Nature Moncton Nature News

Saturday, 2 May 2026

May 2 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.

The female appeared to be enjoying a very pleasant snooze at 7:14 AM, taking in the dawn of a sunny day after the cool wind and rain of Friday. The wait until Mother’s Day is on!

PEREGRINE FALCON (FEMALE). MAY 2, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

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

** A photo from Phil Riebel captured a pine marten in mid-leap on fresh snow in central New Brunswick, using a DSLR camera trap.
Phil comments, “Pine martens depend on intact, mature forests with complex structure, standing deadwood, dense canopy, and healthy prey populations.
Protecting large, connected forest ecosystems doesn’t just benefit martens; it supports entire communities of wildlife, from birds to large mammals, and maintains the ecological balance of these northern systems.”

(Editor’s note: the pine marten is present but isn’t often seen in the southern part of New Brunswick. It is more commonly seen in the northern part of the province beyond a line that crosses the center of the province. It is an arboreal animal usually seen in trees.)

**Jane LeBlanc managed to get three out of four yellow-rumped warblers in the same photo in her yard, enjoying Dollarama suet.

**Shannon Inman was out in the rain on Friday to photograph wildlife she encountered.

She photographed a wet raccoon taking a rest on a neighbor's steps and an equally wet skunk out foraging, not particularly concerned about the rain. A peregrine falcon on a fence post in a field demonstrated that heavy rain was no problem for its plumage!

**Bob Blake maintains daily weather statistics from his Second North River home, including morning low temperature, daily high temperature, and monthly precipitation.

Bob submits a table comparing those values for April of 2025 with those of April of 2026 from this one location.

It is interesting to note that the statistics from the two months are quite similar; however, if April had one more day this year, things would have changed a lot with the deluge of rain we experienced on May 1, 2026.

2025

2026

morning temperatures

daily highs and rainfall

morning temperatures

daily highs and rainfall

-5-1

-2-3

-1-2

0-2

+1-2

+2-3

+3-3

+4-1

+5-2

+6-5

+7-1

+8-2

+10-1

+11-1

+13-1

+22-1

+17-1

+15-2

+14-1

+13-4

+10-3

7 cms. snow

127 mms. rain

-5-1

-4-1

-2-4

-1-2

0-1

+1-3

+2-1

+3-1

+4-3

+5-4

+6-1

+7-3

+8-3

+9-2

+18-1

+17-2

+16-2

+15-1

+11-1

3 cms. snow

114 mms.rain

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. APRIL 30, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

PEREGRINE FALCON. MAY 1, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

PINE MARTEN. APRIL 6, 2026. PHIL RIEBEL

SKUNK. MAY 1, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

RACCOON. MAY 1, 2026. SHANNON INMAN

Friday, 1 May 2026

May 1 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 male and female take turns incubating the eggs almost constantly now. The female is on the nest most of the time, but the male always seems to be ready to give her short breaks so she can leave the precious cargo.

Action may seem quiet, but one can be assured that action within the developing embryos is proceeding at full speed.

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

**Jane LeBlanc saw one of her first tree swallows of the year when walking her dog near the marsh (and a bird house put up by Ted Sears).

She still has four yellow-rumped warblers in her yard. One seems to have more muted colours, so she assumes it is either a female or a juvenile.

**On April 17th, Edmund Redfield and colleagues got a good look at this year's run of rainbow smelt on the Petitcodiac River. It wasn't as spectacular as in 2021 when there was a cloud of gulls overhead, preying on the smelt, and moving upstream along with them just behind the tidal bore. That said, it was a better run than we have seen in recent years. In the attached photos, you can see a fair number of smelt silhouetted against the river bottom, and their identity was verified with a dip net. Edmund’s group was angling adult salmon as part of our acoustic tagging effort, which were feeding on these smelt, to recondition before heading out to sea. That being the case, this provided nice documentation of the interaction between salmon and this important forage species.

**Brian Stone took advantage of the warm, sunny weather on Thursday to go for a drive and a walk along the Taylor Rd. in Second North River. He saw some new and interesting subjects and got photos of almost all of them. A woodcock and a broad-winged hawk were seen but they both evaded the camera. The woodcock was nearly stepped on before it flew up, and both the bird and the photographer were strongly startled. The nature that did get photographed included a vocal blue-headed vireo, a turkey vulture that flew up suddenly from the side of the road and got "panic photo’d" from the car window, a northern azure butterfly and a green comma butterfly (yay!), a leopard frog, a banded killifish and a spiky tachinid fly. In a rut on one of the wood roads, a few clusters of yellow-spotted salamander eggs were displaying visible embryos.

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 May 2 – May 9
In the second century BCE the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea ranked the stars according to their brightness in six categories called magnitudes (for greatness). The 20 brightest stars were rated first magnitude and the faintest stars were sixth magnitude. This system was retained for two millennia and standardized in the 19th century when much fainter stars were being detected by telescopes and astrophotography. English astronomer Norman Pogson devised a logarithmic system whereby five magnitudes was a difference in star brightness of exactly 100 times. With this system, a magnitude 1 star is about 2.5 times brighter than a magnitude 2 star, and that one is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 3.

For many of us, the faintest star we can detect with the naked eye in a dark sky is sixth magnitude (commonly called mag 6). Vega, the fifth brightest star, is mag 0, slightly dimmer than Arcturus and slightly brighter than Capella. With the ability to measure the exact brightness of stars, their magnitudes are often recorded to one or two decimal places, and negative values are used for very bright objects. Sirius is mag -1.4, Jupiter is usually around mag -2.4 and Venus around -4.5. The full Moon is mag -12.6, approximately 400,000 times fainter than the Sun at -26.7. A first magnitude star, of which there are 22, is brighter than mag 1.50; a second magnitude star shines from mag 1.50 to 2.49, and so on.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:04 and sunset will occur at 8:28, giving 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight (6:11 and 8:31 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:54 and set at 8:37, giving 14 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (6:01 and 8:40 in Saint John).

The Moon is near Antares on Sunday morning and it is at third quarter next Saturday. Venus sets around 11 pm this weekend, followed by Jupiter a few hours later. On Friday evening, May 8, telescope users might see a double shadow transit of Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Europa between 9:45 and 10:26. This weekend Saturn rises an hour before sunrise followed by Mars ten minutes later. Mercury is lost in morning twilight, moving into the evening sky later this month. Early risers might see a few shooting stars from the Eta Aquariid meteor shower on Wednesday.

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.

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

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. APRIL 30, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

BLUE-HEADED VIREO. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

TURKEY VULTURE APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

TREE SWALLOW. APRIL 27, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

GREEN COMMA BUTTERFLY. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

NORTHERN AZURE BUTTERFLY. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

BANDED KILLIFISH. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

SMELT RUN ON PETITCODIAC RIVER. APRIL 17, 2026. EDMUND REDFIELD

LEOPARD FROG. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

YELLOW-SPOTTED SALAMANDER EGGS. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

TACHINID FLY. APRIL 30, 2026. BRIAN STONE

Mag 1 stars morning

Thursday, 30 April 2026

April 30 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

Action may seem quiet, but one can be assured that action within the developing embryo is proceeding at full speed.

(Editor's note: the female was on the nest this morning, as photographed in a screenshot, showing features that distinguish her from the male. Note the deviation in the nares on the left side, a white spot on the dorsum of the head, and the size seeming to take up more of the nest box space.)

PEREGRINE FALCON (FEMALE). APRIL 30, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

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

**John Massey reports he has an extraordinary amount of mason bees using his big house. They are blue and he is wondering if they would be blue orchard mason bees. It is the first time he has seen these blue ones in all the years he has had bee houses up. He has been trying for a photo, but they don't stop long enough. Hopefully, persistence will give a photo.

(Editor’s note: There is a blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria) that does have a distinct, dark metallic blue or blue-green sheen. They are a bit larger than honeybees. Hopefully, John will get that elusive photo to confirm.)

**Brian Stone sends a series of photos of the tree swallows at Wilson Marsh taken over the last week as they were flying around feeding on insects and resting on tree branches before beginning their nesting behavior.

Brian also shares a video of their acrobatics:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/atjhaeg6osfgm2layjf22/TREE-SWALLOWS.-APRIL-2026.-BRIAN-STONE-3.mp4?rlkey=pulo3s31dybomnesoa26utqqu&st=jgzdjqah&dl=0

**Nelson Poirier has had to hold back on bird feeding for the moment due to the horrendous number of blackbirds that clean every feeder within minutes.

However, he can maintain one hanging feeder under the deck roof that seems to appeal to everything except the blackbirds.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

PURPLE FINCH (MALES), DOWNEY WOODPECKER, AND WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. APRIL 29, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

PURPLE FINCH (MALES), DARK-EYED JUNCO, AND WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. APRIL 29, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

TREE SWALLOWS. APRIL 23, 2026. BRIAN STONE

MASON BEE HOUSE. APRIL 29, 2026. JOHN MASSEY

Wednesday, 29 April 2026

April 29 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

Action may seem quiet, but one can be assured that action within the developing embryo is proceeding at full speed.

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

**This message is repeated today as Louise’s excellent photographs did not accompany the message yesterday.

Louise Nichols visited the Tintamarre Wildlife Area (between Aulac and Sackville) on Monday morning. Some of the usual waterfowl were on the impoundments, especially ring-necked ducks, and she spotted a few northern harriers. Red-winged blackbirds were just getting started in the area, as were tree swallows. Song sparrows, savannah sparrows and swamp sparrows were numerous and all vocalizing. The three sparrow species were more than willing to pose on the fence along the road, and Louise sent a photo of each of them.

She also reports that her first yellow-rumped warblers and palm warblers appeared on their Aulac property, and she saw a couple of mourning cloak butterflies, occupying the same spot in the woods as they do every spring.

(Editor’s note: The mourning cloak butterfly is one of our few butterflies (and the most common one) that overwinters as the adult. What amazing antifreeze its body must be able to form to create such a fresh-looking butterfly, as Louise’s photo shows.)

**Glen Nichols was working at his desk on Sunday when a tick fell in front of him. It was a black-legged tick. Louise put it in the freezer and then took a couple of photos and sent them to share.

(Editor’s note: I am fairly sure this is a male black-legged tick, as the scotum covers the whole back of the body. The male black-legged tick feeds on plant juices, not blood, so there is no danger of it transmitting pathogens to humans/animals.)

**On ticks, Nelson Poirier has had to do a lot of searching to purchase permethrin-impregnated clothing to protect against ticks. At one point, Mark’s Work Warehouse had an excellent selection, but when it was bought out by Canadian Tire Corporation, that changed.

Nelson dropped into Mark’s Work Warehouse in Miramichi to check it out on Tuesday and was sure surprised to find the selection they had. The store representative said they had more on the way for both men and women, but not sure when the complete selection would be available. The brand is ‘No Fly Zone’.

**Jessica Belanger-Mainville went for a walk at Mapleton Park on Monday morning. There was a high diversity of species. Most notably, she got her first-of-the-year ruby-crowned kinglet, tree swallow, savannah sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler, and palm warbler.

Gwen Clarke & Jessica Belanger-Mainville went on a walk at Wilson’s Marsh Tuesday night to enjoy the beautiful weather. There was a big flock of tree swallows flying around eating bugs and fighting over the nest boxes. The true star of the night was an American bittern that was right out in the open!! They observed it hunting a fish and walking around. As a bonus, a song sparrow came close by and posed for the camera.

**On Tuesday, Brian and Annette Stone walked around Highland Park in Salisbury and found two types of early spring flowers blooming at last. The small patch of bloodroot was full of its bright white flowers that only last a short time in the spring season, and the large carpet of trout lilies had only a few flowers showing yet, with more to come in the days ahead.

(Editor’s note: Trout Lily is truly an ephemeral plant which will complete its aboveground lifecycle to disappear in a few weeks. The underground lifecycle will continue as a corm or bulb which will reappear as its aboveground leaves and bloom next spring.)

In the small ponds near the lower parking area, several leopard frogs were vocalizing loudly and continuously, and sometimes they chased each other around in the pond, possibly with mating in mind.

Brian photographed a muskrat swimming below him on the new wooden bridge.

He took a moment to attempt a photo of a tiny spider that was bravely resting in the warm sunlight beside him on the bridge railing. The spider had the profile of the wolf spider group.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton