NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
October 5, 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
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
**On
Saturday, Nature Moncton had an excellent outing to the Sussex Bluff
trail in excellent, clear weather. The group enjoyed the walk, especially the
long hills, and all were happy to relax at either of the two great lookoff
cliffs. One group member noticed a large, mean-looking spider crawling along
the edge of the cliff that Brian Stone photographed and identified
as a female fierce orbweaver spider aka garden spider (Araneus
saevus).
Susan Richards commented, “Saturday's outing at the SUSSEX
BLUFFS had 20 participants and beautiful blue sky to observe many Autumn
colors both on the trees and on the ground in the woods. There were some
plant, tree, and insect observations.
E-bird
was submitted, and everyone appeared to enjoy the hike along the cliffs up to
the Bluffs to view Dutch Valley and Trout Creek and back through the woods.”
Later that day, Brian had a second outing to
Wilson Marsh, where he searched for and eventually photographed (after it was
found for him by a couple of club members) a glossy ibis that had been
found and reported by birders the day before. A juvenile great blue
heron joined the photo lineup to complete the day.
**As a heads up, the Wilson Marsh event,
where the treasured wetland designation will become official with Nature
Moncton involvement, will take place this coming Tuesday, October 7.
All
details are on the poster photo as posted below.
**The
turkey vulture is a regular visitor around the Memramcook Valley, but
still impressive when it flies close on a windy day, as it did for Norbert
Dupuis on Saturday.
**Jane
and Ed LeBlanc enjoyed the Saturday morning hike to Sussex Bluffs with
Nature Moncton. After returning home to St. Martins, Jane was having a cup of
tea on her deck and noticed a male yellow-bellied sapsucker on her oak
tree. This is a first...she sometimes has one in the spring, but this is the
first time she's seen one in the fall.
**Aldo
Dorio photographed two different black-bellied plovers at Hay Island on
Saturday that are in near complete basic plumage.
Gilles
Belliveau was consulted about one of the photos, which features some golden
tones. His comments are very helpful and am quoting them below to help others who
may be wondering:
“The
bird in the first photo does have some yellowish-golden tones on the crown,
back, and a bit on the wings, but some juvenile black-bellied plovers can have
similar colouration. The bird lacks a strong auricular patch, the bill
seems a bit thick, and the primary projection doesn’t quite look long enough
for an American golden-plover. When I look at the head and bill
proportions, it also looks more like a black-bellied plover to me.”
Aldo
also shares a photo that he took in the fall of 2017 that Gilles suspects to be
a juvenile American pipit.
The
literature suggests it would be unusual to see a juvenile American pipit with
plumage that is not similar to the adult at this point. This makes this photo one
to take note of.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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