Nature Moncton Nature News: Feb 8 2016

** So far it has been a wonderful winter for the RING-NECKED PHEASANT [Faisan de Colchide]. Many observers who have explored the Tantramar Marsh are amazed at the number there. They are doing equally well elsewhere, with lots of feeder yard visits. Margaret Murray says that she has recently had 16 around her Scotch Settlement feeder yard, enjoying the food laid out especially for them. Surprisingly, the troop has only one male member.
** Vicki Daley had CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] visit her Amherst yard on Sunday. She could nicely note the their field marks, especially that yellow blush on the chest that Bohemian Waxwings do not show, and the lack of white flash across the wing, but with the white edge of the wing of the Cedar Waxwing. They came to a natural Christmas tree arrangement of WINTERBERRY HOLLY left out for Christmas.
Vicki also captured a nice photo of a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine rousse] at Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary on Feb. 3. Amherst Point is an awesome spot. I hope that more folks will send photos to remind us to visit this nearby location.

** AMERICAN CROWS [Corneille d'Amérique] are still gathering in night-roost locations. Louise Richard and Norm Mulock noted 400 to 500 at sunset in several trees around Jones Lake, then moving off, probably to join a larger contingent for roosting.

** Wendy Sullivan got some excellent photos of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] recently, from her Riverview yard, that beautifully show the field marks of cinnamon undertail coverts, white wing slash and gray underparts that separate it from Cedar Waxwings, that are also present in excellent numbers this winter.

Wendy also got a photo, from the Chocolate River Station, of an adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] surveying the Petitcodiac River.

** Dale Gaskin reports that the recent “heat wave” got the tree sap moving in his Dawson Settlement area, to the point that some sugar maples were being tapped. Dale also reports that he has seen lots of evidence of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS [Bec-croisé bifascié] feeding on spruce cone seeds, leaving the characteristic remnants of cones at the base of foraged trees.

** Marlene Hickman had a contingent of 30 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] to a flowering crabtree in her Dorchester yard on Thursday. Marlene also reports that she also had lots of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES [Chardonneret jaune] that day, as well as 3 adult male PURPLE FINCHES [Roselin pourpré] that joined 3 females or subadult males, which had arrived approximately a week earlier, and become regular patrons.

** Brian Stone was in the Caissie Cape area on Feb. 3 and got some great BARROW'S GOLDENEYE [Garrot d'Islande] photos, showing the distinctive field marks of both male and female. Note the complete orange bill of the female Barrow's now, the more sloping forehead profile of the COMMON GOLDENEYE [Garrot à oeil d’or], and the other nice field marks.

Brian also got COMMON EIDER [Eider à duvet], RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Harle huppé], and LONG-TAILED DUCK [Harelde kakawi].

** Bob Blake’s weather stats that he keeps at his Second North River home for January 2016, compared to 2015, are attached.

** Bob Blake maintains a record of daily morning low temperatures, daily highs, and monthly precipitation from his Second North River home. He compares January 2015 and January 2016 to show that January 2015 was a colder month overall than January 2016 with much less snow for January 2016 and a much warmer month than last year.

JANUARY 2015:

21 mornings -10 ° C and below, 5 mornings between -9° to 0 °C and 1 morning above 0° C with a low day temperature of -13° C and highest day temperature at 4 ° C. Precipitation was 103 cm snow, 12 mm rain

JANUARY 2016:

11 mornings -10 ° C and below, 16 mornings between -11° and 0 ° C and no mornings above 0° C with a low day of -10° C and highest day temperature of 7°C. Precipitation was 45 cm snow, 23 mm rain.

** Heads up for the annual Nature Moncton feeder tour scheduled for this coming Saturday. The weather could be very much in favour, after recent snowfalls, unless a lot also arrives on Saturday.

** It’s three days late but I’m going to attach this week’s sky at a glance, courtesy of Curt Nason, which was actually scheduled to go out on Feb. 6. Many folks would not have seen it when Curt posted it on naturenb listserv as many use the BlogSpot and the Membership List.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, February 6 – February 13
By the time I was ten I had been into astronomy for a year or two,
thanks in part to a fascination with mythology. That summer I suffered
through advertisements for the movie Jason and the Argonauts, knowing I
wouldn’t get to Saint John to see it and it likely wouldn’t get to the
Vogue theatre in McAdam for 20 years. Twenty years later the Vogue was
closed and I was living in Saint John, but I finally saw the movie after
buying the VHS tape. In winter I get to see some of the tale in the
constellations.

One of the 48 constellations in Ptolemy’s second century star chart was
Argo, the ship that carried the Argonauts to their adventures. The
constellation was large, too large for the astronomers who designated
the 88 constellations that now fill our sky, and they broke it up into
three: Carina the Keel, Vela the Sails, and Puppis the Poop Deck or
Stern. The first is below our southern horizon and just the tip of the
sails rises, but a good chunk of Puppis is seen on winter evenings. If
you can see stars just behind the tail of Orion’s big dog, Canis Major,
you are on deck.

Some of the Argonauts are also in the sky, particularly Hercules, who is
rising around midnight, and the Gemini twins Castor and Pollux. Also
present are the musician Orpheus, represented by his harp Lyra, and the
healer Asclepius who is depicted by Ophiuchus. The Golden Fleece, which
the Argonauts sought, is represented in the sky by Aries the Ram.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:36 am and sunset will occur at
5:31 pm, giving 9 hours, 55 minutes of daylight (7:39 am and 5:38 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:26 am and set at 5:42
pm, giving 10 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (7:29 am and 5:48 pm in
Saint John).

The new Moon occurs on Monday, leading to great lunar observing on
evenings late in the week. But, this Saturday morning it forms a close
triangle with Mercury and Venus. Mercury is at its greatest elongation
from the Sun on Sunday and remains within a binocular view of Venus all
week. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter stretch further westward along the
ecliptic, continuing the morning parade of planets. Jupiter rises around
8 pm this week.

There was a huge turnout for the snowshoe hike at Sheldon’s Point in
Saint John last month but it was too cloudy for stargazing afterward. To
make up for his, the Irving Nature Park and RASC NB are teaming up with
an evening of astronomy at the Sheldon’s Point barn (1379 Sand Cove
Road) on Friday, February 12 (cloud date February 13). We begin with a
presentation on winter constellations in the barn at 7:30 pm and follow
with telescope and binocular observing of the Moon, Jupiter and the
winter star clusters and nebulae. Bring a mug for free hot chocolate.

The William Brydone Jack Astronomy Club in Fredericton meets on Tuesday,
February 9 at 7pm in Room 203 of the UNB Forestry/Earth Sciences
Building. All are welcome.

Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton