Nature Moncton Nature
News
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on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.
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 email,
please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com, as well as proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca, if any errors are noted in wording or photo
labelling.
Proofreading courtesy of
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**The Nature Moncton
February meeting will take place tonight, Tuesday, February 17. All
details below. Look forward to a very
interesting presentation which is totally virtual this month with excellent audio and video. Anyone will be able to join in and easily pose queries or comments.
Nature
Moncton February Meeting
February 17,
2026, 7:00 PM
Speaker.
Greg Jongsma, PhD, Acting Curator of Zoology at NB Museum.
Acting Head
of Natural History at the NB Museum.
Title:
Hidden Biodiversity of New Brunswick: What We’re Still Discovering in Our Own
Backyard.
New
Brunswick is far richer in species than most of us realize. Through the New
Brunswick Museum’s BiotaNB program (Bioblitz), scientists, students, artists,
and naturalists have spent over a decade documenting life in Protected Natural
Areas across the province—revealing hundreds of species previously unknown from
New Brunswick.
Since 2009,
this group of specialists in their field has camped out for a week-long session
each year in a Protected Natural Area to document everything they find
(bioblitz). On the final day of the
campout, they hold an open house to display what they have discovered over the
week, with all participants present to provide explanations. It is an amazing
day for any NB naturalist to experience, and we can all appreciate the
discoveries.
This talk
explores how these discoveries are made, why they matter, and how we all play a
vital role in understanding and protecting biodiversity. Don’t miss this
important and informative insight into the surprising variety of species in our
province.
This
presentation is completely virtual for anyone, anywhere to join in at the
following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82366927981?pwd=zzDazoGoQaFQm5m05SpH0pLiYeAJJ6.1
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**Shannon
Inman was able to capture photos through the windshield of a group of Lapland
longspurs foraging at roadside in the Harvey area.
(Editor’s
note: these are special photographs, as we don’t often get the opportunity to
get observations singly when they are travelling with a group of snow buntings,
let alone in a group of only that species.)
John Inman
got a photo of two of the four hairy woodpeckers that are at his feeder yard enjoying
suet, and then the two little downy woodpeckers got a turn.
(Editor’s
note: the modest barring of the outer white tailfeathers of the downy
woodpecker [arrowed] show nicely in John’s photos. This barring is absent in
the hairy woodpecker.)
It is
interesting to note that John comments that the resident male red-bellied woodpecker
doesn’t allow much of a chance for the other woodpeckers to feed at the suet
block.
(Editor’s
note: from comments from folks who have had a red-bellied woodpecker as a patron,
it would seem that this species is quite assertive about its feeding
territory.)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
