Events
Join us for a monthly meeting, a field trip, and more!
PELAGIC SEABIRD TOUR FROM GRAND MANAN
DATE: Saturday, August 15, 2026
MEETING PLACE AND TIME: Be on the Day’s Catch by 9:45 AM, Wharf at Seal Cove, with Seawatch Tours. The group will be on the water from about 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
GUIDE: Jim Wilson, an experienced birder from the Saint John Naturalist Club who regularly guides pelagic trips.
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a pelagic tour is a boat-based outing focused on seeing seabirds and other marine wildlife out on the open water. These trips can be incredibly rewarding, offering close views of species that are rarely seen from shore.
Participants will be responsible for booking the ferry from Blacks Harbour to get to Grand Manan, and the ferry back. There is an early morning ferry leaving at 7:30 AM, but many may want to travel to the island the day before. Please see the ferry schedule at the following link, and be sure to book early:
Coastal Transport Limited
Cost details:
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$25 registration fee paid to Nature Moncton
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Approx. $135 per person, paid directly to the boat captain while on board
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Additional personal expenses (ferry, gas, food, and/or accommodation, if needed)
Participants must be 12 years of age or older and those ages 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
How to Confirm Your Spot
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To officially reserve your place, please complete both of the following steps 1. Email Cynthia to register for the tour outandabout4nm@gmail.com
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Send your $25 per person registration fee by e-transfer to: 📧 naturemonctontreasurer2020@gmail.com (Please include your name and “Pelagic Tour” in the message field.)
All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not.
Wednesday Night Walk
Date: Wednesday, July 29th 2026, at 6:30 PM
Where: Humphrey Brook Trail
Meeting Place: Harrisville Boulevard entrance. There isn’t a parking lot. Please park on the widened gravel shoulder.
Leader: Jessica Belanger-Mainville
We will be walking the first 2 kms of the Humphrey Brook Trail as the rest of the trail is closed for the season for trail maintenance. This walk will be easy on a wide well-maintained gravel trail.
We will first walk by a man-made lake where waterfowl can be seen. The rest of the trail will be mostly wooded with plenty of birds and plants to observe. Because this trail runs beside a brook, there will be mosquitoes. Bug spray and protective clothing are highly recommended!
All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not. If you are a member, don’t forget to wear your name tag!
Directions:
· Via the eastbound Trans-Canada Highway, take Exit 462 at the Caledonia Industrial Park. Turn right at the stop sign onto Harrisville Blvd and drive 0.6 km. The trail head entrance is on the right.
· Via the westbound Trans-Canada Highway, take Exit 462 at the Caledonia Industrial Park. Turn left at the stop sign onto Harrisville Blvd. Drive 0.8 km to the trail entrance on the right.
· Via Shediac Rd., drive 1.1 kms east from Stirling’s Farm Market and turn left at the traffic lights onto Harrisville Blvd. Drive 0.7 km to the trail entrance which is on the left. You can park on either side of the road.
Wednesday Night Walk
Date: August 5, 2026, at 6:30 PM
Where: Ward Marsh, Sackville
Meeting Place: At the corner of Rte 940 (Main St) and White Birch Rd. Take exit 504 off the Trans Canada, Sackville. Turn left off the ramp on to Main St (Rte 940). Follow this road about 6 km and turn left on White Birch Rd. The sign for White Birch is not very visible until you are on it, but it is about 1 km after you pass Forks Rd on your right.
After we all gather on White Birch Rd (at the corner of Rte 940), we will drive in together on a mostly gravel road for about 1 ½ km to where our walk will begin.
Leader: Louise Nichols
Ward Marsh is an extensive area of wetlands managed by Ducks Unlimited, surrounded by treed areas and bogs. We will travel through the area on a berm that is flat with gravel and grassy plants. The berm passes by several water impoundments and marsh/bog habitat. We may see waterfowl as well as songbirds, possibly shorebirds by this date, some marsh and bog plants and various insects.
The walk is easy with some longer grasses in sections. Bug spray and long pants are recommended. All are welcome, Nature Moncton members or not. Wear your name tag if you have one.
October Meeting Presentation
Is that a Raven or a Crow?
Date: October 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location: Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park
Presenter: Roland Chiasson
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 that we tend to pass by, looking instead for the more uncommonly seen species. That will not happen after hearing this presentation!
Roland is a graduate from Acadia University in wildlife biology, and he has a Master’s in wildlife conservation via environmental education. He has worked as an interpreter at most of the Atlantic national parks, initiated the piping plover conservation program on the Acadian peninsula with his spouse Sabine, and now operates an environmental coop consulting service, the Aster Group.
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.
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!