Nature Moncton Nature
News
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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.
If you would like to share
observations/photos with Nature News, contact the 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 camera on the peregrine
falcon nest box on the summit of Assumption Place is now live. When
checking the link to watch the activity, scroll down to the first large image,
which shows what is happening in real time.
The male and female take
turns incubating the eggs almost constantly now. The female is on the nest most
of the time, but the male always seems to be ready to give her short breaks so she can leave the precious cargo.
Action may seem quiet, but
one can be assured that action within the developing embryo is proceeding at
full speed.
https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
**This message is
repeated today as Louise’s excellent photographs did not accompany the message yesterday.
Louise Nichols visited the
Tintamarre Wildlife Area (between Aulac and Sackville) on Monday morning.
Some of the usual waterfowl were on the impoundments, especially ring-necked
ducks, and she spotted a few northern harriers. Red-winged blackbirds
were just getting started in the area, as were tree swallows. Song
sparrows, savannah sparrows and swamp sparrows were numerous
and all vocalizing. The three sparrow species were more than willing to
pose on the fence along the road, and Louise sent a photo of each of them.
She also reports that her
first yellow-rumped warblers and palm warblers appeared on their Aulac
property, and she saw a couple of mourning cloak butterflies, occupying
the same spot in the woods as they do every spring.
(Editor’s note: The
mourning cloak butterfly is one of our few butterflies (and the most common one) that overwinters as the
adult. What amazing antifreeze its body must be able to form to create such a
fresh-looking butterfly, as Louise’s photo shows.)
**Glen Nichols was working
at his desk on Sunday when a tick fell in front of him. It was a black-legged
tick. Louise put it in the freezer and then took a couple of photos
and sent them to share.
(Editor’s note: I am
fairly sure this is a male black-legged tick, as the scotum covers the whole
back of the body. The male black-legged tick feeds on plant juices, not blood, so there is no danger of it transmitting pathogens to humans/animals.)
**On ticks, Nelson Poirier
has had to do a lot of searching to purchase permethrin-impregnated clothing to
protect against ticks. At one point, Mark’s Work Warehouse had an excellent
selection, but when it was bought out by Canadian Tire Corporation, that
changed.
Nelson dropped into Mark’s
Work Warehouse in Miramichi to check it out on Tuesday and was sure surprised
to find the selection they had. The store representative said they had more on
the way for both men and women, but not sure when the complete selection would
be available. The brand is ‘No Fly Zone’.
**Jessica
Belanger-Mainville went for a walk at Mapleton Park on Monday morning. There
was a high diversity of species. Most notably, she got her first-of-the-year
ruby-crowned kinglet, tree swallow, savannah sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler,
and palm warbler.
Gwen Clarke & Jessica
Belanger-Mainville went on a walk at Wilson’s Marsh Tuesday night to enjoy the
beautiful weather. There was a big flock of tree swallows flying around eating
bugs and fighting over the nest boxes. The true star of the night was an American
bittern that was right out in the open!! They observed it hunting a fish
and walking around. As a bonus, a song sparrow came close by and posed
for the camera.
**On Tuesday, Brian and
Annette Stone walked around Highland Park in Salisbury and found two types of
early spring flowers blooming at last. The small patch of bloodroot was
full of its bright white flowers that only last a short time in the spring
season, and the large carpet of trout lilies had only a few flowers
showing yet, with more to come in the days ahead.
(Editor’s note: Trout Lily
is truly an ephemeral plant which will complete its aboveground lifecycle to
disappear in a few weeks. The underground lifecycle will continue as a corm
or bulb which will reappear as its aboveground leaves and bloom next
spring.)
In the small ponds near
the lower parking area, several leopard frogs were vocalizing loudly and
continuously, and sometimes they chased each other around in the pond, possibly
with mating in mind.
Brian photographed a muskrat
swimming below him on the new wooden bridge.
He took a moment to
attempt a photo of a tiny spider that was bravely resting in the warm
sunlight beside him on the bridge railing. The spider had the profile of the
wolf spider group.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
LEOPARD FROG. APRIL 28, 2026. BRIAN STONE
