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
** The Nature Moncton
activities committee has an event planned for this coming Saturday, October 17
with all details below:
Autumn
Colours Outing: Discover Highland Park in Salisbury 🍂
Looking to
enjoy the best of fall in Greater Moncton? Join Nature Moncton for a peaceful
and scenic autumn walk through Salisbury's Highland Park on Saturday,
October 17, 2026.
Highland
Park features vibrant fall foliage, rich wetland habitat, and fantastic
opportunities for birding and mushroom spotting. We’ll take a relaxed, 1.5-hour
loop (approx. 3 km.) over easy, flat, and well-groomed terrain, complete with water views
and cozy benches along the way.
Event
Details
📍 Where: Meet at the unpaved parking area at the bottom of MacDonald
Road, Salisbury. (From Route 112/Main St, turn left onto MacDonald Road just past the Pizza Mill).
⏰ When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00 AM
🎒 Tip: Wear comfortable footwear and bring bug spray for the wetland
trail.
All are
welcome. Whether you're a long-time Nature Moncton member or joining us for the
first time, we'd love to see you there! Don't forget your Nature Moncton name
tag if you have one.
**Shannon Inman shares a
few observations.
She photographed a young
porcupine ambling about on its daily mission. She also photographed a mushroom past
its prime but still oozing a latex, suggesting it's a milky mushroom species.
Shannon also photographed one
of those basketball-sized, bald-faced hornet nests we never knew were
there when the foliage was on but are now in full view. Most of the
hornet occupants will pass on to heaven with the first heavy frosts, except for
some queens that will overwinter and start the process over next season.
That very cooperative red-tailed
hawk for photographs was back for another meal, as it often is before a rainy
day or snowstorm. John Inman has really gotten to know the behaviour of this
hawk after many years of its seasonal visits for meat offerings.
John comments, “It can be over 100 yards away
across the road, and he can go out and whistle and shake its feed bag, and it
comes right over. There are times when it sits in the dead poplar above the
feeder, and he can talk to it when he takes its feed bag; it will
natter right back at him. He is sure another hawk would not act this
way, so feels fairly certain it is indeed the same hawk that has been coming for
years.”
**Maureen Girvan’s
daughter Kelly Girvan, who lives in urban Toronto, had a red-tailed hawk
stop momentarily on the balcony of her top-floor apartment. She was
quick enough to get a documentary video through the window.
(Editor’s note: the video
may be documentary, but it reflects on the bold nature of the red-tailed hawk
to be in urban Toronto.)
** Thanks to Gilles
Belliveau for pointing out a mislabelled photo on October 11, which has been
corrected. We first had it labeled as a Canada darner dragonfly, which is
easily confused with the lake darner dragonfly.
Gilles points out the darner
was actually a lake darner dragonfly, which looks very similar to the
Canada darner except it has a black line across the middle of the face, which
would be lacking on a Canada darner. Gilles attaches the photo in question with
a red arrow pointing out the line across the face.
(Editor’s note:
corrections are always welcome as we all learn from them.)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
