outside perch, and Sunday, Georges was able to take a few photos from the Landing next to the Chateau Moncton (very far off for photos).
It's
possible that one of the birds is a female, and perhaps two. One is smaller and may be a male. The last one to perch is a very cautious bird
and tends to wait his turn for its feeding by one of the parents. Never able to have them in the group position
to be able to get the gender right!”
We had
concerns Sunday morning as we could see only two youngsters in the nest box,
and as the camera cannot capture the attached perch, we were not sure if one
had fledged or was just out on the perch. Brian Stone was commissioned pronto
to head down with his camera equipment and do a headcount. It all turned out well,
as Brian was able to account for all three nestlings, and both their parents were watching
over them. We are not of the woods yet, but getting closer!
**Jessica
Bowie was able to capture a photograph of one of our most beautiful and largest native North American giant silk moths, the cecropia moth, as it
day perched on a public boardwalk in Miramichi on Sunday.
Female cecropia
moths can have a wingspan up to 7 inches. The larval caterpillars tend to forage on
maple tree foliage but are occasionally found on other species of trees.
**Georges Brun encountered a massive hatch of swarming insects on Saturday evening on the western side of Milner Road south of the St. George Street fire station in Moncton. He had never witnessed such a huge hatch of insects rising in large tubular columns from the water.
Brian Stone followed up on George's report on Sunday night to find the same scenario in progress, and found it equally as difficult to capture one individual among the thousands present to suggest a possible identification
**Jane
and Ed LeBlanc took a drive to Hampton in hopes of seeing the pied-billed
grebes there. The grebes were there, but, of course, at the far side of the
lagoon, so the photos are heavily cropped and not of the best quality. The wood
ducks were closer, but photos were taken through a chain link fence while
standing on a side hill with hubby supporting her back so as not to tumble down
the hill.
At
home, Jane was looking for tadpoles in her pond (numbers greatly reduced due to
snake presence) and noticed a tiny wood frog (about the size of a
quarter) sitting on one of her pots.
**Ron
and Linda Steeves came across a large feather in their Salisbury yard on Sunday
that does not clearly suggest what bird may have left it.
Osprey does not seem to be a match, but it is suspected this may be a tail feather dropped from a bald eagle that was in the final stages of going from immature to adult, with a few dark remnants remaining on the feather, which will become white. Any other opinions are welcome
**Special thanks to Jessica Belanger-Mainville, Susan Richards, and Cathy Simon for leading a Beginner Birding workshop for the City of Moncton's Parks & Rec and Senior's month. Twenty-two very enthusiastic participants learned some birding basics and enjoyed a windy, but beautiful, walk in Centennial Park afterwards.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
