Events
January Monthly Meeting Presentation
Tracks and scat
January 21, 2025, 7:00 PM
Mapleton Rotary Lodge
Presenter: Caitlyn Robert
Once January has arrived, the onset of snow will give us great opportunity to check out what wildlife signs are left behind in the form of those telltale tracks and scat that cause us to speculate on who’s been there and whodunit.
Caitlyn Robert, Program Coordinator for Nature NB, has many tips to share which will help us learn more about how to read these cryptic wildlife clues. In addition, Caitlyn is skilled at skull identification and will bring lots of examples to illustrate what ID features to look for when we come across skulls in the wild.
Originally from Quebec, Caitlyn has always been fascinated by wildlife. Having studied Environmental Biology at McGill, she has worked as a butterfly garden guide in Costa Rica and Ontario, as a swallow bander and shorebird mist netter for the Canadian Wildlife Service in NB, and as a wild bird rehabber and raptor educator at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Eager to return to Canada and eyeing living in New Brunswick since her summer with the CWS, she jumped on the chance to work with Nature NB where she can use her expertise and passion for the environment to get folks of all ages outside and excited about nature!
Caitlyn will be giving this presentation live, but anyone anywhere is invited to join in via Zoom. All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
February Monthly Meeting Presentation
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 7 PM
Mapleton Park Rotary Lodge
Presenter: Jim Wilson
This presentation will provide a retrospective look at the many changes in New Brunswick bird populations since Jim began birding and keeping a regular journal about New Brunswick birds and nature in 1963. At least one bird species has been extirpated in the province and many other populations have declined. Some have declined but later rebounded to their former numbers, others have expanded their breeding ranges into the province and one entirely new bird has been recognized by scientists. This presentation will provide some insight into the why and how these shifts happened and what we might expect next.
Jim Wilson, who many of us have met in the field, has been an active naturalist and birder throughout most of his life. He has contributed to the natural world in numerous ways including serving on the board for Nature NB and establishing the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, an important spot for recording seabird migration along the Fundy coast. Jim was awarded the Roland Michener Conservation Award from the Canadian Wildlife Federation in 2018, and he received the Order of New Brunswick in 2019.
Come join us for what will be an enlightening and entertaining evening. This will be an in-person presentation at the lodge, but anyone can join via Zoom at the link below.
As always, everyone is welcome, Nature Moncton member or not. A not-to-miss presentation!
Upcoming Events and Presentations
Other Activities
Monthly Meeting Presentations
Guest presenters provide interesting and informative presentations about a variety of nature topics. Meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from September to June. Meetings take place at the Mapleton Rotary Lodge at 7 pm.
Field Trips
When possible, field trips are organized on a monthly basis, are often located within 1 hour’s drive from Moncton, and are often scheduled on a Saturday.
Workshops
Workshops have been on a hiatus since before the pandemic. The Activities committee is working to resume this type of event in the near future.
Wednesday Night Walks
Wednesday Night Walks take place on Wednesday evenings during the summer months. The walks tend to be at a leisurely pace, as we take time to explore whatever interesting life there is to see. This year, we plan to visit paths and trails such as Mill Creek Nature Park, Salisbury Highland Park, the Ducks Unlimited impoundment (Upper Coverdale), Sackville Water Retention Ponds, Mapleton Park, and other locations soon to be confirmed. More precise meeting instructions and further details about trail conditions will be published closer to the event. Should we be rained out, we have a Plan B: a movie night, on Zoom!
Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. Nature Moncton has been leading the Christmas Bird Count for the Moncton area since 1960!