NATURE
MONCTON’S INFORMATION LINE, August 21, 2015 (Friday)
** Roger LeBlanc visited the Riverview Marsh on Thursday afternoon, a very productive visit for shorebirds, seeing 300 to 400 shorebirds there and more muddy areas are appearing. He noted 8 shorebirds species; among those were Roger’s first PECTORAL SANDPIPER on the scene and approx. 35 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were also spotted. Roger is going to offer an impromptu field trip this weekend to anyone who wishes to join in. This will run between 8 am to 11 am on Saturday morning or Sunday morning. At this time the sun and tide would be right, however rain could affect the plan. A message will be sent out today or tomorrow to the membership – so keep an eye on your inbox for an impromptu, nearby, and potentially very interesting field trip.
** Another big day at the Johnson Mills Shorebird site on Thursday – Manager Kerry Lee Morris-Cormier estimated the number of 120,000 to be conservative at high tide in late afternoon.
John Filliter got some nice photos of a Great Blue Heron biding its day at Cape Brule on Thursday.
** There’s no doubt that fledgling birds when seen without a parent present can present identification challenges. A recent one that Anne Marsch got a photo of at the Riverview Marsh provided that confusion. Several of us have given opinions and it has gone from Nelson’s Sparrow to Savannah Sparrow and now Jim Edsell points out a feature that may clench it ! Jim points out the red scapular feathers that show nicely in Anne’s photo are only seen in the SWAMP SPARROW, not in either the Nelson’s or the Savannah Sparrow. With Jim’s attention to detail in carving, we feel we are safe now to close this detective case with a diagnosis of SWAMP SPARROW FLEDGLING. That photo is added today with an arrow inserted to action central.
** This week’s Guide to the Planets courtesy of Kurt Nason is added to this transcription.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 22 –August 29
You might expect a constellation that depicts a king to be conspicuous but Cepheus, although fairly large, can be difficult to pick out. Around 10 pm, look for a group of five moderately bright stars in the shape of a house on its side, situated above the W-shape of Cassiopeia the Queen. The peak of the house is only about a fist-width to the right of Polaris, the North Star, and the constellation lies just below a line from Polaris to Deneb at the tail of Cygnus the Swan. A wonderfully colourful star can be seen in binoculars or a spotting scope just below (or to the right of in the evening) the base of the house. Herschel’s Garnet Star, a red supergiant, is one of the most luminous stars known and it is a thousand times wider than the Sun. If placed in the middle of our solar system it would stretch beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
In mythology, Cepheus and Cassiopeia were the rulers of Ethiopia. Poseidon had made a ferocious sea monster to ravage the land as punishment for Cassiopeia’s boasts of their daughter Andromeda’s beauty. To get rid of the monster, they chained Andromeda to the rocks at the seashore as a sacrifice to the monster. Don’t worry, for she was rescued by our meteoric hero Perseus who rises below Cassiopeia in the northeast.
If you enjoy looking under rocks for salamanders, try your luck in the sky after you have located Cepheus. From a rural area, look for a zigzag of stars to southeast of Cepheus, along the edge of the Milky Way. This is Lacerta the Lizard, one of several inconspicuous constellations created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century to fill in gaps in the sky. He originally named it Stellio after a Mediterranean newt with star-like spots
You might expect a constellation that depicts a king to be conspicuous but Cepheus, although fairly large, can be difficult to pick out. Around 10 pm, look for a group of five moderately bright stars in the shape of a house on its side, situated above the W-shape of Cassiopeia the Queen. The peak of the house is only about a fist-width to the right of Polaris, the North Star, and the constellation lies just below a line from Polaris to Deneb at the tail of Cygnus the Swan. A wonderfully colourful star can be seen in binoculars or a spotting scope just below (or to the right of in the evening) the base of the house. Herschel’s Garnet Star, a red supergiant, is one of the most luminous stars known and it is a thousand times wider than the Sun. If placed in the middle of our solar system it would stretch beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
In mythology, Cepheus and Cassiopeia were the rulers of Ethiopia. Poseidon had made a ferocious sea monster to ravage the land as punishment for Cassiopeia’s boasts of their daughter Andromeda’s beauty. To get rid of the monster, they chained Andromeda to the rocks at the seashore as a sacrifice to the monster. Don’t worry, for she was rescued by our meteoric hero Perseus who rises below Cassiopeia in the northeast.
If you enjoy looking under rocks for salamanders, try your luck in the sky after you have located Cepheus. From a rural area, look for a zigzag of stars to southeast of Cepheus, along the edge of the Milky Way. This is Lacerta the Lizard, one of several inconspicuous constellations created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century to fill in gaps in the sky. He originally named it Stellio after a Mediterranean newt with star-like spots
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This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:27 am and sunset will occur at 8:16 pm, giving 13 hours, 49 minutes of daylight (6:33 am and 8:20 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:36 am and set at 8:04 pm, giving 13 hours, 28 minutes of daylight (6:42 am and 8:08 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Saturday, August 22, yielding great views in a spotting scope during the weekend.
Mercury may be seen with binoculars a few degrees above the western horizon a half hour after sunset.
Venus rises about an hour before the Sun in the morning sky.
Mars rises nearly two hours before the Sun and will look like a reddish star a fist-width above Venus this weekend.
Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun on August 26 and won’t be visible until mid-September.
Saturn is in the southwest at dark and sets before midnight this week. Its rings are at their best viewing in a decade so give them a try with your spotting scope, and look for its brightest moon Titan nearby.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:27 am and sunset will occur at 8:16 pm, giving 13 hours, 49 minutes of daylight (6:33 am and 8:20 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:36 am and set at 8:04 pm, giving 13 hours, 28 minutes of daylight (6:42 am and 8:08 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Saturday, August 22, yielding great views in a spotting scope during the weekend.
Mercury may be seen with binoculars a few degrees above the western horizon a half hour after sunset.
Venus rises about an hour before the Sun in the morning sky.
Mars rises nearly two hours before the Sun and will look like a reddish star a fist-width above Venus this weekend.
Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun on August 26 and won’t be visible until mid-September.
Saturn is in the southwest at dark and sets before midnight this week. Its rings are at their best viewing in a decade so give them a try with your spotting scope, and look for its brightest moon Titan nearby.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
GREAT BLUE HERON.AUG 20, 2015..JOHN FILLITER
GREAT BLUE HERON.AUG 20, 2015..JOHN FILLITER
SWAMP SPARROW (FLEDGLING) AUG.15,2015.. ANNE MARSCH
