Nature Moncton Nature News

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

May 13 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.

All is outwardly quiet in the nest box this morning, but that could be a very different scenario any day!

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

**Frank Branch shares a few photos of a plover that he and Michel Roy took at the wharf at Le Goulet on Saturday afternoon. Frank was waiting for a 100% I.D. before sending photos, but no one has been 100% confident so far.

Some think it might be a Pacific golden-plover, but it is still being studied. The bird flew away, never to be seen again. Frank is waiting for that 100% I.D.

(Editor’s note: independent of what the final identification may be, this is a very significant sighting in New Brunswick!)

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins was alerted by her neighbour that he had a male Baltimore oriole in his yard, so she went down. On the way, she saw a bald eagle on the ground near the road being harassed by two crows, so she took photos out the car window. Arriving at her neighbour's, she saw an orangey bird that didn't look like an oriole. It flew but came back. She took photos, and Merlin said a summer tanager? While she waited for it to come back, a little blue bird showed up and stayed very briefly. An indigo bunting!! Then she noticed a female rose-breasted grosbeak at one of the many feeders (she had missed the male earlier in the week). The tanager came back, and she got a few fairly good photos.

She never did see the oriole!

**Maureen Girvan did a walk around Wilson Marsh recently to photograph a savannah sparrow and a displaying male red-winged blackbird.

**After searching for a barred owl for many years, David Lilly finally found an owl on Tuesday. It was not easy to spot. David approached to a distance that was good for his 500mm lens, took a few photos, and then backed away.

A yellow-bellied sapsucker is excavating a nest in a dead maple tree in his backyard. As David was photographing the sapsucker, the local ruby-throated hummingbird came along and sat on a branch.

Walking through the woods, David found a small pool of water. While listening, he heard a northern waterthrush. He stood still waiting. Within minutes, the waterthrush came to feed in the pool of water.

On Tuesday's walk, David managed to count 22 species of birds close in Oromocto.

.**John Inman reports he was hosting 100+ female red-winged blackbirds Tuesday morning. The ruby-throated hummingbirds have increased in number. Three male and one female rose-breasted grosbeak are present, and over 20 chipping sparrows. A merlin found a good time to check out the patrons.

A male bobolink was in the elderberry behind the house, and the yard was full of blue jays and blackbirds when the merlin came in. John hasn't seen it since.

A raven came in to steal the crow's sandwich, and the Baltimore orioles have started to arrive.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

PLOVER. MAY 9, 2026. FRANK BRANCH

SUMMER TANAGER. MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

SUMMER TANAGER AND AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

BALTIMORE ORIOLE. MAY 13, 2026. JOHN INMAN

BOBLINK (MALE). MAY 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN

BARRED OWL. MAY 12. 2026. DAVID LILLY

INDIGO BUNTING (MALE). MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. MAY 12. 2026. DAVID LILLY

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (MALE). MAY 2, 2026. MAUREEN GIRVAN

MERLIN. MAY 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN

COMMON RAVEN. MAY 13, 2026. JOHN INMAN

CHIPPING SPARROWS. MAY 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN

BALD EAGLE. MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

SAVANNAH SPARROW. MAY 2, 2026. MAUREEN GIRVAN

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (MALE). MAY 12. 2026. DAVID LILLY

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (MALE). MAY 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (MALE).MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (FEMALE).MAY 12, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (FEMALE). MAY 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

May 11 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

There's a lot of shaking going on this morning. Any day now!

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

**Becky Gillcash was at the right place at the right time to watch the impressive display of a male ruffed grouse for a female this past Saturday. She comments that it was truly amazing to see and capture a video which can be viewed at the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zcybfy26eyju2rgueb6jm/RUFFED-GROUSE-DISPLAYING-BECKY-MAZEROLLE-MAY-2026.mp4?rlkey=s6zbj1nexhtg1o0gbgua5seq5&st=9i0o0g42&dl=0

