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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.
Georges Brun was able to
capture a screenshot of the whole peregrine falcon family with both peregrine falcon
parents admiring their nestlings, deciding which one of the open beaks should be
filled first.
https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
**Yvette Richard was able
to photograph both a blackpoll warbler
and a Canada warbler on Thursday. These are two warblers we don’t often
get photos of. The Canada warbler is often very secretive, and we see the
blackpoll warbler only in spring and fall as it migrates to the south of us in
winter and breeds to the north of us in summer.
**We are normally only
able to see trout lily in floodplain areas or in wet areas. Not the case
for Pat Gibbs, who has had a trout lily patch quite happy in her urban Moncton hosta
bed, which seems to grow bigger every year.
**Brian Stone has been
finding more garter snakes than usual on his recent outings, and that
has made him very happy. At least 4 in the last two weeks. He sends some photos
of the two most recent snakes he has found, both basking in the warm sunlight
out on the Taylor Rd in Second North River. Brian was driving along and at the
last second noticed the snake in the road. Even though he was driving quite
slowly, he couldn't stop in time, but he did manage to go over the snake without
touching it. Lucky that the snake was not any longer than it was. Brian
stopped, got out, and took some photos, but the snake didn't seem to mind at
all. When Brian tried to move in for a close-up though, the snake became very
active and was gone in a flash.
On Wednesday, Brian was
driving along the same road and came across another garter snake, smaller and
younger, in the same position, soaking up the Sun's warmth a little further up
the road. This time, he recognized the snake in time to stop and get out to take some photos. As he was doing that, another car came up
behind him and so he picked up the snake to move it to the side of the
road for its safety, taking the opportunity to get some close-up photos and a
short video.
**On Wednesday, the extra
hot day, Brian Stone went out on the Taylor Rd in Second North River to look
for butterflies and whatever else might show up in the heat (31° C). He managed
to locate at least six specimens of bog elfin butterflies, plus one brown
elfin butterfly. He also found a tiny black-banded orange moth that
landed in the dusty dirt road, just like one of the small elfin butterflies,
and had Brian confused for a short time. A dreamy duskywing butterfly
and two different-looking northern azure butterflies were
photographed as well as two examples of wolf spiders that were
scurrying along on the road.
The only two birds Brian managed to photograph
were a chipping sparrow and a Nashville warbler.
**Brian Stone captured a
photo of a male northern harrier that was lost in yesterday’s issue. It
is attached today
**This Week’s Sky at a
Glance, 2026 May 23 – May 30
When Charley Pride sang “Snakes Crawl at Night” he wasn’t talking about the
constellations but he might as well have been. When twilight gives way to
darkness there are two snakes stretching nearly halfway across the sky. The
first is Hydra the female water snake, which is also the largest constellation.
It is so long it takes eight hours to rise completely. At 11 pm these evenings
it stretches along the horizon with its head in the west and its tail to the
south. In this position the snake takes only three hours to nestle underground
Almost as long but more U-shaped is Serpens, the only constellation that is in
two parts, separated by Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. The western half is
called Serpens Caput, the head of the snake, and the eastern half is the tail,
Serpens Cauda. Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, a son of Apollo, who learned the
healing arts by watching a snake bring another back to life. The Rod of
Asclepius, a snake entwined around a staff, is the symbol of medicine and
health.
If you like things in threes you can look at serpentine Draco as a snake
instead of a dragon. Its tail begins above the bowl of the Big Dipper, with the
body curling around the Little Dipper before arcing back toward the foot of
Hercules. If that doesn’t suit you then you can go Down Under to see Hydrus the
male water snake slithering around the south celestial pole.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:38 and sunset will occur at 8:54, giving
15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (5:46 and 8:56 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 5:32 and set at 9:01, giving 15 hours, 29 minutes of
daylight (5:40 and 9:03 in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Saturday, nearing Spica on Tuesday and near
Antares next Saturday. By midweek Venus sets around 11:30 followed by Jupiter
half an hour later. On Tuesday telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot
near the middle of the planet around 10 pm. Now in the evening sky Mercury sets
an hour after sunset this weekend, but that increases by five minutes each
night over the week. By 5 am midweek Saturn will be about 15 degrees above
the eastern horizon, twice as high as Mars to its lower left.
