NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
August 5, 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
any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
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Proofreading
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**This week’s Nature Moncton
Wednesday walk scheduled for tomorrow evening will be to the Dieppe
portion of the Riverfront Trail. All details are at the end of this message and
upfront tomorrow.
**Charmain Douthwright and her family
were out for a bike ride along the trails by Humphreys Brook (off Mill Road,
Moncton) Saturday afternoon when what appeared to be a leaf gliding across their
path ended up being a newly fledged bird that cooperated for a photo.
Any guesstimates of its identity at this point would be exactly that; however, several feel a red-eyed vireo is high on the suspected list. It tends to be a late nester as well.
Charmain’s photo nicely shows the
very thickened rubber-like bill typical of a newly fledged bird that will very
quickly change when not being fed by its parents.
**John Inman reports they continue to have an occasional monarch butterfly stopping by and ovipositing as others
are reporting so looking good for continual reports.
John also photographed a two-lined
grasshopper, and an American toad.
John comments that he has been noting a
variety of shorebirds following the tide of the river behind his Harvey home
the past few weeks.
**Brian Roulston in Piccadilly near
Sussex has a special interest in various trees and is very skillful at culturing
ones we don’t very often see.
The American
chestnut tree (Castanea dentata), which was once common, was wiped
out by a blight some time ago. Brian found a few American chestnut trees in the
Sussex area that appeared unaffected and were producing chestnuts. He was given
some of those chestnuts by the person who originally planted the trees to plant
them at his home, and they successfully grew. Brian shares a photo of the tree
flowering and its leaves, something I assume few of us have ever seen.
Canada
plum
(Prunus nigra) was a common shrub in New Brunswick that produced edible
berries used by our ancestors. A blight hit this species as well. The shrubs
that are left do produce early spring flowers, but as soon as the fruit forms,
the blight hits the fruit quickly, causing it to wither into what is referred
to as plum pockets. Brian has been successful in sourcing plants that are
producing unaffected fruit.
**The last area of the fledgling blue jay to molt into adult plumage is its crown-placed crest. This gives it a bald-headed look. The pin feathers in that area will soon become its
signature crest. Nelson Poirier shares a photo of some in his yard, trying to
hide their head!
**Wednesday Night Walk
Date: Wednesday, August 6,
2025, 6:30 PM
Location: Dieppe portion of the
Riverfront Trail
Meeting place: Parking lot off
Acadie Avenue, Dieppe
Leader: Maureen Girvan
Together, we’ll enjoy a 2-3 KM walk
along the Dieppe portion of the Riverfront Trail. The trail runs parallel to
Amirault Street and is flat, wide, and covered with small, crushed stone. The
group may see or hear Virginia rails and Nelson’s sparrows, along with all the
usual birds.
The turn-off for the parking lot is
located on Acadie Avenue, where there is a break in the guard rail, and just
before the road turns into Amirault Street.
Bug spray and protective clothing are
recommended. Don’t forget to wear your name tag too! All are welcome, Nature
Moncton members or not.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
