Nature Moncton Nature News

Saturday, 23 May 2026

May 23 2026

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.

If you would like to share observations/photos with Nature News, contact the 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.

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

The camera on the peregrine falcon nest box on the summit of Assumption Place is now live. When checking the link to watch the activity, scroll down to the first large image, which shows what is happening in real time.

Another busy day on the summit of Assumption Place with Ma and Pa peregrine falcon filling the begging beaks of 4 nestlings with insatiable appetites.

Another month of carting groceries!

https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**An early heads up on 2 Nature Moncton events coming up. On Saturday, May 30, there will be a Nature Moncton duck outing field trip and on this coming Sunday, May 24 Nature Moncton will participate in an Ecofest booth at Magnetic Hill.

All details at the end of this message and upfront as the days approach.

**Jane LeBlanc spent Wednesday on Grand Manan Island. She didn't see some birds she wanted to see, but she did see Savannah sparrows as well as lots of warblers. She also found a black swallowtail butterfly, and she's pretty sure she saw a monarch butterfly drifting by.

The catch of the day may have been finding a northern flicker going into its nest. After several minutes, it stuck its head back out for a photo. The photo is documentary because of the light.

**Ted Sears recently visited the Hampton Nature Park and was surprised to get a photograph of a common goldeneye with a chick riding on its mother’s back. Ted comments that he has heard of this but never witnessed it.

Also, while there, Ted captured a nice portrait of a pied-billed grebe.

**Susan Richards comments that the beautiful sunny, warm day of May 20, with leaves just coming on, made it a beautiful scene to watch all the American redstarts present on a visit to Cornhill Nursery.

**The giant water bug is a large 5 cm bug that is normally seen in water. In spring, the adults will leave water on mating missions and appear in surprising locations.

Nelson Poirier’s dog Fin got the surprise of his day to come face to face with a giant water bug confidently walking across the floor of the camp. How it got there was a bit of a surprise, but Dad placed it outdoors on the riverbank to continue its mission!

**Nature Moncton Outing—Spring Ducks

Location: Sackville Sewage Lagoon, Retention Ponds and Waterfowl Park

Date and start time: Saturday, May 30, at 9:30 AM

Hosts: Gwen Clark and Jessica Belanger-Mainville

Spring in New Brunswick is a perfect time to appreciate one of the most striking groups of birds, the ducks, as they return to New Brunswick to breed or pass through on their northward migration. The Sackville Sewage Lagoon, Retention Ponds and Waterfowl Park offer important breeding and stopover habitat for many species, from the familiar Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck to less common visitors like Wood Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers and Northern Pintails. If you’re lucky, you may even find a rare vagrant (a species far outside its native range) like the cinnamon-headed Eurasian Wigeon!

We will start at the Sewage Lagoon and proceed to the Retention Ponds, concluding with a short walk along the boardwalk loop in Waterfowl Park.

Bring a snack, water and sun protection, and don’t forget your name tag. All are welcome, Nature Moncton members and non-members alike.

Sackville meeting location: Sewage Lagoons on Crescent Street. From Moncton, take the Trans-Canada Highway and get off at exit 506 (Cattail Ridge). Continue on Cattail Ridge as it becomes Crescent Street. Where Crescent Street curves west (to the right when coming from Cattail Ridge), turn left onto the gravel road and continue to the sewage lagoons. Park along the side of the road.

Carpooling meet-up location and time: We strongly encourage carpooling from Moncton to Sackville to reduce the environmental footprint of this event. For those wishing to carpool, we will meet at the parking lot of the Sobeys on Elmwood Drive (77 Filles de Jesus Ave, Moncton) at 8:45 a.m.

**Nature Moncton will have a table set up at the Magnetic Hill Zoo for Ecofest on Sunday, May 24th, from 9 am to 5 pm.

We will engage with the visitors, share our expertise and inspire eco-friendly actions within our community with educational displays and opportunities to learn about our natural world.

COME SEE US (with your admission) at the Zoo on Sunday, May 24, 2026.

**Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

PIED-BILLED GREBE. MAY 20, 2026. TED SEARS

COMMON GOLDENEYE (FLEDGLING TAKING A RIDE). MAY 20, 2026. TED SEARS

SAVANNAH SPARROW. MAY 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

NORTHERN FLICKER. MAY 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

AMERICAN REDSTARTS. MAY 20, 2026. SUSAN RICHARDS

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY. MAY 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

GIANT WATERBUG. MAY 22, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

Friday, 22 May 2026

May 22 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

If you would like to share observations/photos with Nature News, contact the 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.

