NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 18, 2020 (Friday)
To respond by e-mail, please address
your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any
errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** John Inman at 225 Mary’s Point Road
in Harvey, Albert Co. has had a WHITE-WINGED DOVE arrive to his yard and has
been there a few days now. John got a nice photo despite the wind and an
equally interested Sharp-shined Hawk. This species is a long way from its
native home of the very southern US, Mexico, and farther south. It is an
uncommon visitor to NB.
** Roger Leblanc did some checking
around his Notre Dame property for mushrooms.
Up to recently, it was very slim picking. On Wednesday, he did a walkabout and things,
although not even close to what they’ve been in the past, were somewhat more
encouraging. No CHANTERELLES to talk
about, but he did find one LOBSTER MUSHROOM that he collected for the
table. He sends photos of a couple of
mushrooms he noted. He noted some
suspected boletes in good numbers. He
photographed the FLY AGARIC, which is not an edible, due to its unpredictable
and sometimes unpleasant hallucinogenic properties. They can be common on lawn and cultivated
areas, so take care with pets and children that could ingest them. They are not
at all lethal but results of ingestion could cause alarm. They come in red as
well as yellow and have the look of a candy-apple with dandruff! Also, Roger includes the BIRCH POLYPORE which
is non-toxic, but would be the eating texture of shoe leather. One group looks like HONEY MUSHROOMS which
are a favourite edible of many folk, and also the GEM-STUDDED PUFFBALL, which
is edible but very bland, sort of like marshmallows without the sugar. When getting to know an edible for the first
time, a spore print would be very helpful if a gilled mushroom. We only have a few deadly mushrooms, but the
fact that they’re out there dictates, “if in doubt, throw it out.”
** Aldo Dorio photographed a group of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS at the
Neguac wharf on Thursday joined by one Sanderling. We will not be seeing Semipalmated Sandpipers much longer.
** It’s Friday and time to review the
next week’s Sky-at-a-Glace, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2020 September 19 – September 26
Salamanders aren’t the most noticeable of critters; you usually have to make an
effort to find one. This is a good time to locate the obscure constellation of
Lacerta the Lizard, but it will take some effort and a dark sky.
Camouflaged partly by the Milky Way, Lacerta is surrounded by Cepheus,
Cassiopeia, Pegasus and Cygnus. A good pointer to it is the base of the Summer
Triangle. Running a line from bright Vega to Deneb at the tail of Cygnus and
extending it about the same distance puts you near the zigzag shape of the
lizard. It is one of those dim constellations created in the late 17th century
by Johannes Hevelius to fill in an “empty” section of the sky. At first he
named it Stellio; a stellion is a newt with star-like spots found near the
Mediterranean Sea. If you manage to catch Lacerta, give yourself a pat on the
back and let it go.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:02 am and sunset will occur at 7:21 pm,
giving 12 hours, 19 minutes of daylight (7:08 am and 7:26 pm in Saint
John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:11 am and set at 7:07 pm,
giving 11 hours, 56 minutes of daylight (7:16 am and 7:13 pm in Saint
John). The Sun crosses the equator, migrating southward for winter, at
10:31 am on Tuesday. Autumn is in the air.
The Moon is at first quarter on Wednesday, then sliding below Jupiter and
Saturn over the next two evenings. Telescope users might catch Jupiter’s stormy
Red Spot around 9 pm Sunday and 10:30 pm on Tuesday. Mars rises around 8:30 pm,
when Jupiter and Saturn are at their highest in the south. Mercury is very
close to Spica on Tuesday, setting 40 minutes after the Sun, but the shallow
angle of ecliptic makes them a difficult target in binoculars. Venus rises
around 3:30 am, perhaps seen amid the zodiacal light between 5:30 and 6 if you
have a clear dark sky.
With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold, you can watch the
local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube
at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. SEPT 17, 2020. ALDO DORIO
