March 22 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

 

 

**Gail Taylor -- who lives near St. George, New Brunswick -- has had a duo of tufted titmice patronizing her feeder yard all winter and they are still present. This is one of the few (perhaps only) sites in New Brunswick where a duo of tufted titmice is known to be present this winter. It is not possible to distinguish gender in the species, except possibly by some behavioural quirks, but the possibility of a pair is just that. Gail sends the report below with the hopes that they will consider one of the boxes as a summer cottage.

Quoting Gail:

“Ralph Eldridge arrived around 10 am Saturday, and we walked around looking for the best spots for the nest boxes.  We placed them in a semi-sunny spot, tucking them in a bit from the perimeter of my lot so they would get a bit of shade and not be too hot.

We were wondering if the boxes could be opened for cleaning out, as we have only seen one screw towards the bottom. (That screw loosens to allow that side of the box to be opened for cleaning.)

I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any prospective tenants.  

I have sent along three photos, two of Ralph and one of the tufted titmouse, on Sunday morning.  You can see a brood patch, I think, on the titmouse.  This still does not help with gender, as both would have a brood patch, I think.  I know eagles do.

Thanks to you and Nature  Moncton for looking after all the details to get these boxes to me. I very much appreciate it.

I will keep you posted.”

(Editor’s note: They may not accept their new digs, but if they do, it will be very rewarding!

Gail lives at 52 Dillman Rd., Canal, NB, which is a suburb of St. George and welcomes visitors who carefully and respectfully come to observe the famed duo.)

 

**Lisa Morris photographed a pair of mallard ducks, potentially having been on a date, overlooking a babbling brook at Mapleton Park… or perhaps discussing the ‘spring weather’ on Saturday.

 

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

NEST BOXES BEING PLACED. MARCH 21, 2026. GAIL TAYLOR

NEST BOXES BEING PLACED. MARCH 21, 2026. GAIL TAYLOR

TUFTED TITMOUSE. MARCH 22, 2026. GAIL TAYLOR

MALLARD DUCK PAIR. MARCH 21, 2026.  LISA MORRIS

MALLARD DUCK PAIR. MARCH 21, 2026.  LISA MORRIS

  

March 21 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 owl presentation given on Tuesday night at the Nature Moncton March meeting was recorded and is now available at the link below:

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v632fyn2o47ngftpvwsn4/Nature-Moncton-Meeting-Owls-Nellson-Poirier-Presenter.-Tuesday-March-17-2025.mp4?rlkey=28jm2inru2x4t6i6ndu7cduv5&st=pdiqic9z&dl=0

 

 

**Yesterday, March 20, the official spring took place in late morning. This astronomical event marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, bringing roughly equal day and night lengths, followed by longer, warmer days. Bring it on!

 

**Pat and Elaine Gallant photographed a pair of hooded mergansers in prime breeding plumage on the Shediac River on Friday.

(Editor’s note: take note of the yellowish lower mandible of the female, which is present in all stages of the female hooded merganser to identify it from the male, including the first spring male, which would have a totally black bill.)

 

Pat and Elaine also noted a coyote on Friday on the ice from the Pointe-du-Chene wharf that seemed to be heading for the far shore.

 

**Jane LeBlanc had both a white-throated sparrow and a song sparrow in her yard on Friday. A male northern cardinal brightened up the day as well.

Jane also had a flock of pine siskins in her yard, but they only stayed long enough for a quick ID.

 

**Over the last few days, Brian Stone has been collecting some of the maple tree sap that has been dripping from multiple branches of the big maple tree in his yard. It is only a small amount, but Brian has been boiling it down anyway to an even smaller amount of maple syrup that tastes great. On Thursday morning, Brian went out to the tree to check on the sap delivery system (a cup hanging on a string, under a dripping tree branch) and found the cup empty.

 In the fresh, thin coating of new snow, Brian saw white-tailed deer tracks coming out of the woods behind his place, crossing his neighbor's yard, crossing his yard, and heading directly to his maple tree. The tracks stopped right under the sap collecting cup and then turned and went back across the yards and into the woods. Did the deer stop for a refreshing drink of maple goodness? Or was it just a coincidence, and the sap disappeared some other way? Only the deer knows for sure!

(Editor’s note: after noting Brian’s comments on maple sap icicles, I noted some icicles hanging from a maple tree branch outside my window. On checking them out, sure enough, they had a sweet taste and were maple sap icicles. This little quip of nature has probably been happening for a long time, but easily passed off as just another icicle until someone points it out.)

 

 

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

HOODED MERGANSER (MALE). MARCH 20, 2026. ELAINE GALLANT

HOODED MERGANSER (FEMALE). MARCH 20, 2026. ELAINE GALLANT

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. MAR. 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

SONG SPARROW. MAR. 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE).MAR. 20, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

COYOTE. MARCH 20, 2026. ELAINE GALLANT

MAPLE TREE SAP. MAR. 20, 2026. BRIAN STONE

MAPLE SAP ICICLES. MARCH 20, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

MAPLE SAP ICICLES. MARCH 20, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

March 20 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

 

 

**Yolande LeBlanc reports she saw two Canada geese fly from the marsh to a farmer's field in Memramcook, as they regularly do, so these geese must be part of the "regulars" gang. American robins have been seen, common grackles have been heard, and the fox sparrow was singing robustly on Wednesday, as were the northern cardinals.

There are still American tree sparrows and dark-eyed juncos present, although in lower numbers.

Yolande saw a critter in the tallish grass near her home on Thursday that appeared to be a groundhog.

(Editor’s note: It is not too early to see groundhogs out of hibernation. The groundhog goes into hibernation relatively early in the fall but is early to reemerge in the spring.

We don’t very often get to hear the vocalization of the fox sparrow. It’s a great time to review that vocalization in one of our bird apps, as it is the best time of year to get the chance to hear it as it stops in New Brunswick on route to breed to the north of us  to pass through again in the fall, but then with little vocalization.)

 

 

**On Wednesday, Brian Stone noticed a few more frozen maple sap icicles hanging from the branches of his yard maple tree. The previously noted "sapcicles" from a few days ago had melted away a few hours after they had been seen, but the temperature conditions occurred again on Wednesday, and more had formed. Brian once again collected the sapcicles and cooked them down to a one-centimeter drop of syrup on a spoon that tasted wonderful. Brian also shares a few photos of the male northern cardinal that continues to appear for photos a few times a day.

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 March 21 – March 28
Although Orion and his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, are slipping into the sunset, they are not the only pooches in the night sky. The small constellation of Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs is generally seen as a pair of stars well below the handle of the Big Dipper. They assist their master, Boötes, in chasing the celestial bears around the pole.  

In one tale from mythology Boötes is Icarius, a vineyard owner who was taught the art of winemaking by Bacchus. He introduced his shepherd neighbours to his product, and when they awoke with a hangover the next morning they thought they had been poisoned. In retaliation they killed Icarius and threw him in a ditch. His dogs, Chara and Asterion, sensed something was wrong, and when they eventually found their master they jumped into the ditch to die with him.

The brightest star in Canes Venatici is a double star called Cor Caroli, which means the Heart of Charles. Edmond Halley coined this because it was said to have shone brightly when Charles II returned to London after his defeat by Cromwell. The other naked eye star in the constellation is Chara, from the Greek word for joy.  Halfway between Cor Caroli and Arcturus, the brightest star in Boötes, you can see a fuzzy patch with binoculars. This is the globular star cluster M3 from Messier’s catalogue. Galaxy M94 lies just north of the midpoint between Cor Caroli and Chara; and the much-imaged Whirlpool Galaxy is within the borders of Canes Venatici, despite being near the handle of the Big Dipper.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:20 and sunset will occur at 7:33, giving 12 hours, 13 minutes of daylight (7:25 and 7:38 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:06 and set at 7:42, giving 12 hours, 36 minutes of daylight (7:12 and 7:47 in Saint John).

The Moon approaches the Pleiades on Sunday evening, and it is at first quarter on Wednesday with the Lunar X in view for a while. Thursday evening it passes between Jupiter and Pollux in Gemini, and next Friday it buzzes the Beehive star cluster. Venus sets around 9:10 pm this weekend and 9:30 next weekend. Monday evening telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Io disappear behind the planet at 9:30, and on Tuesday it will reappear from a transit at 8:55 while its shadow is in transit until 10:11. Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun on Sunday, and Saturn reaches that point on Wednesday.

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

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). MAR. 18, 2026. BRIAN STONE 

MAPLE SAP ICICLES. MAR. 18, 2026. BRIAN STONE

MAPLE SAP ICICLE. MAR. 18, 2026. BRIAN STONE

Canes Venatici

  

March 19 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

 

 

**Rheal Vienneau reports some very encouraging statistics that have been released by Monarch Watch.

 

Monarch overwintering numbers have been released for the eastern monarch population, and this season's count is higher than last year's. The WWF-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance, in collaboration with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, announced today, March 17, the total forest area occupied by overwintering monarch colonies. Nine colonies were located this winter season with a total area of 2.93 hectares, a 64% increase from the season prior (1.79 hectares).

 

**John Inman sends photos of Stumpy the 3-legged raccoon in her first year of 2016, back again for her 11th year in 2026.

John’s menu has served her well!

 

**Jane LeBlanc was on the beach in St. Martins on Wednesday morning and saw a lone Canada goose fly over. She was so surprised, she didn't get a photo!! Later in her yard, she saw three red-winged blackbirds, but they didn't stay for a photo op. Also, several people in St. Martins have told Jane they have heard American woodcocks within the last week.

 

**There is some suggestion that the owl discussion on Tuesday night may have been timely.

Steve Berube reported hearing a great-horned owl vocalizing in the west Riverview area. Fred Richards heard one near the Mapleton Lodge after Tuesday night’s meeting, and Nelson Poirier heard a great-horned owl hooting repeatedly in the Pine Glen Road area of Riverview while taking Fin out for his last run of the night. Fin was quite perplexed, assumedly thinking it was a dog, but why was it coming from a tree?

 

 

 

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

RACCOON (STUMPY). MARCH 18, 2026. JOHN INMAN

RACCOON (STUMPY). 2016. JOHN INMAN