NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
August 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
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
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
**The
week's Wednesday Nature Moncton walk will be taking place tomorrow night
on the Riverfront Trail. All details at the end of this message and upfront
tomorrow.
**We are
very fortunate to have with us Andy Stultz who works with the Canadian Coast Guard in
some very interesting spots in far northern Canada and shares photographs of
some of the unique animals and birds specific to that area he
observes.
Last week,
he was aboard the Canadian Coast Guard ship Jean Goodwill in the Beaufort Sea
and was able to capture an excellent video clip of a sow polar bear with her
cubs, all appearing in excellent condition. Take a look at the action in the
video link below:
Andy was
on the same ship on Sunday in Oscar Bay at James Ross Strait (which was Magnetic north 200 years ago), spotting several tundra swans with their young-of-the-year and
getting good documentary photos.
(Editor’s
note: We were able to make this excellent contact as Andy Stultz just happens
to be the grandson of Nature Moncton member Mac Wilmot!)
**John
Inman is having young-of-the-year blue jays visiting with crown feathers
yet to burst out into their signature crest. Right now, they have that baldheaded look,
or maybe they've made a bad choice of barber!
A leg-banded
rock pigeon struck a window at John’s home. The rock pigeon came out fine,
but John’s wallet was the loser!
**The common
nighthawk migrates early, and they are gathering in flocks, doing that
right now.
Dale
Gaskin reports watching a flock of 24+ cavorting in all directions as they were
catching insects to fuel their migration south in the Hillsborough area, the
last few evenings.
**Brian
Stone photographed two birds in his yard on Monday. One at a distance in
an evergreen treetop appears to be a female purple finch, and Brian did
his best to bring out identifying details even though the image was small
and low resolution.
A second
bird Brian photographed was so small that he initially thought it was a
hummingbird, but upon closer inspection on the laptop, it turned out to be a young-looking
American redstart. It perched in two spots in the trees and bushes near
his back deck before flying off.
**With so
many outdoor activities curtailed, Nelson Poirier put out a few birdfeeders in
quest of action. It surely did not take long for a pair of Northern
Cardinals, American Goldfinch, blue jays, song sparrows, house finch,
morning doves, and the always reliable black-capped chickadees to be on the
scene quickly.
Nelson
was hoping for a young-of-the-year northern cardinal, but the bright red bill
(in August) suggested the pale plumaged bird with a rudimentary crest was a
post-breeding molting female.
**Date:
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 6:30 PM
Location:
Moncton Riverfront Trail
Meeting
place: Bore Park, 10 Bendview Court (Off Main Street), Moncton
Leader:
Dan Hicks
Join us
on Wednesday, August 20, at 6:30 PM for a walk on Moncton's Riverfront Trail.
We will be starting at Bore Park, heading west, and our walk leader will be Dan
Hicks, City of Moncton's Director of Parks. Walkers will enjoy a flat and paved
trail with some fine crushed gravel and views of the Petitcodiac River and
surrounding habitat. The tidal bore is scheduled to arrive at 8:29 PM that
evening. Please wear your Nature Moncton name tag, if you have one. All are
welcome, Nature Moncton members or not!
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
