NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
April 6, 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
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 and the proofreader Louise Nichols
at 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 nicholsl@eastlink.ca
To view the live feed of the Peregrine Falcon
nest cam on the summit of Assumption Place in Moncton, go to:
https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
**The bird nest box cleanout on the Riverfront Trail went off with pleasant seasonal weather and lots of enthusiasm on Saturday afternoon. Several nest boxes had been successfully used by tree swallows and a few had been occupied by black-capped chickadees, while some boxes remained unoccupied.
Jessica Belanger-Mainville sent some photos of the day
and expect more may arrive for tomorrow’s edition.
The boxes were treated with diatomaceous earth and
permethrin to control fleas.
(Editor’s note: In one of Jessica’s photos, Cathy Simon
is using Fred Richard's excellent idea of placing the diatomaceous earth in a
sock and shaking it in the box. An idea to copy!)
**On an early afternoon drive along the Lower Norton
Shore Road just outside Hampton, Richard Blacquiere found a pied-billed grebe
foraging (successfully) in the shallows along the shore of the flooded
Kennebecasis River. The bird was strongly backlit, so Richard comments the best
he could do was a documentary photo.
**Georges Brun noted a group of common eider
assembling around the mouth of Hall’s Creek and some enjoying checking out the ‘chocolate’
Fundy silt.
Harbour porpoise
continue to be spotted as they quickly surface for air near the mouth of Hall's Creek.
Georges also noted one of the peregrine falcon pair using
the Bell Aliant tower is a perch.
**Norbert Dupuis again shares some of the special moments
monitoring patrons in his Memramcook East birdfeeder yard to include a pair
of blue jays suspected to be in courtship mode, the male house finch
continuing to be present, and further discussion between a blue jay and Norbert’s
male northern cardinal.
**Barb Curlew has been
watching for the first great blue herons at Waterside Marsh. She observed one on March 26, six on April 4, and one on April 5.
**Aldo Dorio photographed his first killdeer of
the season at Hay Island on Saturday. There were two present.
**Jane and Ed LeBlanc saw their FOY killdeer on
the beach in St. Martins Saturday morning. Jane was unable to get a photo. They
also saw a snowshoe hare, which was still more winter white than summer brown.
Jane is almost sure she also heard a belted kingfisher but did not see it. She
did manage a photo of a common grackle and song sparrow.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
