NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
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
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courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Jane
LeBlanc stopped at the Black River wharf (between St. Martins and St. John)
on Friday and found a pair of ducks she later realized were horned grebes.
(Editor’s
note: a bit surprised at the lack of photos we have received this season of
waterfowl. Refreshing to see horned grebes in their non-breeding plumage.)
**Louise
and Glen Nichols were standing at their front window on Sunday morning, looking
outside, when a bald eagle flew into the yard, soared to a dead tamarack tree,
and snapped off a branch near the top, which it carried away toward the
marsh. Louise saw a similar thing happen about a year ago in the same
spot when an eagle flew in, snapped about two feet off the top of a dead
tamarack, and flew off with it. Nest building has begun -- and the
tamarack snags are getting shorter!
**Brian Stone checked out Wilson Marsh on Sunday and found only a few birds to photograph. One male northern cardinal, one mourning dove, a large gathering of mallard ducks enjoying some thawed spots in a smaller pond, and a small group of six purple finches were all he saw. He noticed a large, woven sack-like nest that he suspects was a Baltimore oriole nest.
(Editor's note: Wilson Marsh near Bond Street has been a reliable habitat to find a Baltimore Oriole nest for many years.)
Brian also noticed some fresh-looking beaver chewings on a couple of trees, and some pussy willow buds that looked like they were ready for spring to arrive.
**Bob
Blake in Second North River maintains daily weather statistics from his home,
including morning low temperatures, daily high temperatures, and monthly
precipitation.
Bob
submits a table comparing the statistics of February 2025 with February 2026.
It
is interesting to note that morning low temperatures for both years were
similar, but daily highs show some days being notably warmer in 2025.
It
is also interesting to note that the amount of snow recorded in February of
2026 was twice that recorded in February of 2025.
It
is important to be aware that these statistics are from one location, yet they
are an indicator.
|
2025 |
2026 |
||
|
morning temperatures |
daily highs |
morning temperatures |
daily highs |
|
-19-1 day -18-2 -17-1 -16-1 -15-2 -14-1 -13-1 -12-2 -11-1 -10-1 -9-6 -8-1 -5-1 -4-3 -2-1 +2-1 +3-2 |
-13-1 -10-1 -8-7 -7-2 -5-1 -4-3 -3-1 -2-1 -1-1 0-1 +1-2 +2-4 +4-1 30 cms. snow 3 mms. rain |
-19-1 -17-1 -15-2 -13-1 -12-1 -10-1 -9-4 -8-1 -7-2 -6-4 -5-4 -4-2 -3-3 0-1 |
-7-1 -6-1 -5-1 -3-6 -2-2 0-4 +1-6 +2-3 +4-1 +7-1 61 cms. snow |
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier Nature Moncton 
HORNED GREBE. FEB.27, 2026. JANE LEBLANC
PURPLE FINCH (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
PURPLE FINCH (FEMALE). MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
NORTHERN CARDINAL (MALE). MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
MOURNING DOVE. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
MALLARD DUCKS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
BALTIMORE ORIOLE NEST. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
PUSSY WILLOW BUDS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
BEAVER SIGNS. MAR. 01, 2026. BRIAN STONE
