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
Reserve tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 20, for the October Nature Moncton meeting.
It’s going to be a good one! The write-up is below:
**Date: October 20,
2026 at 7:00 PM
Location:
Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park
Presenter:
Roland Chiasson
Is that a
Crow or a Raven?”
How many
times have you seen a crow or a raven and wondered what it is? Just how closely related are they? Do they share the same social habits? Do they eat similar foods? Do they mate for life? Do crows have
funerals?
Roland
Chiasson has done extensive research on these amazing ‘common’ species we tend
to pass by, instead focusing on the less commonly seen ones. That will not
happen after hearing this presentation!
Roland is a
biology graduate of Acadia University. He has worked as an interpreter at several
national parks, started the piping plover conservation program, and now runs
his own environmental consulting service.
Bring your
own stories about crows and ravens and join Roland for an entertaining evening
about our complicated corvids!
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**Marbeth Wilson shares some photographs of recent observations.
While in Upper Cape on October 13, she spotted
what she thought was a red fox or coyote, but something about the animal was
very different.
We suspect the animal is a
red fox that would appear to have sarcoptic mange. Usually with this infection, the pelage
appears in a more serious condition, so we wonder if this animal is in the
earlier stages of it. Any comments would be appreciated.
While she was there, Marbeth
was able to get nice photographs of a female American redstart, a black-throated
green warbler, and an orange-crowned warbler.
(Editor’s note: It is nice
to see the photo of the orange-crowned warbler. This warbler tends to breed to
the north of us, so we usually only see it migrating in spring and fall.)
Marbeth also sends photos
of a young-of-the-year great blue heron and a pair of greater yellowlegs
seen on the Saturday Nature Moncton outing.
**Louise Nichols visited the Port Elgin lagoon on Friday morning. She counted 18 bufflehead ducks and over 30 scaup, seemingly a mix of lesser and greater scaup. This lagoon is good for bufflehead, and you can often see large numbers there in spring and fall. Unfortunately, the ducks were all at the very far end of the lagoon, making photos not really worthwhile.
She also stopped in Baie
Verte and walked the NB trail near the Baie Verte park. She spotted a female
Surf Scoter on one of the ponds. Some greater yellowlegs were feeding
in the mud along with mallard ducks and American black ducks. A couple of great
blue herons were present with one juvenile heron fishing.
In addition, Louise includes a couple of photos she captured of a female northern harrier that passed
close above her at the Fundy Winds Marsh off Eddy Rd. near Amherst.
**Jane LeBlanc was wandering
through her garden on Sunday and scared up a monarch butterfly. She
couldn't say whether it was one she recently released, but it seemed to be
enjoying what was left of the garden after a hard frost Saturday night.
**Brian Stone sends a few
more photos from the Nature Moncton outing to Highland Park on Saturday. Large
groups of American crows and Canada geese flew overhead, and in the ponds several female hooded mergansers, green-winged teal ducks, and a lone female bufflehead duck offered themselves for photos. A group of 3 green-winged teals were
doing their best to hide from the camera but only "ended
up" embarrassing themselves.
Back at home, Brian got a
couple of yard photos, including American robins starting to forage on
the berries of a mountain ash tree in the yard, a male ring-necked pheasant
at the far side of the double lot, and a western conifer seed bug that
decided to visit Brian inside the house.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