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Georges Brun was able to capture a screenshot of the whole peregrine falcon family with both peregrine falcon parents admiring their nestlings, deciding which one of the open beaks should be filled first.

https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Yvette Richard was able to photograph both a blackpoll warbler and a Canada warbler on Thursday. These are two warblers we don’t often get photos of. The Canada warbler is often very secretive, and we see the blackpoll warbler only in spring and fall as it migrates to the south of us in winter and breeds to the north of us in summer.

**We are normally only able to see trout lily in floodplain areas or in wet areas. Not the case for Pat Gibbs, who has had a trout lily patch quite happy in her urban Moncton hosta bed, which seems to grow bigger every year.

**Brian Stone has been finding more garter snakes than usual on his recent outings, and that has made him very happy. At least 4 in the last two weeks. He sends some photos of the two most recent snakes he has found, both basking in the warm sunlight out on the Taylor Rd in Second North River. Brian was driving along and at the last second noticed the snake in the road. Even though he was driving quite slowly, he couldn't stop in time, but he did manage to go over the snake without touching it. Lucky that the snake was not any longer than it was. Brian stopped, got out, and took some photos, but the snake didn't seem to mind at all. When Brian tried to move in for a close-up though, the snake became very active and was gone in a flash.

On Wednesday, Brian was driving along the same road and came across another garter snake, smaller and younger, in the same position, soaking up the Sun's warmth a little further up the road. This time, he recognized the snake in time to stop and get out to take some photos. As he was doing that, another car came up behind him and so he picked up the snake to move it to the side of the road for its safety, taking the opportunity to get some close-up photos and a short video.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eg0wfmgj0kakddthz8bz6/GARTER-SNAKE.-MAY-20-2026.-BRIAN-STONE.mp4?rlkey=tw59kqmmx8uomwct71da2dv2f&st=gm75u8xd&dl=0

**On Wednesday, the extra hot day, Brian Stone went out on the Taylor Rd in Second North River to look for butterflies and whatever else might show up in the heat (31° C). He managed to locate at least six specimens of bog elfin butterflies, plus one brown elfin butterfly. He also found a tiny black-banded orange moth that landed in the dusty dirt road, just like one of the small elfin butterflies, and had Brian confused for a short time. A dreamy duskywing butterfly and two different-looking northern azure butterflies were photographed as well as two examples of wolf spiders that were scurrying along on the road.

The only two birds Brian managed to photograph were a chipping sparrow and a Nashville warbler.

**Brian Stone captured a photo of a male northern harrier that was lost in yesterday’s issue. It is attached today

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 May 23 – May 30
When Charley Pride sang “Snakes Crawl at Night” he wasn’t talking about the constellations but he might as well have been. When twilight gives way to darkness there are two snakes stretching nearly halfway across the sky. The first is Hydra the female water snake, which is also the largest constellation. It is so long it takes eight hours to rise completely. At 11 pm these evenings it stretches along the horizon with its head in the west and its tail to the south. In this position the snake takes only three hours to nestle underground

Almost as long but more U-shaped is Serpens, the only constellation that is in two parts, separated by Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. The western half is called Serpens Caput, the head of the snake, and the eastern half is the tail, Serpens Cauda. Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, a son of Apollo, who learned the healing arts by watching a snake bring another back to life. The Rod of Asclepius, a snake entwined around a staff, is the symbol of medicine and health.

If you like things in threes you can look at serpentine Draco as a snake instead of a dragon. Its tail begins above the bowl of the Big Dipper, with the body curling around the Little Dipper before arcing back toward the foot of Hercules. If that doesn’t suit you then you can go Down Under to see Hydrus the male water snake slithering around the south celestial pole.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:38 and sunset will occur at 8:54, giving 15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (5:46 and 8:56 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:32 and set at 9:01, giving 15 hours, 29 minutes of daylight (5:40 and 9:03 in Saint John).

The Moon is at first quarter on Saturday, nearing Spica on Tuesday and near Antares next Saturday. By midweek Venus sets around 11:30 followed by Jupiter half an hour later. On Tuesday telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot near the middle of the planet around 10 pm. Now in the evening sky Mercury sets an hour after sunset this weekend, but that increases by five minutes each night over the week. By 5 am midweek Saturn will be about 15 degrees above the eastern horizon, twice as high as Mars to its lower left.

Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

BLACKPOLL WARBLER. MAY 21, 2026. YVETTE RICHARD

CANADA WARBLER. MAY 21, 2026. YVETTE RICHARD

NORTHERN HARRIER (MALE). MAY 18, 2026. BRIAN STONE

WARBLING VIREO. MAY 19, 2026. BRIAN STONE

NORTHERN YELLOW WARBLER. MAY 21, 2026. YVETTE RICHARD

NORTHERN YELLOW WARBLER. MAY 19, 2026. BRIAN STONE

NASHVILLE WARBLER. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

LEAST FLYCATCHER. MAY 19, 2026. BRIAN STONE

RED-EYED VIREO. MAY 21, 2026. YVETTE RICHARD

CHIPPING SPARROW. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BALTIMORE ORIOLE. MAY 19, 2026. BRIAN STONE

DREAMY DUSKYWING BUTTERFLY. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BROWN ELFIN BUTTERFLY. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BOG ELFIN BUTTERFLY. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BLACK-BANDED ORANGE MOTH. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

NORTHERN AZURE BUTTERFLIES. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

GARTER SNAKE. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

GARTER SNAKE (first one). MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

WOLF SPIDER. MAY 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

GARLIC MUSTARD. MAY 19, 2026. BRIAN STONE

TROUT LILY. MAY 21, 2026. PAT GIBBS

Snakes 2026

https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Yvette Richard was able to photograph both a blackpoll warbler and a Canada warbler on Thursday. These are two warblers we don’t often get photos of. The Canada warbler is often very secretive, and we only see the blackpoll warbler in spring and fall as it migrates to the south of us in winter and breeds to the north of us in summer.

**Brian Stone has been finding more garter snakes than usual on his recent outings, and that has made him very happy. At least 4 in the last two weeks. He sends some photos of the two most recent snakes he has found, both basking in the warm sunlight out on the Taylor Rd. in Second North River. Brian was driving along and at the last second noticed the snake in the road, but even though he was driving quite slowly, he couldn't stop in time, but he did manage to go over the snake without touching it. Lucky for the snake, it was not any longer than it was. Brian stopped, got out, and took some photos, but the snake didn't seem to mind at all. When Brian tried to move in for a close-up, though, the snake became very active and was gone in a flash.

On Wednesday, Brian was driving along the same road and came across another garter snake, smaller and younger, in the same position, soaking up the Sun's warmth a little further up the road. This time, he recognised the snake in plenty of time to get stopped and get out to get some photos. As he was doing that, another car came up behind him and so he picked up the snake to move it to the side of the road for its safety, taking the opportunity to get some close-up pictures and a short video.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eg0wfmgj0kakddthz8bz6/GARTER-SNAKE.-MAY-20-2026.-BRIAN-STONE.mp4?rlkey=tw59kqmmx8uomwct71da2dv2f&st=gm75u8xd&dl=0

**On Wednesday, the extra hot day, Brian Stone went out on the Taylor Rd. in Second North River to look for butterflies and whatever else might show up in the heat (31° C). He managed to locate at least six specimens of bog elfin butterflies, plus one brown elfin butterfly. He also found a tiny, black-banded orange moth that landed in the dusty dirt road, just like one of the small elfin butterflies, and had Brian confused for a short time. A dreamy duskywing butterfly and two different-looking northern azure butterflies were photographed, as well as two examples of wolf spiders that were scurrying along on the road.

The only two birds Brian managed to photograph were a chipping sparrow and a Nashville warbler.

**Brian Stone captured a photo of a male northern harrier that was lost in yesterday’s issue. It is attached today

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

Thursday, 21 May 2026

May 21 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

If you would like to share observations/photos with Nature News, contact the 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.

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

We are now fairly convinced that the peregrine family consists of 4 nestlings, even though the parents are still spending most of the time trying to keep that information from us!

Georges Brun captured some documentary screenshots that seem to convincingly show 4 beaks with an insatiable appetite.

https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**The recording of the excellent presentation given by Becky Graham at Tuesday night’s Nature Moncton meeting on moose is now available for those who may have missed it or want to watch it again. It is very informative.

Thank you to Brian Stone for recording it. The recording shows the slideshow with Becky’s clear narration in the background.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3lv585ygw6u0umuaiw0q8/Moose-Presentation-Becky-Graham-May-19-2026.mp4?rlkey=o6tb8brguci5dwdhu5ecbr4v6&st=zcuzvnvt&dl=0

Susan Richards comments, “There
was an interested group at the Nature Moncton presentation on Tuesday, May 19, to hear Becky Graham share information from the moose surveillance in and around Fundy National Park. There were many questions and some stories of moose interactions from those attending the meeting. Thank you, Becky Graham.”

