March4 2026

 

            NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

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.

 

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

 

 

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor,  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

 

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

 

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

 

**Brian Coyle was able to get three videos of a weasel a few years ago that he took out of his second-story bathroom window.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3rlvnd2px1bvcjk52niih/WEASEL-AND-SQUIRREL.-BRIAN-COYLE.MP4?rlkey=0bcjmykt8sa3x9cpmgzr8bbz0&st=lob4ysuk&dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/m7mxfmvhgnccc3er08nxg/WEASEL.-BRIAN-COYLE-1.MP4?rlkey=99x2cysouyv9at9i6lsu7qlkl&st=rnwgk3pt&dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0x1oxjs5n68cyqa9ixoh8/WEASEL.-BRIAN-COYLE-2.mp4?rlkey=pfsexrogznaf1wx3ve8s2sbmy&st=82ja172q&dl=0

 

Was not able to download some still photos from Brian this morning due to weak internet. Ill try again when I get to stronger internet availabliity.

 

 

**Jane LeBlanc's sharp-shinned hawk was back Tuesday morning. It sat for at least a half hour...hopping from perch to perch, preening, enjoying the sun...but no hunting was seen.

Jane and Ed also saw part of the lunar eclipse. The full eclipse happened after the moon set, and there was a cloud bank at the horizon, but Jane got a poor photo of it.

 

 

**Brian Stone got up early on Tuesday morning to get a sequence of photos of the lunar eclipse. The full "blood moon" effect did not occur for us this time since the Moon set at sunrise before it was completely eclipsed. It vanished into the brightening western horizon even before it fully set. Brian merged a selection of photos of the eclipse stages together into one image and shows the thin crescent of the Moon fading into the brightening sky.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

   Nelson Poirier

    Nature Moncton

LUNAR ECLIPSE. MARCH 03, 2026. BRIAN STONE


PARTIAL ECLIPSE. MAR. 3, 2026. JANE LEBLANC



SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. MAR. 3, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. MAR. 3, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

PARTIAL ECLIPSE. MAR. 3, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

LUNAR ECLIPSE. MARCH 03, 2026. BRIAN STONE

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. MAR. 3, 2026.  JANE LEBLANC

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. MAR. 3, 2026.  JANE LEBLANC

                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 3 2026

             NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

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.

 

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.

 

 

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor,  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

 

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

 

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

**On Saturday, Deanna Fenwick went along the coast from Shediac, around Cape Cassie, and up to Bouctouche to see if there were any waterfowl to be seen. It was a bit of a bust - the blanket of snow on the ocean made it look like one could just walk over to PEI - open water was almost nonexistent. However, at the Little Bouctouche River Bridge, there were about 25 ducks - a mix of Barrow's goldeneyes and common goldeneyes, as well as a lone common merganser. A bald eagle was also very far out on the ice. The goldeneyes were foraging and coming up with something, as shown in the photo of the three male goldeneyes.

 

 

**Lisa Morris heard a beautiful male northern cardinal singing his heart out on her -29 C wind chill morning walk Monday morning. Note how high up he was. The tree he sat in towers high above the light pole. He’s at the highest point of the tree. Lisa comments, “A red bird in a bluebird sky. Thank goodness the cardinal has a beautiful song, or she would have missed looking up.”  

(Editor’s note: This is the one time of year you can expect to see a male northern cardinal in a treetop vocalizing loudly on its spring mission.)

 

**Lance Harris was in Halifax recently at the Discovery Building, just near Pier 21, and they had a display of nature through LEGO bricks.  Quite amazing when you look at the number of pieces. The artist did bald eagles, pandas, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.  Lance comments, “If you have grandkids, this is the place to go, as the other two floors are science-related subjects.”

 

 

**Brian Stone walked through Irishtown Park for a few hours on Monday and saw very little life to photograph. The temperature was quite cold, but the Sun was shining to compensate. He did see a lot of fresh snowshoe hare tracks and sends a sample photo, along with a photo of a white-breasted nuthatch. On his way home, he noticed a small group of snow buntings in a home's driveway, where he frequently sees them at this time of year. 

 

 

  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

   Nelson Poirier

    Nature Moncton

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE AND COMMON GOLDENEYE. FEB 28, 2026. 
DEANNA FENWICK




BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (MALE) AND COMMON GOLDENEYE (MALE).. 
FEB. 28, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK




BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (FEMALE) AND COMMON MERGANSER
(FEMALE). FEB 28, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK







BALD EAGLE. FEB. 28, 2026. DEANNA FENWICK


NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). MARCH 2, 2026. LISA MORRIS


WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. MARCH. 02, 2026. BRIAN STONE



SNOW BUNTINGS. MARCH. 02, 2026. BRIAN STONE



SNOWSHOW HARE TRACK. MARCH. 02, 2026. BRIAN STONE


IRISHTOWN PARK RESERVOIR. MARCH. 02, 2026. BRIAN STONE


PILEATED WOODPECKER (LEGO). MARCH, 2026. LANCE HARRIS


PILEATED WOODPECKER (LEGO). MARCH, 2026. LANCE HARRIS

March 2 2026

            NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

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

 

Clicking on the photos enlarges them for closer observation. 

 

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor,  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

 

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

 

 

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

 

 

 

**Jane LeBlanc stopped at the Black River wharf (between St. Martins and St. John) on Friday and found a pair of ducks she later realized were horned grebes.

(Editor’s note: a bit surprised at the lack of photos we have received this season of waterfowl. Refreshing to see horned grebes in their non-breeding plumage.)

 

**Louise and Glen Nichols were standing at their front window on Sunday morning, looking outside, when a bald eagle flew into the yard, soared to a dead tamarack tree, and snapped off a branch near the top, which it carried away toward the marsh.  Louise saw a similar thing happen about a year ago in the same spot when an eagle flew in, snapped about two feet off the top of a dead tamarack, and flew off with it.  Nest building has begun -- and the tamarack snags are getting shorter!

 

**Brian Stone checked out Wilson Marsh on Sunday and found only a few birds to photograph. One male northern cardinal, one mourning dove, a large gathering of mallard ducks enjoying some thawed spots in a smaller pond, and a small group of six purple finches were all he saw. He noticed a large, woven sack-like nest that he suspects was a Baltimore oriole nest.

(Editor's note: Wilson Marsh near Bond Street has been a reliable habitat to find a Baltimore Oriole nest for many years.)

Brian also noticed some fresh-looking beaver chewings on a couple of trees, and some pussy willow buds that looked like they were ready for spring to arrive. 

 

 

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

Bob submits a table comparing the statistics of February 2025 with February 2026.

It is interesting to note that morning low temperatures for both years were similar, but daily highs show some days being notably warmer in 2025.

It is also interesting to note that the amount of snow recorded in February of 2026 was twice that recorded in February of 2025.

It is important to be aware that these statistics are from one location, yet they are an indicator.

 

2025		2026
morning temperatures	daily highs	morning temperatures	daily highs
-19-1 day -18-2 -17-1 -16-1 -15-2 -14-1 -13-1 -12-2 -11-1 -10-1 -9-6 -8-1 -5-1 -4-3 -2-1 +2-1 +3-2	-13-1 -10-1 -8-7 -7-2 -5-1 -4-3 -3-1 -2-1 -1-1 0-1 +1-2 +2-4 +4-1 30 cms. snow 3 mms. rain	-19-1 -17-1 -15-2 -13-1 -12-1 -10-1 -9-4 -8-1 -7-2 -6-4 -5-4 -4-2 -3-3 0-1	-7-1 -6-1 -5-1 -3-6 -2-2 0-4 +1-6 +2-3 +4-1 +7-1 61 cms. snow

 

 

 

  nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

   Nelson Poirier

    Nature Moncton

 

HORNED GREBE. FEB.27, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


PURPLE FINCH (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


PURPLE FINCH (FEMALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE 


MOURNING DOVE. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


MALLARD DUCKS. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE


BALTIMORE ORIOLE NEST. MAR. 01, 2026. 
BRIAN STONE



PUSSY WILLOW BUDS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE


BEAVER SIGNS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE