Nature Moncton Nature News

Monday, 8 June 2026

June 8 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.

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

After two days plus of not having had the time or Internet to check the peregrine falcon nest, it is nothing short of astounding to see what has happened! The rate of growth and development is incredible, with natal fluff starting to be replaced with real-time feathers. It's going to be a very action-filled few weeks ahead!

**"Following the Footsteps of the Piping Plover" was one of the Festival of Nature excursions that Deanna Fenwick participated in. Piping plovers are a protected species, so the nesting sites are monitored closely on Miscou Island. The "nests" are nothing more than a small indentation on the beach with maybe a few stones around it.

As a bonus, further up the beach were two pairs of black-bellied plovers and a pair of ruddy turnstones. Over the water, a large flock of common eiders passed, a gray seal made an appearance, and a lively pair of red-breasted mergansers appeared as well.

(Editor's note: with the help of Gilles Belliveau, here are some helpful notes on Deanna's photos of the black-bellied plover:
This shorebird specie takes two years to reach maturity, and Deanna's photos show two very significant features. The individuals with a distinct black on the plumage are adult birds. The males will show more black than the females. The one bird off to the side is a first-summer immature showing the immature plumage that will be developing into the breeding plumage of the adult next spring.
These two photos are very significant for shorebird birdwatchers to note carefully.)

**Nikki Taylor. who lives just outside of Bouctouche, has had a black bear visit a couple of times in the past week and was able to get a documentary photograph. Needless to say, the bird feeders have been taken in for a while. Nikki is hopeful that the bear will move on to a more suitable habitat ASAP.

**Ted Sears in St. Martins was pleased to have his first monarch butterfly visit of the year. The female monarch has been spending time around the emerging milkweed, which is only about 6 to 8 inches tall. Ted couldn’t tell if she was ovipositing or not.

Ted has had them around this time in other years.

**Jane LeBlanc sends some recent sightings. The black-throated green warblers enjoy her yard, so she gets many photo ops. Cedar waxwings were in a nearby apple tree. The northern cardinal, which she hasn't seen since early spring, decided to sing in her maple tree Saturday morning and, as she was watching it, a turkey vulture flew over, low and slow.

**Jim Johnson in Scotch Settlement is hosting a very lively ruby-throated hummingbird group, and a video clip of the action is shown in the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6rpdufbftc8qwu4o64q0r/HUMMINGBIRDS.-JUNE-07-2026.-JIM-JOHNSON.mp4?rlkey=o5yb4z4c8ymygaemy74j6ftww&st=19ourl9z&dl=0

Jim has also had a lively week of observations around his home, including a coyote, a bald eagle, two red foxes, turkey vultures, white-tailed deer, ground hogs, and a black bear.

**On Friday, Jessica Belanger-Mainville and Andrew Darcy went birding in the hopes of finding an indigo bunting and a scarlet tanager recently reported. Unfortunately, they did not find them. However, they still had a great birding day and got Jessica two lifers!

One of them was a Canada warbler. They saw a lot of other warblers, including a magnolia warbler, American redstart, and northern parula. They also saw an alder flycatcher that posed for a few minutes atop a tree. A yellow-bellied sapsucker and a white-breasted nuthatch made brief appearances. Jessica’s favourite photo of the day is one she took of a chipping sparrow and noticed after the fact there was a surprise in the background eyeing her (a gray catbird).

On Saturday, Jessica Belanger-Mainville was invited to help with a barred owl survey. They saw two adults and one of their chicks. She was also lucky to hear the booming call of a common nighthawk!

**It happened too fast for John Inman to get a photo, but he was just putting out some seed and went behind the house to put out a little more when the peregrine falcon went by head height, 6 feet away, and took a morning dove under the birch tree. It turned and looked at him and went out the front yard. John comments that the sound it makes at that speed is amazing, as well as its low flight as it focuses on its prey and doesn't hit anything!

**On Saturday, Brian and Annette Stone and Brian's sister Carol Shea took advantage of nice weather with steady but mild breezes and walked the trails around Wilson Marsh in the afternoon. There were many cedar waxwings present and some were dining on apple blossoms while others were perching in dramatic poses. Lots of warblers and other birds were calling and singing, but only a few were photographed and one special one was a curious marsh wren that came out briefly for a photo while it was moving stealthily through the reeds.