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.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
https://www.zoodemagnetichillzoo.ca/nest-cam
**Yvette Richard was able
to photograph both a blackpoll warbler
and a Canada warbler on Thursday. These are two warblers we don’t often
get photos of. The Canada warbler is often very secretive, and we only see the
blackpoll warbler in spring and fall as it migrates to the south of us in
winter and breeds to the north of us in summer.
**We are normally only
able to see trout lily in floodplain areas or in wet areas. Not the case
for Pat Gibbs, who has had a trout lily patch quite happy in her urban Moncton hosta
bed, which seems to grow bigger every year.
**Brian Stone has been
finding more garter snakes than usual on his recent outings, and that
has made him very happy. At least 4 in the last two weeks. He sends some photos
of the two most recent snakes he has found, both basking in the warm sunlight
out on the Taylor Rd. in Second North River. Brian was driving along and at the
last second noticed the snake in the road, but even though he was driving quite
slowly, he couldn't stop in time, but he did manage to go over the snake without
touching it. Lucky for the snake, it was not any longer than it was. Brian
stopped, got out, and took some photos, but the snake didn't seem to mind at
all. When Brian tried to move in for a close-up, though, the snake became very
active and was gone in a flash.
On Wednesday, Brian was
driving along the same road and came across another garter snake, smaller and
younger, in the same position, soaking up the Sun's warmth a little further up
the road. This time, he recognised the snake in plenty of time to get stopped
and get out to get some photos. As he was doing that, another car came up
behind him and so he picked up the snake to move it to the side of the
road for its safety, taking the opportunity to get some close-up pictures and a
short video.
**On Wednesday, the extra
hot day, Brian Stone went out on the Taylor Rd. in Second North River to look
for butterflies and whatever else might show up in the heat (31° C). He managed
to locate at least six specimens of bog elfin butterflies, plus one brown
elfin butterfly. He also found a tiny, black-banded orange moth that
landed in the dusty dirt road, just like one of the small elfin butterflies,
and had Brian confused for a short time. A dreamy duskywing butterfly
and two different-looking northern azure butterflies were
photographed, as well as two examples of wolf spiders that were
scurrying along on the road.
The only two birds Brian managed to photograph
were a chipping sparrow and a Nashville warbler.
**Brian Stone captured a
photo of a male northern harrier that was lost in yesterday’s issue. It
is attached today
**This Week’s Sky at a
Glance, 2026 May 23 – May 30
When Charley Pride sang “Snakes Crawl at Night” he wasn’t talking about the
constellations but he might as well have been. When twilight gives way to
darkness there are two snakes stretching nearly halfway across the sky. The
first is Hydra the female water snake, which is also the largest constellation.
It is so long it takes eight hours to rise completely. At 11 pm these evenings
it stretches along the horizon with its head in the west and its tail to the
south. In this position the snake takes only three hours to nestle underground
Almost as long but more U-shaped is Serpens, the only constellation that is in
two parts, separated by Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. The western half is
called Serpens Caput, the head of the snake, and the eastern half is the tail,
Serpens Cauda. Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, a son of Apollo, who learned the
healing arts by watching a snake bring another back to life. The Rod of
Asclepius, a snake entwined around a staff, is the symbol of medicine and
health.
If you like things in threes you can look at serpentine Draco as a snake
instead of a dragon. Its tail begins above the bowl of the Big Dipper, with the
body curling around the Little Dipper before arcing back toward the foot of
Hercules. If that doesn’t suit you then you can go Down Under to see Hydrus the
male water snake slithering around the south celestial pole.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:38 and sunset will occur at 8:54, giving
15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (5:46 and 8:56 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 5:32 and set at 9:01, giving 15 hours, 29 minutes of
daylight (5:40 and 9:03 in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Saturday, nearing Spica on Tuesday and near
Antares next Saturday. By midweek Venus sets around 11:30 followed by Jupiter
half an hour later. On Tuesday telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot
near the middle of the planet around 10 pm. Now in the evening sky Mercury sets
an hour after sunset this weekend, but that increases by five minutes each
night over the week. By 5 am midweek Saturn will be about 15 degrees above
the eastern horizon, twice as high as Mars to its lower left.
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.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
