** Louise Nichols visited her Ann's Acres Shorebird monitoring area on
Thursday. There were fewer shorebirds than she expected for early September;
however, one reason may have been a visit from a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon
pelerine] juvenile, a species Louise had not seen at this site before. Louise
got a nice flight photo of the falcon. It was chasing some COMMON TERNS [Sterne
pierregarin]. There were six shorebird species noted, mostly SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS [Pluvier semipalmé] and a few SANDERLINGS [Bécasseau sanderling].
Louise was pleased when a duo of CASPIAN TERNS [Sterne caspienne] flew in, a
juvenile and an adult. She was able to get a distant photo. A third surprise
was a SEAL [Phoque] she spotted in the water, just where the waves were
breaking, but she could not get good observations of it.
** I made a quick re-visit to the ponds visited on Wednesday to re-check on
PECTORAL SANDPIPER [Bécasseau à poitrine cendrée]. A juvenile was found and
some documentary photos are attached; unfortunately the camera was on the wrong
setting and I did not find that out until I got back home, so the photos appear
washed out, but are documentary.
** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is attached to this transcription courtesy
of Curt Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September 5 – September
12
The signs of autumn appear in the sky before they become readily apparent terrestrially. As darkness settles the great mama bear, Ursa Major, scampers across the northern horizon in search of food and lodging for winter. If you live in a rural area with an excellent view to the north you might even catch a glimpse of Lynx running ahead of the bear, and consider yourself fortunate if you do. The thicker layer of atmosphere at low altitudes reduces the brightness of starlight, a phenomenon called extinction. The lynx may become extinct for a few hours.
The bowl of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) is upside down in early evening, pouring out its contents to fill the Big Dipper below, at the rear of Ursa Major. This scenario is at odds with Greek mythology, for the bears were cursed to eternal thirst by the goddess Hera in revenge for an indiscretion of her husband, Zeus. She placed the bears in a position where they never reach the horizon for a drink. Perhaps Zeus placed dippers of water inside the bears so that they could share water and survive. Someone has to make these stories up.
To the east Pegasus is already quite high after twilight, with its signature square asterism tilted as a diamond for the imminent baseball pennant stretch. Perseus stands above the northeast horizon below his in-laws, W-shaped Cassiopeia and house-shaped Cepheus, while their daughter Andromeda leads him toward the flying horse. There is much to see in this area with binoculars, but start with the Double Cluster of stars between Perseus and Cassiopeia.
This autumn preview is not a fleeting glimpse. The eastward progression of constellations from evening to evening is compensated by earlier sunsets, such that they emerge from twilight in the same part of the sky for many weeks. Autumn is a great time for stargazing.
The signs of autumn appear in the sky before they become readily apparent terrestrially. As darkness settles the great mama bear, Ursa Major, scampers across the northern horizon in search of food and lodging for winter. If you live in a rural area with an excellent view to the north you might even catch a glimpse of Lynx running ahead of the bear, and consider yourself fortunate if you do. The thicker layer of atmosphere at low altitudes reduces the brightness of starlight, a phenomenon called extinction. The lynx may become extinct for a few hours.
The bowl of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) is upside down in early evening, pouring out its contents to fill the Big Dipper below, at the rear of Ursa Major. This scenario is at odds with Greek mythology, for the bears were cursed to eternal thirst by the goddess Hera in revenge for an indiscretion of her husband, Zeus. She placed the bears in a position where they never reach the horizon for a drink. Perhaps Zeus placed dippers of water inside the bears so that they could share water and survive. Someone has to make these stories up.
To the east Pegasus is already quite high after twilight, with its signature square asterism tilted as a diamond for the imminent baseball pennant stretch. Perseus stands above the northeast horizon below his in-laws, W-shaped Cassiopeia and house-shaped Cepheus, while their daughter Andromeda leads him toward the flying horse. There is much to see in this area with binoculars, but start with the Double Cluster of stars between Perseus and Cassiopeia.
This autumn preview is not a fleeting glimpse. The eastward progression of constellations from evening to evening is compensated by earlier sunsets, such that they emerge from twilight in the same part of the sky for many weeks. Autumn is a great time for stargazing.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:44 am and sunset will occur at 7:51 pm, giving 13 hours, 7 minutes of daylight (6:50 am and 7:55 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:53 am and set at 7:37 pm, giving 12 hours, 44 minutes of daylight (6:59 am and 7:41 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter Saturday, September 5, and new Moon occurs next Saturday. If you happen to be in southern Africa or in Antarctica next weekend you could see a partial solar eclipse.
Mercury sets a half hour after sunset late in the week and will be difficult to see even with binoculars.
Brilliant Venus and reddish Mars rise around 4:30 midweek, with Venus sliding a little higher to the right each morning. On Thursday the crescent Moon will pass between them, a sight worth rising early to see.
Jupiter rises about an hour before Sun by midweek. See if you can spot a very slender Moon a binocular width below Jupiter next Saturday.
Saturn is in the southwest at sunset and sets a few hours later, so its best observing will be near the end of twilight.
Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
CASPIAN TERNS (JUVENILE AND ADULT). LOUISE NICHOLS. SEPT. 3, 2015
HOODED MERGANSER (JUV. FEMALE). LOUISE NICHOLS. SEPT. 3, 2015
PECTORAL SANDPIPER (JUVENILE).SEPT 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (4)
PECTORAL SANDPIPER (JUVENILE).SEPT 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (4)
PEREGRINE FALCON. LOUISE NICHOLS. SEPT. 3, 2015