There were 10 Canada goose families at the west end of the marsh, and the goslings in different families were at different ages. A couple of mallard duck families were also present at the marsh but with smaller numbers of youngsters than the geese. An eastern kingbird and a warbling vireo managed to get photographed as well as a blue flag iris and a large camel cricket that was trying to make Brian's bathroom its home.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

MONARCH BUTTERFLY. JUNE 5, 2026. TED SEARS

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (MATURE AND IMMATURE) WITH RUDDY TURNSTONE BEHIND. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

RUDDY TURNSTONES. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

PIPING PLOVER. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

PIPING PLOVER WITH SNACK. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

PIPING PLOVER ON NEST. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

PIPING PLOVER NEST. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

MARSH WREN. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BARRED OWL. JUNE 6, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

BARRED OWL CHICK. JUNE 6, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). JUNE 6, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

MALLARD DUCK FAMILY. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

EASTERN KINGBIRD. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

CHIPPING SPARROW AND GRAY CATBIRD. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

GRAY CATBIRD. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

CEDAR WAXWING. JUNE 5, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

CEDAR WAXWING. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

CANADA WARBLER. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

CANADA GEESE. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. JUNE 5, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

AMERICAN REDSTART. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

ALDER FLYCATCHER. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. JUNE 5, 2026. JESSICA BELANGER-MAINVILLE

WARBLING VIREO. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

TURKEY VULTURE. JUNE 6, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

CAMEL CRICKET. JUNE 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BLACK BEAR. JANE 5, 2026. NIKKI TAYLOR

GRAY SEAL. JUNE 6, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK

Friday, 5 June 2026

June 5 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

The action in the peregrine falcon box on the summit of Assumption Place has now become nonstop, with two very busy parents tending to the insatiable appetites of four teenagers.

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

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins had a silver-bordered fritillary butterfly show up in her yard, trying hard to pollinate her blueberry shrubs in a strong wind. She also saw a Canadian tiger swallowtail butterfly, but it did not stop for photos. She is waiting for the first monarch butterfly of the year to arrive.

**Shannon Inman captured a very cooperative portrait of an eastern kingbird.

Shannon’s camera also took note of just how beautiful all those cherry blossoms appear at the moment. Take a moment to look closely!

**”Mobbing” is a very common reaction in the bird community to a perceived predator.

Pat Gibbs comments on Thursday afternoon, she noticed a crow landing on the snag Pat had set up on her lawn. Two things struck her. The crow's mouth was open for the entire 5 minutes it was there. It never closed its mouth once, not even for a second. At first, Pat thought it odd, but when the blue jays arrived, she realized the crow may have been screaming at them the whole time even though she could not hear it from inside the house. After they arrived, the blue jays started dive bombing the crow. For 5 solid minutes, the crow just sat there and ducked and screeched at them. Why would a big bird like a crow be afraid of little birds like blue jays? Why wouldn't a crow simply attack them?

Pat has included several photos that she thought might give some sense of the action. You can see that the crow never leaves that perch, which is exposed from all sides. It just sits there and lets them attack him. Pat thought it was strange. Or is this normal and, if so, given their relative sizes, why?

(Editor’s note: Pat’s tale shows the value of mobbing. I expect one or two blue jays may have had a very different experience; however, a mob of them is much more effective in showing their displeasure and getting away with it. Crows do more than their share of mobbing other species, but blue jays know very well that crows enjoy eating their eggs, and a few crows would not hesitate to attack a blue jay and kill it.)

**Brian Coyle had a chestnut-sided warbler visiting his yard on Thursday and was able to capture a video with clear audio of the vocalization. This is well worth listening to several times to capture the pattern of this not-so-easy-to-differentiate warbler vocalization.

Check out the video audio below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tqj3ho439kbin9vmej15o/CHESTNUT-SIDED-WARBLER.-JUNE-04-2026.-BRIAN-COYLE.MOV?rlkey=7jofu80kkvloqch0pdpu6qh4z&st=odffi4j0&dl=0

A very well-dressed rose-breasted grosbeak also cooperated for a portrait in Brian Coyle’s backyard, showing off its bright red kerchief to highlight its black-and-white plumage.

**On Wednesday, Brian Stone went to the back end of the White Rock Recreational Area in Hillsborough to specifically look for the two rare butterflies that seem to like that area and appear at this time every year. He walked the road and trails and saw many dreamy duskywing skippers hanging out in and near a large muddy puddle on the dirt road. He also photographed a yellow clouded sulphur butterfly, a northern azure butterfly, a bright green six-spotted tiger beetle, a hover fly (that wasn't hovering), a four-spotted skimmer dragonfly, and a tiny nomad bee that was pollinating the dandelions.

After an enjoyable walk around the area for about two hours, Brian decided to head out to other areas, but as he walked past the large puddle on the road one last time, he noticed the tiny blue flicker of a little blue butterfly heading towards a dark lump on the ground beside the puddle. Upon closer inspection, Brian saw that it was one of his intended targets, the western tailed-blue butterfly. It had found a small, dark lump of some critter's scat and was enjoying whatever it was about scat that butterflies love. Then Brian noticed that one of the two species of skippers that was also enjoying the scat beside the blue was his other target, the northern cloudywing skipper. A couple of them had found the little delicious lump also and were right beside the western tailed blue, along with a couple of dreamy duskywing skippers too. What a nice little gathering of small but special butterflies.

Before making it to his car, Brian had another encounter with a large porcupine, but instead of chasing Brian this time, it just turned and walked away, ignoring him. Nothing like being ignored to make a photographer feel unwanted, but Brian took a picture of its retreating backside anyway, just because.

(Editor’s note: Look closely at Brian’s photos of the western tailed-blue butterfly and the northern cloudywing skipper. These are not commonly found butterflies in New Brunswick, but undoubtedly more specific sites will be found just as this site was found accidentally on a Nature Moncton field trip and has produced these two species every year since.)

**The New Brunswick Environmental Network publishes a bimonthly newsletter, and a portion of that newsletter that just came out deals with something that is becoming very important to us all as naturalists: ticks. The NBEN feature is copied below, and I hope everyone will take the time to carefully read the suggested articles.

TICKS

We’re entering tick season, and we’re seeing an increase in ticks in Atlantic Canada. In this newsletter, we look at this increase and ways to prevent tick bites.

Ticks Gain Ground in Atlantic Canada—Article

Radio-Canada, May 13th, 2026

“With the return of sunny weather, residents of the Atlantic provinces are heading back to their gardens and forest trails. But beware: the warm weather also signals the return of ticks to the region.

They are small and inconspicuous, but increasingly common. Due to climate change, ticks are spreading across eastern Canada.”

This article is in French. Read more about the increase in ticks in New Brunswick.

Read Article

It's Time to Ramp Up Efforts to Prevent Tick-borne Illnesses, Scientists Say—Article

CBC News, July 30th, 2025

“With warmer temperatures, ticks have been taking root in places they never have before. And [Nicholas] Ogden, a senior scientist at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), thinks it's only going to get worse.

… Now, Canadian scientists are trying to get ahead of the trend—researching new, experimental ways to control tick populations, and calling for new prevention methods.”

Read more about the use of wood shavings to prevent ticks (article in French).

Read Article

How to Prevent Tick Bites—Web Page

Health Canada, September 9th, 2025

“The best way to protect yourself from tick-borne diseases is to prevent tick bites.”

The Web page has tips for preventing tick bites when outdoors and checking for ticks when you return inside.

For more information on tick prevention and what to do if you’re bitten, read this pamphlet from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and watch this video from MAJ (video in French).

Visit Web Page

FROM THE NBEN!

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 June 6 – June 13
Globular clusters are among the oldest and largest objects associated with our galaxy, with some being about 12 billion years old and containing tens to hundreds of thousands of stars packed into a compact sphere. There are more than 150 globulars orbiting in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy, and many more are known to be orbiting larger galaxies like M31 in Andromeda. Many can be seen in binoculars as a fuzzy patch of light, perhaps resembling those little white patches you see below bird feeders. A medium size telescope is able to resolve some of their stars. The larger globulars as seen from a dark location have been described as looking like granules of sugar against black velvet.

Summer is the season for observing globular clusters. M4 is just to the right of Antares in the constellation Scorpius and it is one of the closest globulars at 7000 light years. M13 in the Keystone of Hercules is relatively close at 25,000 light years. One that would outshine M13 if it were higher in our sky is M22, just left of the lid of the Teapot in Sagittarius. Another easy target is M3, located halfway between Arcturus and Cor Caroli, the brightest star in the small constellation Canes Venatici below the handle of the Big Dipper. Two other standouts are M92 in Hercules and M5 in Serpens.

From a dark sky, many dimmer globulars can be picked out in the region of Sagittarius and Ophiuchus. The concentration of globular clusters in this region of sky is not by accident, and it played a role in another lesson of humility for humanity. Harvard’s Harlow Shapley studied globular clusters a century ago and noticed that most were located around Sagittarius. If they were evenly distributed around the core of our galaxy, as believed, then the centre of the galaxy must lie in that direction. Just as Copernicus and Galileo demoted Earth from the centre of the solar system, Shapley showed that the Sun was not at the centre of the Milky Way.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:29 and sunset will occur at 9:06, giving 15 hours, 37 minutes of daylight (5:37 and 9:08 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:27 and set at 9:11, giving 15 hours, 44 minutes of daylight (5:35 and 9:12 in Saint John).

The Moon is at third quarter on Monday, rising at 1:36 am and setting at 1:26 pm. It is above Saturn Wednesday morning and Mars on Friday. A scenic conjunction of the two brightest planets is underway as Venus slides over Jupiter early in the week, coming as close as three Moon-widths. (Actually, Jupiter is nearly five times farther from us than is Venus.) They remain within a binocular view all week. Mercury moves to with a fist-width of Jupiter by the end of the week. On Tuesday telescope users might see the shadow of Jupiter’s moon Callisto join that of Europa on the planet’s atmosphere at 10:24 pm, a double shadow transit lasting until after Jupiter sets.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre this Saturday at 7 pm. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay. The Fredericton Astronomy Club meets in the UNB Forestry-Earth Sciences building on Tuesday at 7 pm.

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