Nature Moncton Nature News: May 15 2026

Nature Moncton Nature News

Clicking 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.

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.

All is outwardly quiet in the nest box this morning, but that could be a very different scenario in a few days!

https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam

**Nature Moncton Warbler day is on for tomorrow, Saturday. Details below:

**Nature Moncton Warbler Hike

Hillsborough, NB

May 16, 9:00 AM. Gather in Kiwanis parking lot on Mill Street.

Leader for the walk will be Gordon Rattray of Nature Moncton.

In late spring each year we have the movement of many birds returning to their nesting regions, both local nesters and those that just pass through on their journey further north. The warblers are one such group that passes through our area. These little birds are very colorful and very vocal as they stop for a rest and to feed. In late May, we can often locate many of the warbler species in the Hillsborough area. This May 16, Nature Moncton will host a hike for members and anyone interested in observing warblers. The warblers are most active as the morning warms and the insects take to flight, making 9:00 AM a good starting time. The hike will be on an abandoned rail line, flat but with the rails still in place, so a little bit of difficulty. The rail hike is only 200 metres up and we double back. Also in the same location are the prepared trails of the Hillsborough water park, a walk on gravel surface of 2 kilometres. Those wishing for a little more birding can do this trail after we lunch, or Gordon can take the group for a quick visit and short walk at the White Rock Recreation area, which is a short drive.

**On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Gordon Rattray surveyed the areas that the warbler event will use on Saturday, and he reports that there are birds in the region. Overnight on Tuesday, there was an influx of yellow-rumped warblers. The birds that Gordon was able to photograph included, black and white warbler, yellow warbler, northern parula, ovenbird, palm warbler, yellow-rumped warbler. Gordon also saw savannah sparrow, gray catbird, tree swallow and bobolink.

At home, Gordon was visited by a female Baltimore oriole and a white-crowned sparrow. Gordon is very hopeful of a good number of birds for Saturday, especially with the great forecast.

**Ted Sears shares his photos of the two great birds coming to the same yard in St. Martins: a male summer tanager and a male indigo bunting. It is not very often that we have two such special visitors coming to the same yard!

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins hears ovenbirds all the time, but rarely sees them. Thursday morning, an ovenbird sounded very close to the yard, so Jane pished and out it came!!

Later, back at her neighbour's, the summer tanager was still there, along with several birders from all over. While they were there, they saw their first American redstart of the year.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a lesser yellowlegs and a least sandpiper at Hay Island on Thursday. Assumedly, they are part of the advanced guard migrating north.

**Between Harvey and around the corner at Lars Larsen marsh Shannon Inman estimated over 500 blue jays! She took a partial photo of one flock.

Shannon also spotted whirligig beetles and a gray comma butterfly.

**David Lilly visited the Gateway Wetland Trail in Oromocto, which is a short loop that circles a wetland (photographing several bird species.) The trail is never far away from a road. A covered bridge crosses some open water near a beaver hut. Another long bridge crosses the wet ground along one side of the wetland. There are many wetland plant species and animals that call the park their home, making it an interesting place to explore.

David comments that on his walks there, he is never disappointed. On Thursday, there were soras calling, but he never saw them.

**Gordon Rattray was able to get a distant shot of his resident eastern phoebe family. They are on the nest. This is the 5^th year for a nest in the eave of a gazebo.

**On Thursday, Brian Stone drove out to Cormierville to view the two snowy owls that have been seen there for the last three or four days. One was resting on top of a tall pole in a field, but the other was perched on a swallow nest box beside the main road and seemed to pay no attention to the passing traffic and occasional birder.

**Bob Blake in Second North River has had a merlin recently taking a swipe at his yard birds, but with no success. There have been several spots around the back yard where there have been some feathers, so they know the merlin doesn’t always miss!

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 May 16 – May 23
By 10 pm the zigzag constellation of Draco the Dragon is halfway up the northeastern sky to the right of the Little Dipper. Draco’s tail is a line of stars between the Big and Little Dippers. One of those stars is Thuban, which lies between the bowl of the Little Dipper and the middle of the Big Dipper’s handle. About 5000 years ago, when the Egyptian pyramids were built, Thuban was the North Star and entrances to the pyramids were designed with a descending passageway aligned to this star. Coincidentally, the inner two stars of the Big Dipper’s bowl point to Thuban, just as the outer pair points toward Polaris, the current North Star.

From the tail, Draco arcs around the bowl of the Little Dipper and then curves back toward Hercules, with its head being a quadrilateral of stars by the strongman’s foot. The two brightest stars in Draco’s head, Eltanin and Rastaban, are its eyes. They are the brightest and third brightest of the constellation. The faintest of the four is a treat in binoculars, showing matching white stars that resemble headlights or cat eyes. In mythology, the dragon was one of the Titans, rivals of the Olympians. In one of their battles, Athena slung the dragon high into the northern sky. Writhing to right itself, it struck against the northern sky and froze in that position.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:45 and sunset will occur at 8:46, giving 15 hours, 1 minute of daylight (5:53 and 8:48 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:38 and set at 8:54, giving 15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (5:46 and 8:56 in Saint John).

The Moon is new and near perigee on Saturday so expect extreme tides early in the week. On its way to first quarter next Saturday the waxing crescent is very close to Venus on Monday evening, nearing Jupiter on Tuesday, lining up with the Gemini stars Pollux and Castor on Wednesday, and by Friday it leads Regulus toward the western horizon. On Sunday telescope and maybe binocular users might see Jupiter’s moon Europa emerge from the planet’s shadow at 9:50 pm followed by Io three minutes later. This weekend Saturn is rising 95 minutes before sunrise, followed by Mars half an hour later. If you need an excuse for a party, Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun next Friday.

The Kouchibouguac Star Party is this weekend, May 15-16. See the RASC NB website for details. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.