**Mac and Brenda Wilmot have an American robin pair nesting in the rafters at the sugar shack behind their Lower Coverdale home. They have a blink camera pointed at the nest. The video clip was at 6:30 am on Tuesday morning. The first video shows the mother getting breakfast in bed, and the second shows that both have been busy feeding the new crew.

(Editor’s note: It seems amazing to think that the robins are raising young already. It seems like they just arrived from migration!)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9q89lbjrba89xhbyfjx2s/Robin-Nest-1-Mac-Wilmot.mp4?rlkey=7a1jmd051otgcvule63v3ae0y&st=0t6cwbcb&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mecag871to2henrxvcdsv/Robin-Nest-2-Mac-Wilmot.mp4?rlkey=6t4i8ai85ff9xaozw5bj0srx7&st=10iyg55i&dl=0

**David Lilly went to the Oromocto wetland on Wednesday and was surprised to see a Virginia rail. However, the highlight was three sora that allowed him to get some great photos.

David also photographed a pink lady’s slipper, which appears to be the white morph.

**Isaac Acker was able to photograph some amphibians last week in Riverview out of a selection of spring peeper, American toad, green frog, red eft stage of eastern newt, and an eastern red-backed salamander.

**David and Anita Cannon experienced a flurry of bees very actively moving about an impressive patch of rhododendron on Wednesday. The bees were moving at such a rapid pace from bloom to bloom that it was very difficult to photograph one. Anita was able to get a documentary photo of one of the many eastern bumblebees with its signature dark abdomen and dark spot on the thorax.

**In early May, John Massey had a bee arrive to his bee house that he has been operating successfully for some years, which looked different from what he had ever seen before and larger.

It has taken some time to get a confirmed identification, but Bugguide has confirmed it is the orchard mason bee a.k.a. blue orchard bee (Osmia lingaria).

This is one of our very early nesting solitary bees that nests in tubes or natural holes and reeds, creating cells for its brood with mud dividers. It is prized for its efficiency in pollinating fruit trees. Note the blue body and yellow furry face in John’s photograph to help with identification.

**On Monday, Brian Stone drove to Dorchester to hopefully locate the rare egret seen there the day before, but had no luck. But while he was there, he did see a few interesting birds and other subjects, including a pair of Wilson's phalaropes, several bobolinks, a common yellowthroat, and a few swarms of gnats and mayflies. A male northern harrier hawk was performing acrobatic displays in the sky, possibly to impress a female hawk that was flying around nearby.

After leaving Dorchester, Brian visited the lagoons at Memramcook and photographed a pair of northern shoveler ducks, a tree swallow perching on a nest box, a cute mallard duck family, and an eastern forktail damselfly. Further along at Haute-du-Ruisseau Park, Brian found red trilliums still blooming and ferns opening up. In a ditch beside the trail, he was photographing green frogs and tadpoles (so many tadpoles) when he noticed one of the green frogs had a blue tint to it, possibly making it a rare blue morph variety. When the blue-tinted frog moved to a different spot, Brian suddenly noticed that there was a medium-sized garter snake floating in the ditch, likely waiting for something to eat to come along. The frog was right behind the snake, in the danger zone, but the snake didn't seem to notice and soon moved on. Brian named the photo after a song ... "Looking for lunch in all the wrong places".

On the muddy bank along the creek at Haute-du-Ruisseau Park, a swarm of tiny, 8mm-long ground-dwelling bees was going in and out of tiny holes, which Brian assumed were nesting holes. The little sweat bees were being watched by some other tiny bees that Brian suspects were blood bees that are parasitic on the sweat bees. Brian combined photos of a sweat bee and one of the same-sized blood bees, which has an orange-coloured abdomen, into one photo for comparison.

Brian then continued to Batemans Mills, near Shediac, to search for the reported little blue heron, but was not able to locate that bird. But ... while he was scanning for the heron, he did come across an American Bittern that was fishing alongside the edge of the stream bank. It was so well camouflaged that Brian could only make it out with the binoculars. Also in the same area, a solitary sandpiper was foraging alongside the same stream bank in a different spot.

More from Monday. Also, a video of the small sweat bees nesting in the muddy stream bank.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xigpepqyr00sga0dqy127/SWEAT-BEES.-MAY-18-2026.-BRIAN-STONE.mp4?rlkey=06tykrltn2fws342pmnbuvzqw&st=4cbkfqx6&dl=0

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton