Nature Moncton Nature News

Monday, 2 March 2026

March 2 2026

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

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

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the 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

**Jane LeBlanc stopped at the Black River wharf (between St. Martins and St. John) on Friday and found a pair of ducks she later realized were horned grebes.

(Editor’s note: a bit surprised at the lack of photos we have received this season of waterfowl. Refreshing to see horned grebes in their non-breeding plumage.)

**Louise and Glen Nichols were standing at their front window on Sunday morning, looking outside, when a bald eagle flew into the yard, soared to a dead tamarack tree, and snapped off a branch near the top, which it carried away toward the marsh. Louise saw a similar thing happen about a year ago in the same spot when an eagle flew in, snapped about two feet off the top of a dead tamarack, and flew off with it. Nest building has begun -- and the tamarack snags are getting shorter!

**Brian Stone checked out Wilson Marsh on Sunday and found only a few birds to photograph. One male northern cardinal, one mourning dove, a large gathering of mallard ducks enjoying some thawed spots in a smaller pond, and a small group of six purple finches were all he saw. He noticed a large, woven sack-like nest that he suspects was a Baltimore oriole nest.

(Editor's note: Wilson Marsh near Bond Street has been a reliable habitat to find a Baltimore Oriole nest for many years.)

Brian also noticed some fresh-looking beaver chewings on a couple of trees, and some pussy willow buds that looked like they were ready for spring to arrive.

**Bob Blake in Second North River maintains daily weather statistics from his home, including morning low temperatures, daily high temperatures, and monthly precipitation.

Bob submits a table comparing the statistics of February 2025 with February 2026.

It is interesting to note that morning low temperatures for both years were similar, but daily highs show some days being notably warmer in 2025.

It is also interesting to note that the amount of snow recorded in February of 2026 was twice that recorded in February of 2025.

It is important to be aware that these statistics are from one location, yet they are an indicator.

2025

2026

morning temperatures

daily highs

morning temperatures

daily highs

-19-1 day

-18-2

-17-1

-16-1

-15-2

-14-1

-13-1

-12-2

-11-1

-10-1

-9-6

-8-1

-5-1

-4-3

-2-1

+2-1

+3-2

-13-1

-10-1

-8-7

-7-2

-5-1

-4-3

-3-1

-2-1

-1-1

0-1

+1-2

+2-4

+4-1

30 cms. snow

3 mms. rain

-19-1

-17-1

-15-2

-13-1

-12-1

-10-1

-9-4

-8-1

-7-2

-6-4

-5-4

-4-2

-3-3

0-1

-7-1

-6-1

-5-1

-3-6

-2-2

0-4

+1-6

+2-3

+4-1

+7-1

61 cms. snow

  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

   Nelson Poirier

    Nature Moncton

 

HORNED GREBE. FEB.27, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


PURPLE FINCH (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


PURPLE FINCH (FEMALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE 


MOURNING DOVE. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


MALLARD DUCKS. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


BALTIMORE ORIOLE NEST. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE



PUSSY WILLOW BUDS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE


BEAVER SIGNS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE

Saturday, 28 February 2026

February 28 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the 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

**On Friday afternoon, Brian Stone and Cathy Simon took in the fresh air at the Tankville School trail in Irishtown. Not many birds showed themselves, but a male hairy woodpecker and a male downy woodpecker were spotted, along with a red-breasted nuthatch and a camera-shy brown creeper.

An attempt to view the grouping of planets visible on the horizon at sunset was foiled by a small but scenic layer of early-evening clouds.

(Editor's note: Brian also photographed a fungal growth performing its valuable function of recycling a dead tree. The identity of the fungus is difficult to provide due to the structural alterations that winter has created.)

**Anna Tucker has been reporting a group of pine grosbeaks that had been coming regularly for over a week to landscaped shrubs in the courtyard of the Church Court apartment complex in Moncton.

Nelson Poirier checked it out twice in an effort to find out what was attracting the birds. Nelson was not able to see the birds present, but found evidence in the snow of their activity. Nelson found that the shrubs there that the birds were attracted to were Japanese yew, but could find no berries that he would assume were the attraction. A short chat with one of the tenants passing by said that there were many berries on the bushes a few weeks ago, which answered the question of what the pine grosbeaks were attracted to, and they obviously consumed all the fruit.

It was interesting to note that this non-native shrub produces berries attractive to pine grosbeaks. A literature search stated that the berries of this plant are very attractive to birds. The seed of yew berries is toxic to people but obviously not to birds.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

HAIRY WOODPECKER (MALE). FEB. 27, 2026. BRIAN STONE

DOWNY WOODPECKER (MALE). FEB. 27, 2026. BRIAN STONE

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. FEB. 27, 2026. BRIAN STONE

FUNGUS. FEB. 27, 2026. BRIAN STONE

SUNSET. FEB. 27, 2026. BRIAN STONE

Thursday, 26 February 2026

February 27 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the 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

**Jane LeBlanc had her sharp-shinned hawk back in her St. Martins yard in a light snowfall on Thursday. It left hungry.

**Shannon Inman photographed a ruffed grouse seeming to enjoy a rest in the snow.

Shannon also noticed a group of approximately 70 horned larks on the Harvey marsh and was able to get a photograph of a few of the closer ones.

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 February 28 – March 7
Do you hear the wind? According to the weather proverb, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, referring to roaring winds early in the month and calmer days leading into April. As twilight ends this week, look off to the east for a group of stars forming a sickle and leading a large triangle of stars. This combination is the constellation of Leo the Lion entering the sky as it did a few centuries ago, when the saying supposedly originated.

Now look to the west for a bent line of three stars west of the Pleiades star cluster. That is Aries the Ram, which could still be a lamb at heart. By the end of the month the annual march of constellations has Aries about to leave the sky as twilight ends. Our fickle weather won’t always follow the proverb but the constellations will continue to play it out for several generations to come.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:59 and sunset will occur at 6:04, giving 11 hours, 5 minutes of daylight (7:03 and 6:10 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:46 and set at 6:14, giving 11 hours, 28 minutes of daylight (6:51 and 6:19 in Saint John).

The Moon is near Regulus on Sunday and full on Tuesday when we are treated to a morning eclipse. The partial phase begins at 5:50 with totality occurring at 7:04, shortly after moonset for all but the northwestern edge of New Brunswick. This Saturday evening do not expect to see a parade of parade of planets as depicted on social media. You will need an unobstructed western horizon to see Mercury a binocular width to the right of much brighter Venus around 6:45, with both about a binocular width above the horizon and setting less than half an hour later. Saturn will be within two binocular fields upper left of Venus, and next weekend Venus will be passing closely to the right of Saturn as they head in opposite directions. On Sunday evening, with Jupiter high overhead, telescope users might see its moon Ganymede reappear from the planet’s shadow at 7:16 with Io’s shadow near the middle of the planet.

Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay. The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on March 7 at 7 pm.

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

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

HORNED LARK. FEB 26, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

HORNED LARKS. FEB 26, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. FEB. 26, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

RUFFED GROUSE. FEB 26, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

Lion_Lamb

February 26 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the 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

**While driving in St. Martins, Jane LeBlanc saw a mink in the same area twice this week. It was in/near the Mosher River, along Route 111. This river becomes salt water at high tide, and there are rock doves that roost under the bridge. Jane is wondering how big a mink's territory is. The site is not that far from Jane's property, as the mink swims.

(Editor’s note: the mink occupies a niche in the mustelidae group in between the terrestrial martin/ fisher and the aquatic otter, with a preference for being near water for fishing but including terrestrial prey when available. Their territory can be large, but they can be quite content to stay near a consistent food source. It is that time of year when mating in preparation for spring litters can alter normal routines, which include roaming about during the day. Although they are mainly nocturnal for the rest of the year, they become more active during this period. Observing a mink with its curious and bold attitude is always special.)

**Brian Stone found a swamp sparrow on Wednesday at Mapleton Park that offered Brian several cooperative photographs to observe the many field marks that we don’t often get to see due to the secretive nature of this sparrow when on breeding territory come spring.

The swamp sparrow normally does not stay with us over the winter, but occasionally one does as Brian found.

Several photos are attached to give the opportunity to see all those field marks.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton