NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
July 17, 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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respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line
editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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**Much
appreciation to David Miller for leading a group of Wednesday evening walkers
on the newly expanded section of Salisbury’s Highland Park. The newly
constructed bridge, cement plate pathways, and quiet trails through a diverse
range of habitats provided for a lot of bird activity, as well as a few beavers
conveniently observed from the bridge walkway. The ponds were teeming with
waterfowl, accompanied by numerous young families. It was pleasant to see a shorebird
selection of dowitcher and yellowlegs, as well as a long list of birds that are
attracted to an area of such diverse habitats that meet the requirements of
many species. There were many excellent photographic opportunities, but the
heat and a late evening made them unavailable for today.
Lois Budd
topped off a pleasant evening with the delivery of fresh strawberry shortcake!
**Georges
Brun got quite a surprise to see a herring gull adorned with distinct orange
on the head and orange blotches on each wing that posed for photographs.
It could be
assumed that Wednesday's heat got to this bird who found it necessary to locate a
source of orange Gatorade to reduce heat stress!!
**Susan
Rousseau in Sussex was pleased to notice her first monarch butterfly flying around her milkweed
plants on Wednesday and appearing to oviposit.
(Editor’s note: It appears that there
are more positive reports of monarch butterflies this season than were noted
during the 2024 season.)
**An early heads up to mark off
Saturday, August 16 for a Nature Moncton field trip to Joggins Fossil Centre.
All details below:
Nature
Moncton’s Field Trip to Joggins Fossil Cliffs and Museum
We have tentatively scheduled an outing to the Joggins Fossil
Centre (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) for Saturday, August 16, 2025. We must
have a minimum of 15 for the outing to take place and a maximum of 40
participants. We will need to know if you are going by Friday, August 1, so the
museum can make sure there is enough staff to accommodate us. The tour of the
fossil cliffs will start at 11:30 and will last approximately 90 minutes. Visitors to the site are asked to wear
appropriate footwear, be careful of cobblestones, and avoid walking on wet,
loose rocks.
You will
have access to the museum before and after the tour. This event will take place in Joggins, Nova
Scotia, and is just over an hour from Moncton.
We should plan to have some car pooling for this event and I will set this up after we find out how many are interested.
Please use the Nature Moncton Contact email to have your name added to
the list: naturenmonctoncontact@gmail.com. The cost will be $25.00 per person.
Joggins
Fossil Cliffs on the Bay of Fundy: Canada’s 15th UNESCO World Heritage Site
Explore up
to 15 kilometres of magnificently exposed layers of rock along the Bay of Fundy
coastline, just 30 minutes from Amherst and 40 minutes from Parrsboro. Towering
cliffs reveal the world’s most complete fossil record of life in the ‘Coal Age’
when lush forests covered Joggins and much of the world’s tropical regions, 300
million years ago.
Constant
erosion from the Bay of Fundy’s tides, rising and falling up to 13 metres (42
feet) in Joggins twice daily, creates possibilities for exposing new, rare
fossils. Search for fossils on the beach
or view the spectacular sandstone layers with fossilized remains of the
300-million-year-old forest. With
careful observation, you may even find fossils of animal and insect trackways
or the remains of amphibians or Hylonomus lyelli – the oldest
known reptile and Nova Scotia’s provincial fossil!
- Visit the Joggins Fossil Centre
to learn about the ’Coal Age’ through fossils, exhibits and displays that
tell a 300-million-year-old story.
- Take a guided beach tour with the
Joggins Fossil Centre to explore the nearby Joggins Fossil Cliffs, where
fossilized trees and roots from an ancient forest are preserved within the
cliffs.
- Uncover fossils on the beach as
almost every rock contains a fossil, and each tidal cycle reveals new
fossils!
- Enjoy local coffees, teas and
baked goods at The Roundhouse Café open Saturdays through Wednesdays in
July and August.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
