Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Monday, 12 October 2026

October 13 2026





 

Nature Moncton Nature News

 

Clicking a photo enlarges it for closer viewing. Please note that clicking on any photo enlarges it full screen and then clicking on the black area on either side of the photo brings one right back to the main page.

 

 

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

 

**John Inman reports that over the last week a number of flocks of pine siskins were going through; one flock had over 50.

On the same day as last year, the red-tailed hawk returned for its Thanksgiving dinner, which it took and enjoyed. John is surprised it's back since it first visited for meat handouts in February 2009, meaning it's getting up in years assuming it's the same hawk. John feels quite confident that it is, based on its behavior and plumage over the years.

(Editor’s note: The literature suggests that the red-tailed hawk usually lives 10-20 years in the wild once it reaches adulthood but can live 29-30 years in captivity.)

 

 


RED-TAILED HAWK. OCT 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN


RED-TAILED HAWK. OCT 12, 2026. JOHN INMAN



Top of FormBottom of Formnelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

 

 

  

October 12 2026

 

Nature Moncton Nature News

 

Clicking a photo enlarges it for closer viewing. Please note that clicking on any photo enlarges it full screen and then clicking on the black area on either side of the photo brings one right back to the main page.

 

 

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

 

**On Saturday, October 11, Brian Coyle spent a cool fall morning hiking out to his trail cameras. When he got back home to review the SD cards, he was delighted to see three river otters wrestling and playing, as only river otters do. This went on for nearly a half hour, resulting in many videos, some of which include their vocalizations.

 Brian was astonished when he saw the next series of videos, showing a bobcat stalking the river otters and then attempting to attack them. The bobcat tries again and again, even entering the water. At one point, one of the otters actually left the beaver pond to approach the bobcat. The bobcat appears unsuccessful in its attempt at a meal. Brian surmises that this may have been a young bobcat that didn't quite know how to handle such a feisty, agile potential prey.

(Editor’s note: These are short but very interesting videos. The vocalizations heard are those of the river otter, which they often use, if you're lucky enough to be able to watch them. The literature says each of their four vocalizations means something special if you happen to be a river otter.)

 

Because they are short videos, video link editor Brian Stone combined some that went well together. So six videos are combined to make three videos. The first two go together, the next two go together, and the last two go together. There is a slight lag after clicking on the links. The videos surely show what goes on in the depths of the night that we never see.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r1joz0c5b2usdzki9nky8/OTTERS-AND-BOBCAT.-OCT.-10-2026.-BRIAN-COYLE-1-and-2.mp4?rlkey=sp17mslpxhrg4q9i3azvu5j4q&st=19xc5alr&dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yvv6x91wwn09mzdodpwoj/OTTERS-AND-BOBCAT.-OCT.-10-2026.-BRIAN-COYLE-3-and-4.mp4?rlkey=txde1j14jbcbzzn3czm088i1o&st=5y1g12w7&dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1j84enwr9nz5jejarlllu/OTTERS-AND-BOBCAT.-OCT.-10-2026.-BRIAN-COYLE-5-and-6.mp4?rlkey=0i7ixx9eovh1qahp1ubgyp27n&st=f1l20wjl&dl=0

 

 

**David Cannon captured a photo of a gallium sphinx caterpillar, the larval stage of the beautiful bedstraw hawk-moth, on Saturday, October 10th, at the Maplewood Golf Course in Irishtown. 

These caterpillars are really on the move right now, seeking out winter hibernation sites to pupate. They vary somewhat in appearance, but the red ‘horn’ is a clue.

 


GALLIUM SPHINX MOTH CATERPILLAR.  OCTOBER 10, 2026. DAVID CANNON

 

**Jane LeBlanc got a chance to go whale watching from St. Andrews for work again, and she sends some photos. They saw gray seals, harbour porpoise, and a humpback whale named "Super Nova".

When she arrived home, Jane found an eastern phoebe in her yard.

 


HARBOUR PORPOISE. OCT. 11, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


GRAY SEAL. OCT. 11, 2026. JANE LEBLANC




HUMPBACK WHALE "SUPER NOVA" .OCT. 11, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


EASTERN PHOEBE. OCT. 11, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


**Fred and Susan Richards have been amazed by the action on their annual flower bed this late in the season.  By Thanksgiving, they usually have had a frost, so no flowers.  Sue spotted a moth around 5:30 on Sunday.  The photo is  blurry because of the low light and the fact that the moth was vibrating a lot, potentially trying to stay warm.

(Editor’s note: Fred’s comment about the annual flowers still blooming and being visited by moths and butterflies may suggest the reality of a warming climate.)

 


MOTH TO STILL-BLOOMING ANNUAL PLANTS. OCT 11, 2026. FRED RICHARDS

**The abundant crop of mountain ash berries must be reaching the stage to attract fruit-connoisseur birds.

Bob Blake comments that their heavily laden mountain ash berry shrubs are now attracting hordes of American robins.

 

 nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

 

 

  

Sunday, 11 October 2026

October 11 2026

 

 

Nature Moncton Nature News

 

Clicking a photo enlarges it for closer viewing. Please note that clicking on any photo enlarges it full screen and then clicking on the black area on either side of the photo brings one right back to the main page.

 

 

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

 

**After a month-long hiatus, the peregrine falcons were back atop the Assumption building logo.  First the male showed up, and the female followed a few days later. Georges Brun was able to get a few photographs with an injured camera.


PEREGRINE FALCONS.  OCT. 10, 2026.  GEORGES BRUN


In the Riverview Marsh, Georges photographed an adult female northern harrier and her juvenile while they were hunting and practicing their acrobatic flight.  They, along with a male northern harrier partner, have been in the area all summer and fall.



NORTHERN HARRIERS. OCT. 10, 2026.  GEORGES BRUN


Although the tidal bores are currently ranked 2 out of 4, they appeared to be 5 feet high in some areas of the Petitcodiac River. Georges Brun was able to get nice documentary photos, despite his camera in need of medical attention! 

 


TIDAL BORE.  OCT. 10, 2026.  GEORGES BRUN


TIDAL BORE.  OCT. 10, 2026.  GEORGES BRUN


TIDAL BORE.  OCT. 10, 2026.  GEORGES BRUN

 

**A few days ago, we wondered whether monarch butterflies had ceased activity, except in warm places like St. Martins.

Not the case, as Yolande LeBlanc in Memramcook also saw a monarch chrysalis last week, and on Friday, the emerged adult was flying around the flower beds. Yolande comments, “Hope it aligned southwest.”

 

**Jane LeBlanc had hatchling number 18 on Saturday...another female monarch butterfly.

Jane comments, “I just saw on the weather network that, because of climate change, the window for butterflies to migrate is longer in the fall than 10-20 years ago.")

 

 


MONARCH BUTTERFLY (FRESH ADULT). OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

**Jane LeBlanc was enjoying a rare day off in her St. Martins yard and found both a common grackle and a white-throated sparrow spending the day. She also found an autumn meadowhawk dragonfly and a bee species, as well as a wasp mimic hoverfly enjoying her late flowers.

 


WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


HOVER FLY. OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


COMMON GRACKLE. OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


BEE ON MEXICAN SUNFLOWER. OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC


AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK DRAGONFLY. OCT. 10, 2026. JANE LEBLANC

**Brian Stone shares a few more recent photos that finally managed to get processed on Saturday. A lake darner dragonfly and a suspected female lance-tipped Darner dragonfly were possibly his last good dragonfly photos of the season. Both were found for him by his sister Carol Shea, as well as a small, dark, spiky caterpillar that was about 2 cm in length. Not much to offer, but photo outings have been scarce over the last few days.

(The caterpillar is suspected to be the larva of the saltmarsh tiger moth, which is not necessarily found on salt marshes. The caterpillars vary considerably in colour from yellow to black.)

 


LAKE DARNER. OCT. 10, 2026. BRIAN STONE 


LANCE-TIPPED DARNER (FEMALE SUSPECTED). OCT. 10, 2026. BRIAN STONE




SALT MARSH MOTH CATERPILLAR (SUSPECTED). OCT. 10, 2026. BRIAN STONE 



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Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

 

 

 

 

Saturday, 10 October 2026

October 10 2026

 

Nature Moncton Nature News

 

Clicking a photo enlarges it for closer viewing. Please note that clicking on any photo enlarges it full screen and then clicking on the black area on either side of the photo brings one right back to the main page.

 

 

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

 

**We have only a few photographs and reports to share today. Is everyone out chasing turkeys or cooking pumpkin pies?? Please submit your observations and photos at this beautiful time of year.

 

 

** Sue and Fred Richards were out enjoying a beautiful afternoon around their annual flower bed, which is still blooming abundantly as is typical of an annual plant garden.  There was an abundance of their own domestic honey bees as well as many wild bees when a prime, fresh, colourful painted lady butterfly made a visit and was kind enough to stay still long enough for a photo.  



PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY. OCT 9, 2026. FRED RICHARDS


PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY. OCT 9, 2026. FRED RICHARDS


 

**Nelson Poirier photographed a netted stinkhorn mushroom on one of the Mill Creek Nature Trail trails in Riverview on Friday.

This mushroom starts off looking like an egg on the ground at first and bursts into the mature mushroom shown in the photograph. Normally, at this stage, the net-like structure is covered with a foul-smelling mass of spores, but Thursday's rainfall washed it off, and it had no smell.

Fred Richards came across one in the egg stage a few weeks ago.

 


NETTED STINKHORN MUSHROOM. OCT 9, 2026. NELSON POIRIER

 

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Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton