Nature Moncton Nature News: April 17 2015

** Richard Blacquiere found an adult LITTLE BLUE HERON [Aigrette bleue] at Chance Harbour on Thursday and got a photo. It could well stay in the area for awhile as foraging opportunities should be good now that there's more open water at some of the bog sites there.

** Jules Cormier had a pleasant new sparrow arrival on Thursday morning with a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW [Bruant à couronne blanche] joining the 6 FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] he now has at his Memramcook feeder yard. He still has PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins] and COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flame] reduced in number. The White-crowned Sparrows, like the Fox Sparrows, are just stopping to refuel on their migration north of us to their breeding grounds. There certainly has been an abundance of Fox Sparrows reported at feeder yards this spring. Maybe the heavy snow cover is a factor.

** Dave Miller had two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS [Roitelet à couronne rubis] in his Salisbury yard on Thursday morning. He got a documentary photo of one. Also Dave saw 5 WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie]. Their condition looked quite good, considering the harsh winter.

** John Foster had a COMMON RAVEN [Grand Corbeau] come to his urban yard and take a EUROPEAN STARLING [Étourneau sansonnet] as prey on Thursday. He was not sure if the Starling was compromised or not; however, the Raven can be a very effective pseudo-raptor. John also has two FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve] in his feeder yard.

** Doreen Rossiter reports the first pair of TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] arrived to her Alma yard on Thursday to immediately check out nest boxes.

** It is surely a spring for FOX SPARROWS [Bruant fauve]. Yolande LeBlanc reports that she has never seen so many in one spot in her yard before where 16+ are descending on a relatively small site of ground-applied seed in her Memramcook yard. There is also a good showing of SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], a few WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS [Bruant à gorge blanche], and a decreased number of COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flame] and PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins] are still coming. Yolande comments the spring symphony of them all is very pleasant after the long winter.

** Anne Marsch had a pair of YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS [Pic macule] arrive to her Lower Coverdale yard on Thursday, commenting that they were being very vocal in announcing their arrival.

** Susan Atkinson still has 50 to 75 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boreal] eating remnants of apples on her yard crab-apple tree and on the snow under the tree. They are still devouring her homemade suet. Thursday's new batch had very overripe bananas, some apple juice, chopped peanuts and peanut butter mixed in the suet. It appears bananas mixed with suet and peanut butter is the way to go to attract this species.

** Brian Stone's FOX SPARROW [Bruant fauve] contingent jumped to three in his urban yard on Thursday. And his crocus plants flared fully to soak up the spring sunshine.

** Todd Boland has just released a book "Wildflowers of New Brunswick". Some notices of it are attached. I have not seen the book, but his other publications have great photography. Details are at the Nature Moncton blogger site.

There has been some great sky watching opportunities this past week.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April 17 – 25

Every evening Venus continues to stay put at nearly the same spot above the western twilight landscape, while Aldebaran and Pleiades slide farther down to the lower right behind it.

After dusk, look very high in the west (far to the upper left of Venus) for Pollux and Castor lined up almost horizontally. They're to the lower right of bright Jupiter. Pollux and Castor are the heads of the Gemini twins, now standing almost upright. They form the top of the enormous "Arch of Spring." The Arch's two ends are Procyon to their lower left and brighter Capella farther to their lower right.

On Saturday, April 18, the Moon will go into its New Phase meaning we will not see it at all during the night. Expect higher high tides and lower low tides.

On Sunday, April 19, Mercury and very faint Mars are near the hairline crescent Moon very low in the west-southwest in bright twilight. Use binoculars.

On Monday, April 20, in twilight, look for the sliver of the crescent Moon in the west. It pins the corner of a quadrilateral with Venus, Aldebaran, and the Pleiades, as shown here.

It's almost May, but the winter star Sirius still twinkles low in the southwest as twilight fades.

On Friday, April 24, the Moon tonight sits on (or near) one side of a big, almost equilateral triangle: bright Jupiter to the Moon's upper left, Pollux upper right of the Moon, and Procyon to the Moon's lower left.

On Saturday, April 25, the Moon will go into its First-quarter Phase meaning it will rise at noon and set at midnight.

On Saturday, April 18, the sun will rise at 6:26a.m. and will set at 8:10 p.m. giving 13 hours 43 minutes of daylight. On Saturday, April 25, the sun will rise at 6:14 a.m. and will set at 8:19 p.m. to give 14 hours 5 minutes of daylight hours. (These values are for Moncton, New Brunswick).

This Week's Planet Roundup

Mercury (about magnitude –1.4) is emerging from deep in the glow of sunset. About 20 or 30 minutes after sunset, look for it just above the horizon very far to the lower right of Venus. Mercury gets a little higher and easier every day. Mars, much fainter, is in the close vicinity.

Venus (magnitude –4.1) blazes in the west during and after twilight — the brilliant "Evening Star." It doesn't set in the west-northwest until nearly two hours after dark.

Mars (magnitude +1.4) is deep in the sunset near Mercury — which is more than 10 times brighter. Early this week, Mars is to Mercury's upper left. They appear closest together on April 21st and 22nd, separated by 1.6° or less, with Mars to Mercury's left. Bring binoculars!

Jupiter (magnitude –2.2) shines high in the south as the stars come out, and less high in the southwest after dark. It's the second-brightest point of light in the sky, after Venus.

Saturn (magnitude +0.2) rises around midnight and is highest in the south in the middle of the early-morning hours. Below or lower left of Saturn (by 9°) is orange Antares, not as bright.

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca