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
**As a heads up, two
Nature Moncton events that are coming up next week on Tuesday, June 16 and
Wednesday, June 17, are written up at the end of this message and upfront next
week.
**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins had a porcupine cross her path and pose for a not-so-glamorous portrait.
In
her yard, she had two Canadian tiger swallowtail butterflies enjoying
her lilacs.
****The bedstraw hawk-moth aka gallium sphinx is a common moth in New Brunswick, but one that seems to avoid observations. Its behaviour is similar to that of the hummingbird clearwing moth with its fast movements, and it is difficult to photograph.
Brian
Coyle was able to get documentary photographs and video, which can be viewed at
the link below. Its food plant to lay its eggs is bedstraw, but it can be found
nectaring occasionally on flower blooms as Brian observed.
**Brian
and Annette Stone were at Highland Park in Salisbury on Wednesday, and they
walked around the ponds to find them a bit quieter than usual for this time of
year. Lots of warblers and other aerial birds, but not much in the water. The eastern
kingbirds appeared to be starting a nest in the same spot as last year, and
a Baltimore oriole posed butt-first but was conveniently censored
by some leafy branches. A cabbage white butterfly and a Canadian
tiger swallowtail butterfly were photographed, as well as another tiger
swallowtail that was obviously female, as it laid an egg on a leaf as Brian
watched. A large suspected grey squirrel nest was photographed, and a
June beetle was also on Brian's screen at home.
**The
sharp eyes of Shannon Inman spotted and photographed two Cecropia moth
cocoons this past winter.
Shannon
gifted the cocoons to Nelson Poirier, who placed them in a netted nursery and
kept them in cold conditions until spring.
At
dusk on Wednesday evening, Nelson checked the nursery, and an adult Cecropia
moth had just emerged from the cocoon and was letting its wings fill with fluid.
A few photos of the exciting moment are shared, but the photographs had to be
taken in very dim surroundings. On Thursday morning, the adult was released and
posed for a portrait before perching for the day, getting itself ready to be off on its
mission at dusk.
The
adult Cecropia moth is North America’s largest moth, and we are fortunate to
have this strikingly beautiful moth right here in New Brunswick. An adult
female can have a wingspan of 5 to 7 inches.
The
equally striking large caterpillar of this moth enjoys the foliage of maple trees
but won't turn down cherry or birch leaves as well.
P.S.
I thought it would fly off after being released. Instead, it decided to perch
on its nursery until dusk!
**The
black bear seldom leaves a diagnostic paw print in semisoft mud. Nelson
Poirier found one on Thursday for an ideal photograph.
The
photo is of the hind foot showing the large heel pad and the 5 front digits
with the huge claw prints well in front of the digits. The print was
approximately 5 ½ X 5 ½ in.
**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 June 13 – June 20
Arrows are used in signs as pointers to direct us to notable sites. As the
Summer Triangle of the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair rise high in late
evening, the tiny constellation of Sagitta the Arrow can direct us to a few
interesting binocular objects. Sagitta is a compact arrow situated halfway
between Altair and Albireo, which form the heads of Aquila the Eagle and Cygnus
the Swan. Albireo itself is an interesting binocular object, being revealed as
two colourful stars.
Looking under the shaft of the arrow with binoculars you might notice a hazy
patch of stars called M71, which is a globular cluster containing more than
10,000 stars. As globular clusters go it is younger than most and relatively
small. Half a binocular field above the arrowhead is ghostly M27, the Dumbbell
Nebula. This is a planetary nebula; gases emitted from a Sun-sized star as its
nuclear fuel was running out. The star collapsed into a hot, dense, Earth-sized
star called a white dwarf, and the ultraviolet radiation emitted from it causes
the gases to glow. In older photographs of M27 its bipolar shape resembled a
dumbbell. About a binocular width to the upper right of the arrow’s fletching
is an asterism called the Coathanger, a favourite treat for closet astronomers.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:27 and sunset will occur at 9:11, giving
15 hours, 44 minutes of daylight (5:35 and 9:12 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 5:27 and set at 9:13, giving 15 hours, 46 minutes of
daylight (5:36 and 9:15 in Saint John).
The Moon is new and at perigee on Sunday, so expect extreme tides early in
the week. It clusters with Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Pollux and Castor on
Tuesday evening, pairs with Venus Wednesday and sits above Regulus on Friday.
For a challenge, use binoculars or a telescope to watch the crescent Moon
occult Venus high in the south-southwest on Wednesday. Venus disappears around
5:15 pm and reappears around 6 pm. Mercury is at greatest elongation from the
Sun on Monday, and next Friday Venus is just above the Beehive star cluster in
Cancer. On Thursday telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Europa emerge from
the planet’s shadow at 9:40, likely the last evening moon event we can see for
several months.
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.
**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 member or not.
**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
