Nature Moncton Nature
News
Clicking
on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.
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 email,
please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com, as well as proofreader 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
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Great news! We’ve already received enough interest for the pelagic tour to Grand Manan — so it’s officially going ahead! Thank you for the quick and enthusiastic response. The Activities Committee expects to confirm the tour date sometime in February, and we’re already looking forward to what promises to be a really fun day on the water. Stay tuned!
** Frank Branch
photographed a field sparrow on Sunday at the feeder yard of Michel Roy
in Bertrand. It has been there since Dec. 29, 2025. It is a nice bird for a
winter list and also a good one to start the 2026 yearly list!
(Editor's note: the field sparrow breeds to the south of us in the northeastern half of the US and is an uncommon to rare visitor to New Brunswick.)
Brian has been very
fortunate/skillful the past few days to capture excellent video footage with his
trail camera, including some daytime bobcat videos.
This trail camera was
deployed just the day before the first bobcat video. This is right beside an
active lodge, which is a powerful attractant to all predators as well as a host
of other wildlife species that take advantage of the beaver-made ponds. Enjoy
the bobcat action at the two links below:
**The Rentons in
Stilesville are having a very busy winter at their birdfeeder yard as they
often do. They have several pine grosbeaks coming to black oil sunflower seed,
75+ evening grosbeaks (which is a higher number than they’ve ever had), and a flock
of snow buntings, in addition to all the regularly expected patrons. Lorri
Stevenson shares some photos of their visitors.
**Shannon Inman photographed a deceased snowy owl out in the water of the Shepody River. It appears to have a few feathers misplaced around the neck. They wonder if a bald eagle hit it from behind.
Shannon spotted a nest
about 20 inches long, high in a spruce tree. It is suggestive of the winter
nest of a deer mouse.
**Jamie and Karen Burris have had many birds visiting
their Riverview yard since the last snowstorm. A flock of evening grosbeaks was
nice to see in the new year, as they have not visited for a few years. Also, a white-breasted
nuthatch, a male house finch, and a male and female northern cardinal have been visiting.
The female was camera shy, but the male was so close Jamie could have touched
him!
**Gordon Rattray reports that despite
the -16 degrees, many birds were looking for a supper meal. Gordon had
several downy and hairy woodpeckers, both male and female. Late in
the afternoon, they were joined by a red-bellied woodpecker (female),
and they were feeding in a small space. The red-bellied woodpecker has
not been present since early December. Gordon has had a visit from two American
tree sparrows for several days in a row; they go for the white
millet. A brown creeper made its daily visit for some peanut
butter spread on the bark. A dark-eyed junco and American goldfinch
attended to black oil sunflower seeds. Gordon has a regular American goldfinch
count of 35 and approximately 30 mourning doves daily.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