**Brian Coyle has a pair of black-capped chickadees, excavating a foam lobster buoy that is hanging in a tree in his backyard. It was previously excavated and used as a nighttime burrow by a downy woodpecker a few winters ago. Both the male and female chickadees take turns renovating the cavity and take great care to carry the foam debris at least 10 feet away before releasing it, to protect the secrecy of the nesting site. While the female (Brian believes) is inside the cavity, the male will perch just a couple of feet away, uttering the "cheese-burger" song very softly, while the female is constantly using "baby talk", which sounds just like the fledglings begging for food. Take a look at the action in the video below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7sh2dbo9pn880pjzhsgni/CHICKADEES-IN-FOAM-BUOY-BRIAN-COYLE-MAY-2026.MOV?rlkey=cxvk79ff9xou0f6e7963vd9k7&st=hpr7377d&dl=0

Upon arriving home from work on Monday, Brian Coyle heard the song of a blue-headed vireo in his backyard. It was constantly moving around, but Brian was finally able to get a few photographs.

**Ray Gauvin photographed some close-ups of his resident northern cardinals. In all the years he has had them, he has yet to see a young one.

**Lisa Morris saw mushroom clusters on the boulevard part of a city sidewalk. Lisa comments that they looked like heaps of campfire marshmallows!

(Editor’s note: I suspect these are mica cap mushrooms, but uncertain at this stage. If correct, they are in the inky cap group and in a few days will expand and dissolve to dark ink.)

**Jane LeBlanc was lucky enough to do a photography workshop at Freeman Patterson's home on the Kingston peninsula on Sunday. In pouring rain, she saw her first black and white warbler, as well as a common yellowthroat. On Monday, checking out birding spots near her home in St. Martins, she had a gray catbird, as well as a distant Nashville warbler.

**John Inman was not able to get a photo, but the peregrine falcon is back again this year, hunting blue jays. It just took one in a neighbour's backyard, then it flew through the backyard of his home and made a loop in the direction of Grindstone Island. John wonders if a pair has a nest there.

John had a new white-crowned sparrow and a flock of about 100 blue jays going by that dropped in to quickly fuel up on their return journey. A small jumping spider also cooperated for a photograph.

**Bob Blake in Second North River had their first male ruby-throated hummingbird on Monday morning. It was 9 days later this year.

**On Monday afternoon, Brian Stone joined Cathy Simon on a walk behind Crandall University to search for early spring plant life and anything else the area might have to offer. Several species of birds were seen and heard (by Cathy, mainly as Brian's eyes and ears are not as young as they used to be), such as hermit thrush, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, and others, but none of these managed to get photographed due to distance and dim lighting conditions. Two hoped-for targets, an occupied bald eagle nest and a small patch of mayflower (trailing arbutus), were successfully seen and photographed. False morel mushrooms were present as well as a patch of tiny orange/brown mushrooms and newly opening ferns. Honeysuckle was flowering, and a beaver passed by in the largest pond at the end of the trails. Brian also includes photos of a leech seen in a pond on Taylor Rd. in Second North River from last week.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

NORTHERN CARDINALS. MAY 10, 2026. RAY GAUVIN

NASHVILLE WARBLER. MAY 11, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

BLUE-HEADED VIREO. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN COYLE

BALD EAGLE NEST. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. MAY 11, 2026. JOHN INMAN

BEAVER. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

FALSE MOREL MUSHROOM. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

MICA CAP MUSHROOMS (SUSPECTED). MAY 9, 2026. LISA MORRIS

MAYFLOWER (TRAILING ARBUTUS). MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

HONEYSUCKLE. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

INTERRUPTED OR CINAMON FERNS. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

SKUNK CURRANT. MAY 11, 2026. BRIAN STONE

JUMPING SPIDER. MAY 11, 2026. JOHN INMAN

LEECH. MAY 05, 2026. BRIAN STONE

Monday, 11 May 2026

May 11 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

Mother’s Day has come and gone and all still seems quiet on the summit of Assumption Place. That could all change in a few days!

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

**While travelling north on Oak Point Rd, Northumberland County, Deana and Peter Gadd saw something in the middle of the road, approaching them at a steady pace. It turned out to be a red fox with something in its mouth. It was probably heading back to its den with a meal for its kits. When it reached their car, it detoured into the ditch, and it was plain to see that a snowshoe hare was its family’s victim. The hare’s legs seemed very stiff, though, as if it had been dead for a while. Having passed their car the determined fox resumed walking steadily down the road, fully confident.

Peter and Deana were travelling up the north shore of Miramichi Bay as part of Global Big Day. A couple of their more interesting observations were that about 3 dozen migrating brant were in the Val Comeau Harbour, as were many hundreds of greater scaup. Along with the many hundreds of greater scaup they saw a little later in the Tabusintac River estuary, they estimate that there were 1000+ taking a break on their way north.

**David Lilly was in Odell Park recently on a walk with the Fredericton Nature Club and saw a large flock of pine siskins and was able to photograph some. Recent reports indicate that a significant number of pine siskins are in the area. A raven also posed for a portrait, and David took note of the colourful violets coming to life around his Oromocto home.

(Editor’s note: It is interesting to note what light can sometimes do to photographs. David’s first photograph of the pine siskin shows what we normally see; however, in the second photograph, the light has created a photo with accentuated yellow.)

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

PINE SISKIN. MAY 9, 2026. DAVID LILLY

RAVEN. MAY 9, 2026. DAVID LILLY

RED FOX AND SNOWSHOE HARE, MAY 9, 2026. PETER GADD

MARSH BLUE VIOLETS. MAY 9, 2026. DAVID LILLY

Sunday, 10 May 2026

May 10 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

All is outwardly quiet in the nest box this morning, but that could be a very different scenario in a few weeks!

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

**Jane LeBlanc was back at her neighbour's on Main Street Saturday morning. Nothing new had appeared overnight, but she sent a photo of his American goldfinch tree. A northern harrier went over, but the photo was not good enough to share.

At home, she had a snowshoe hare on her driveway, a hermit thrush in the woods, and a black-throated green warbler...the first she has seen this year.

(Editor's note: Note that Jane's photo of the snowshoe hare has made the seasonal pelage colour change to brown. Nelson Poirier recently saw one in Miramichi that still had 50% white winter pelage.)

Later, Jane was surprised when she had to stop the car in her driveway for a turkey. In over 40 years living there...that is a first!

**John Inman photographed a young male red-winged blackbird putting on a show for the females.

John had a male rose-breasted grosbeak that quickly moved on, and notes the blue jay numbers are increasing.

**Many people are reporting encounters with ticks. Some have been the potentially dangerous pathogen-carrying female blacklegged tick, while some have been the non-pathogen carrying American dog tick.

Louise Nichols sends a photo of a male blacklegged tick. The male is quite small and does not attach to humans to take a blood meal; however, the female does attach to humans and can carry dangerous pathogens.

Louise also sends a photo of the American dog tick. This tick bites humans but does not carry pathogens in New Brunswick. The American dog tick is larger than the blacklegged tick, and note the white ornamentation on the scutum (arrowed) and often elsewhere on the body to easily distinguish it under close observation.

**On Saturday, Brian Stone drove out on Taylor Rd. in Second North River and slowly rolled along listening for birds and scanning for butterflies. He stopped at one point and listened for a while, but heard nothing, and as he turned his head to look back before driving on, he was surprised to see a broad-winged hawk sitting on a branch beside the road looking at him. It was just a few meters away and maybe 5 meters up in a small sapling. Obviously, it was quite comfortable there as it stayed put and let Brian shoot photos from the car for about ten minutes. The hawk eventually flew off and glided down the road just a meter off the ground, probably searching for lunch. It landed on the side of the road and seemed to be looking for something, and then it was up and away into the trees in the distance.

Brian then had a nice photo shoot with a curious black and white warbler before heading to Wilson Marsh, where he photographed a female red-winged blackbird and a female yellow-rumped warbler, plus a bright tricoloured bumblebee on a dandelion flower. Brian heard other residents there, such as sora, pied-billed grebes, and an American coot -- that is, when the several hot-rod motorcyclists there weren't roaring past him along the trails.

**Larry Sherrard and Nelson Poirier have chained a barrel to a tree in deep woods with various menu food items inside and set up trail cameras to see who may be interested.

So far, patrons have been nocturnal, so the photos are very documentary. A pine marten was one of the first inquisitive patrons, along with a raccoon and a red squirrel. A black bear wandered in and found there was nothing in the barrel that did not excite its taste buds!

They also took note of the brilliant green produced by the algal portion of lung lichen quickly after a rain shower.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton