NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
March 1 2025
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
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information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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**Richard Blacquiere comments that American robins were very rare through the winter in Hampton, probably related to the lack of a wild fruit crop in this part of NB. Very occasionally, one would fly through, but apparently, there wasn’t much to encourage them to linger. That probably applies to cedar waxwings as well. The waxwing in the photo was part of a flock of nine, the first waxwings Richard has seen around Hampton in a few months.
Recently, warmer temperatures and rain started to open up some patches
of water, which were quickly occupied by waterfowl. A wood duck was a nice
surprise among the mallards and American black ducks; Richard suspects it is the same
one that was around till the pond froze over at the beginning of winter and
managed to survive somewhere not far away. One of the mallard ducks had some unusual
plumage characteristics that made it stand out from the others. Rather than a
hybrid, Richard thinks this is more likely a male delayed in its moult cycle and still in definitive alternate
("eclipsed") plumage. It would be interesting to know what this bird
will look like in a couple of months.
**Jean and Jim Wilson spent the day Friday roaming from
Sussex to Fundy Park to Waterside, Riverside-Albert and home over Caledonia
Mountain, Salisbury and Sussex.
Aside from a modest list of 30 bird species they were
delighted to get good looks at a fisher in Fundy Park, about halfway
from the Park entrance and the lookoff that gives the panoramic view of Cape
Enrage and the rest of the Bay of Fundy. The fisher appeared to have crossed
the road just before they came into sight and was on the snowbank on the left
side of the road. As their car approached, it quickly ran into the woods; when they stopped to look at its tracks, there was also a set of fresh prints of
a snowshoe hare, suggesting the fisher might have been following them.
Unfortunately, it all happened too fast for a photo. They had also seen a large
coyote cross the road in front of them about five minutes earlier.
(Editor’s note: An interesting follow-up to Jim’s fisher comments comes from Frank Branch observing tracks/trails in his Paquetville woodlot where a fisher is more
likely to be observed. That generated several opinions from people who felt that what Frank had observed was a bounding canine. In those consultations, Brian
Donovan shared some photos he had taken in the Renous highway area of fisher
tracks/trail that are added today. Many New Brunswick naturalists have good
observations of the fisher on their bucket list, with some lucky ones having
crossed that off the list.)
**As Brian Coyle was driving along the Salisbury Road in
the Boundary Creek area, he spotted a mature bald eagle flying towards
the Petitcodiac River with a very large stick in its talons. Nest renovations
are underway.
Just before going to bed Friday night, Brian found two lively
northern flying squirrels at his peanut butter and suet feeders 20 feet off the
ground. Check out the action in the attached video. One of the pair ends up
launching itself into the night.
Brian comments that he really has to clean the peanut
butter spatter off that window!
(Editor’s note: just don’t disturb those flying squirrels,
Brian!)
**To remind folks to check for observations of the planet
Mercury, I am repeating Curt Nason’s words. If the dusk sky is clear, it
will be a great opportunity to see Mercury with binoculars. Brian Stone shares
a screenshot that may help neophyte astronomers find it.
”Mercury is in its best evening apparition for the year,
appearing higher in the west each evening while Venus lowers, and by next
weekend they will be five degrees apart. As Venus nears setting, Jupiter
rides high in the northwest”
**Bob Blake maintains weather statistics from his Second
North River home, including morning low temperatures, daily high temperatures,
and monthly precipitation.
Bob sends a table comparing those February 2024
statistics with those of February 2025.
Bob’s record for February 2025 showed a higher number of
lower morning temperatures than that of 2024. In 2024, much more precipitation fell as rain at 68 mm; in 2025, we received only 3mm of rain. Snow levels did not differ by much.
|
2024 |
2025 |
||
|
morning
temperatures |
daily
highs and rainfall |
morning
temperatures |
daily
highs and rainfall |
|
-17-1 day -16-2 -13-3 -9-3 -7-2 -6-3 -4-3 -2-2 -1-4 0-1 +1-1 +8-1 |
+10-1 +7-1 +6-1 23 cms. snow 68 mms. rain |
-19-1 -18-2 -17- -16-1 -15-2 -13-1 -12-2 -11-2 -10-1 -9-5 -8-1 -5-1 -4-3 -2-1 +2-1 +3-2 |
+10-1 +7-1 +6-1 30 cms. snow 3 mms. rain |
Nelson
Poirier
Nature Moncton
