NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
May 18, 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 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:
**Lynn Dube was able to capture screenshots of
the third peregrine falcon hatchling who entered the scene on Saturday on the summit of Assumption Place.
Things would appear to be going well for the
family with the newborns being fed immediately, and the fourth sibling may be
expected any time if it has not already happened.
Things are about to get lively with parents
constantly carrying groceries to demanding nestlings!
**Lynn Dube also captured a photo of an eye-spotted lady beetle on Saturday while splitting wood.
(Editor’s note: this may not be considered a
rare lady beetle, but we don’t very often see them, possibly due to the competitive
introduction of non-native lady beetles and the fact that the eye-spotted beetles don’t enter or
overwinter in human dwellings.
They can vary from yellow to brownish red,
but the black spots surrounded by a lighter ring make identification easy when we are lucky enough to find one. They will be found around trees -- often conifers -- where their menu of aphids may be present.)
**Lisa Morris often sees a family of Canada
geese heading into Jones Lake each morning and sends a video of the
family's morning routine at the link below.
Lisa also sees the expected mallard ducks
around the lake and two male wood ducks in the area. One
would wonder where the females are nesting if in that area.
**Brian Stone was birding in the Dorchester
area on Saturday afternoon when he came across a red fox running beside
the dirt road he was on that was carrying several prey items in its mouth and
seemed to be in quite a hurry. The fox glanced at Brian as it ran past and then
hurried on its way to its important destination, which turned out to be a
family of four cubs. Only three cubs were evident at first, and they nursed for
a bit while Brian watched through binoculars and took a few long-distance
photos, but a fourth one joined the group from across the road after the first
three cubs ran off to hide behind a small shed. Brian drove up slowly to a spot
beside the shed and took a few more photos of the cubs as they relaxed in the
grass. He stayed in the car and took the photos out the window while the mother
fox watched warily from a spot up the road. A beautiful family encounter.
**Aldo Dorio also photographed a red fox
at Hay Island on Saturday which was showing a bit of a rough pelage to leave the
possibility of it being a female looking a bit careworn from the demands of a
spring litter.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
