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
** Another heads-up for two Nature Moncton activities this week. The year-end barbecue will take place tomorrow night, Tuesday night, June 16, with all details below and with registration suggested:
**NATURE
MONCTON JUNE MEETING
END-OF-THE-YEAR BARBEQUE!
Tuesday June 16, 2026, at 6:30 PM
Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge
Our June meeting will continue the tradition of a fun
social event with good food to celebrate the success of another fantastic
fall/winter series of meeting presentations, outings and workshops! Members and non-members are invited to the
Rotary Pavilion at Mapleton Park, where we will serve some delicious beef and
veggie hamburgers and enjoy a picnic outdoors.
Burgers and potato chips will be provided as a thank you from the
executive for all your help and participation, but we would welcome any other
food contributions brought for sharing (please note that this is a
non-alcoholic event).
After we feast on hamburgers, we’ll go inside and
watch a presentation of photos taken by participants of various nature
highlights they have had throughout the year.
If you would like to share some of your sightings, choose your best 10
photos and bring them on a USB stick.
Photos of birds, plants and insects, as well as photos of participants
on outings, are all welcome as ways to share great memories of the year.
To help us get an idea of how much food will be
needed, please let us know if you plan to attend the barbeque by sending an
email to outandabout4nm@gmail.com. Also indicate whether you would prefer a
veggie burger, so we have an idea of how many we’ll need.
Hope to see you there.
All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.
The first Wednesday
walk of the season will take place on Wednesday night, June 17. All details
at the end of this edition and upfront tomorrow.
**A couple of weeks ago,
Brian Coyle came upon a hermit thrush nest with three turquoise eggs in it.
He took careful note of its location so as not to trample it, as it is in the
middle of an old trail in the woods, right on the forest floor. Two weeks later,
as he was checking some trail cameras along the trail, he noticed significant
new growth, making it difficult to pinpoint the nest location. Not wanting to
crush the nest, Brian pulled over several small spruce trees and was able to
locate it. To his delight, there were 3 newly hatched chicks, blind and nearly
naked, save for some black fluff. He carefully recorded the location this time
in his GPS device.
Brian got a quick video of
the nest and is sharing a few other videos at the same time that he got in
recent weeks.
In one of the videos, a buck
white-tailed deer is showing a fibroma tumor. He saw this same buck with
the tumor at least 10 kilometers away on another camera.
Brian placed a trail
camera at the location where a coyote comes in, which he could see by a disturbance in
the moss. There was lots of raccoon activity, but he was thrilled when the coyote came
in and was not scared off by the camera, as they usually are. Note the grizzled
grey pelage on this coyote.
One trail camera got a bobcat
directly on a beaver dam. Brian placed it there because it is a natural
bridge. He was pleased that it stayed in front of the camera for a bit, as he usually
only catches them walking on by.
Take a look at the action
below in the four videos:
These are hermit thrush
nestlings, not ovenbird nestlings, as the audio unintentionally stated.
**June 17 Wednesday Evening Walk
Location: Irishtown Nature Park
Start time:
6:30 PM
Hosts: Matt
Nguyen and Cynthia Doucet
Starting
Location: Parking Lot P2.
Directions:
Irishtown Nature Park is located north on Elmwood Drive. From TCH Route 2, Exit
459A onto Elmwood Drive (Route 115). Turn north and travel 1.6 km to the sign
for the park on your right, and a main parking lot. Continue on the short
access road past the first parking lot and find the second P2 lot. Gather near the board posting the park map.
Description:
Irishtown Nature Park provides woodland trails, and is a favourite spot for
birders and botanists. Our walk will take us along the Hawk footpath, the
Bouctouche Line, and the Scout footpath, for about 2 km. The footpaths are
sometimes uneven, a mix of gravel and dirt. The Bouctouche Line is part of the
Reservoir dam system, and is narrow but smooth.
Bug spray
and protective clothing are recommended. Don’t forget to wear your name tag
too!
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
