Nature Moncton Nature
News
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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
**An early heads up to
reserve this coming Thursday evening, March 26. The Nature Moncton movie
night is scheduled with all details at the end of this edition and upfront
Thursday morning.
**Yvette Richard shares some photos of observations she has recently had around her home, including one of a flock of seven snow buntings in the field next door, a curious European starling, and her resident merlin at dusk.
Yvette got a cell phone
photo taken on March 19 of the iridescent colors around the sun.
Yvette comments, “It
reminded her of the fallstreak hole phenomenon (in photos) she saw on Jan 24, 2024. It was taken
coming over the hill overlooking the bay at Grande Digue. Very interesting
event.”
* John Inman’s resident
red-tailed hawk is staying much longer than in previous years, and John
wonders if it might not migrate this year, maybe due to age. It hasn't taken a
handout in two weeks but has been hunting in the area; it's not abusing the
system, but on Monday it came quickly to get a handout, mantling its booty to
guard it from intruders.
Two northern flickers went
through on Monday, but no photo op.
**On Sunday, as Brian
Coyle made his way out to his trail cameras, he came upon the very fresh tracks
of a weasel. This individual was bounding, as they typically do, leaving a
somewhat diamond-shaped mark in the snow when all four feet come together. The red
squirrel leaves a similar shape in the snow, and can be confused for weasel
tracks, but the red squirrel's imprint is more square and boxy. When the snow
conditions are just right, you will note that the weasel's tracks are arranged
in a diagonal, with the front footprints not passed by the hind footprints. The
red squirrel's footprints will be very symmetrical, and the larger hind feet
will register ahead of the front feet, much like a snowshoe hare.
In this case, the bounds
were approximately 24" apart, with the individual feet measuring 1/2"
by 3/4" for the front feet, and 1/2" by 1/2" for the hind feet.
As the snow conditions
were perfect for reading the signs of animals travelling, Brian Coyle came
across some very fresh otter tracks. It had only stopped snowing a few hours
before, so he was able to deduce that these tracks were only a few hours old at
best. River otters have very large feet, with these individual footprints
measuring approximately 3 3/4" by 3 3/4" and showing 5 toes. In the
snow, otters love to use a combination of bounding and sliding.
Brian captured video on his trail camera of several species, including a hard-working beaver, a snowshoe hare investigating a pine tree, a coyote, and a weasel. Check them out at the links below:
**For those who have not
visited the St. Thomas wharf recently, Brian Stone points out that the
wharf is now closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
**NATURE
MONCTON MOVIE NIGHT
·
Film: “Dances with Cranes” (The Nature of Things Season 64, Episode 10)
·
March
26, 2026, at 7:00 PM via Zoom
·
Co-hosts:
Gwen Clark & Jessica Belanger-Mainville
You are
invited to a movie night on March 26, 2026, at 7:00 PM. This event will be held
on Zoom.
Together, we
will watch the documentary “Dances with Cranes” from the CBC series The
Nature of Things. Afterwards, Gwen and Jessica will have some questions to
guide a discussion about the film.
Whooping
Cranes were on the brink of extinction—down to less than 20 individuals in the
1940s. Largely due to the incredible work of Nova Scotian George Archibald, who
has dedicated his life to them, there are now over 800 individuals!
“Dances with
Cranes” follows the ongoing recovery of these magnificent birds, and the
exceptional scientists doing whatever it takes to make it happen… including
dancing. This documentary highlights the challenges that Whooping Cranes and
scientists face every day in the species’ fight for survival.
Please join
us to watch this heartfelt and inspiring story.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81662794070?pwd=XWFIp6mT1Cn9VzwTzKX0dbvPakrv4a.1
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
