NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 20, 2024

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

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

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com 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

**Back in 2010, a nest box was constructed by local bird enthusiasts, and it was installed on top of the high-rise building Assumption Place in Downtown Moncton near the Petitcodiac River. Since 2011, wild Peregrine Falcons have called it home! Recently, a partnership was formed with the Magnetic Hill Zoo and the zoo’s conservation fund covered the cost of a webcam, its installation, and the first 2 years of internet fees. We now have a nest cam set up to watch the falcons’ nesting season and the live video feed is hosted on the Zoo’s website.

Starting at 11:00 AM today, March 20^th, you can view the nest cam live at https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam. The webpage also provides supplemental information about Peregrine Falcons, their conservation and how you can help, about Nature Moncton, and about the Zoo’s conservation fund. In addition, a new webpage has been added to https://naturemoncton.com/nest-cam to provide a link to the nest cam and to acknowledge all individuals, businesses, and organizations involved.

(Editor’s note: the effort to make this nest camera happen has been in progress for the past 2 years with a very active committee of Fred Richards, David Cannon, Cathy Simon, Susan Richards, and Nelson Poirier. There has been little public discussion on it as the speed bumps to make it happen have been many, but perseverance has made this happen for all to enjoy!)

**A very sincere thank you to Shaylyn Wallace for joining the Nature Moncton meeting on Tuesday night to give a very interesting refresher course on our native amphibians and turtles that will be making their spring preview very soon, with some having started already. The timing was perfect.

The second part of the meeting was a Tick Talk given by Nelson Poirier.

These 2 presentations were recorded and a link to them will be published soon in Nature News.

**Some excellent photos of River Otter tracks photographed by Brian Coyle were added to yesterday’s edition a short while after it went out. For those who opened yesterday’s edition early, scroll back to yesterday’s edition to appreciate them as winter tracks in the snow are very likely near the end on this first full day of spring.

Also missing briefly in yesterday’s edition was a photo of a wayward honeybee that Shannon Inman had photographed.

(Editor’s note: no gremlins to blame this time, editor error!)

**Norbert Dupuis reports his 2 female Northern Cardinals have been visiting every day since Nov. 9, 2023. He has truly enjoyed their visit.

With many reports of cardinals in the Memramcook Valley, it is hoped male suitors will soon be available.

Norbert took note of the bright yellow beak of the European Starling molting into summer breeding plumage from the black of non-breeding plumage. The ‘white Starling spots' will soon wear off and disappear.

**Richard Perron photographed some aspen trees that were very heavily covered with Parmelia lichen and wonders if it may be harming the trees.

(Editor’s note: lichens would normally do no harm whatsoever to the trees they cohabit with. The lichens are simply using the tree as a place to ‘hang out’.)

**There are signs of spring at Dale Pugh's backyard feeders. Two Song Sparrows and a few Pine Siskins are visiting regularly now. On Tuesday her resident Chipmunk showed up looking very well after its winter underground and enjoyed a variety of nut offerings.