NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 25, 2017 (Friday)
Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or
photo labeling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com
For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
To respond by e-mail, please address
your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.
** Roger Leblanc has been monitoring
the Riverview Marsh in preparation for tomorrow’s (Saturday) Nature Moncton
field trip there. On Thursday, he found
the WILSON'S PHALAROPE [Phalarope de Wilson] still there with approximately 400
shorebirds of various species which suddenly all lifted as a result of a
suspected raptor, but it was a bit of a surprise when the gulls reappeared to
have two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun] with them, one adult and one
immature. The write-up for the field
trip is added below and a cell phone contact if needed by anyone on Saturday is
866-2752.
HERE COME THE SHOREBIRDS
Workshop and Field Trip with Roger Leblanc
Saturday August 26, 2017
Even
though we’re smack in the middle of a beautiful summer, autumn bird migration has
already started. No, not so much those confusing autumn warblers or hard to
differentiate flycatchers yet, but shorebirds, which can also be a challenge to
identify.
Well
once again Nature Moncton is coming to the rescue. On Saturday August 26th
we will be offering a practical workshop on shorebirds followed by a field
trip. Our own Roger Leblanc will lead
this workshop/outing and will share with us the tricks of the trade that he has
honed over several decades for putting names on most of these shorebirds of
autumn. So if you have been hoping to
find something to do bird-wise to bridge the extravaganza of spring birding and
the allure of autumn rarities, this is your chance. Don’t miss it!!
Saturday
August 26th
Workshop
from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at the Sobeys Community Room, 1160 Findlay Dr, Riverview
Field
trip to Riverview Marsh (and/or possibly Petit-Cap) will follow and will likely
go into the afternoon, so bring a sandwich and some snacks.
Registration
with Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca, or phone Louise at 939-5054.
Cost
of workshop is $8 payable at the door.
All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**
Bring binoculars (and a scope if you have one) and bring footwear that will
enable you to walk on a beach in case we head that way.
** We have received a very
informative response from Stephen Hecnar on the blue-coloured GREEN FROG [Grenouille verte]. The term for them is xanthic and Stephen has
given permission to quote his response which is very interesting. So keep an eye out for xanthic Green Frogs
and report them. Stephen Hecnar’s
response and the contents of a Word document are copied and posted below. The two have some of the same information,
but all very interesting, and thanks to Hilary Reeves for sending the photos to
trigger the investigation.
“Hello Nelson:
Thanks for sending the two photos
taken by Hilary Reeves. These are of interest. I am leading a group
of herpetologists to document the occurrence of axanthic (blue-coloured) Green
Frogs. This is a rare trait that has been poorly documented in the past
but one of interest because any colour or pattern that makes a frog stand out
would likely increase the attention of predators. We hope to better document
and analyze the pattern of distribution across the range of the green
frog. We have about 140 locations now documented and photos for many of
the individuals that we use to record extent and location of the blue
colouration. We are just about to begin analyses but there does seem to
be more occurrence in the Canadian vs. US part of the range and more cases in
the east.
There are a variety of pigments
at various depths in the skin of amphibians. When the yellow pigments
near the skin surface are reduced or absent it allows blue light to be
reflected. The trait appears to be under genetic control.
I have attached a note on what we
are collecting that indicates some of the information that is useful for our
database.
Any help is greatly appreciated and we will definitely send copies of
any future publication(s) on the summary to those that contributed. Many
thanks for sending these photos along!”
Seeking Information on
Axanthic (Blue) Green Frogs
A group of
Canadian researchers is studying the distribution of axanthic (blue-coloured)
Green Frogs (Rana [Lithobates] clamitans) across their geographic range. Skin
colour in amphibians is produced by light interacting with different types of
chromatophores (pigments) that reside in the skin and which are presumably
under genetic control. Aberrant colours
can result in some individuals when certain pigments are absent. Colours and
patterns often provide important social signals or can be important for
camouflage – lowering the risk of predation from visually oriented
predators. Consequently, colouration may
effect fitness among individuals. Although colour and pattern can be quite
variable among individuals in many amphibian species, the rare axanthic trait
appears to be more common in ranid frogs and especially in the Green Frog. Considerable variation appears to exist in
the extent and degree of blue colouration among individuals from partial to the
total dorsal surface coverage and from dark blue, grey blue, green blue, light
blue, or even turquoise hues. This trait
has been inadequately documented in the literature, and generally anecdotally,
so we are reviewing and summarizing its occurrence to archive the condition and
we will be testing for geographic trends across the entire range. Some early literature suggests that the trait
may be more prevalent in some areas such as in the northern part of the
range. If you have observed
blue-coloured Green Frogs and would like to contribute your record(s) to our
database we would be very grateful. At a
minimum what we would need is location, date and observer information. Other details that would be very helpful
includes…
Location
(as precise a description as possible: e.g. in pond near Howard Johnson’s
orange outhouse near Mudflap, Ontario)
Coordinates
(Latitude/Longitude)
Number of
individuals
Age
(juvenile/adult)
Sex
(male/female)
Extent of
blue colouration (i.e. total, head, upper lip, back, front of back, rear of
back, sides, front limbs, rear limbs etc.)
Date
Observer(s)
name(s)
Digital or
scanned photograph (permission to use photo).
Any
contributions would be gratefully accepted and acknowledged in a forthcoming
publication. Please send your
information to Steve Hecnar at Lakehead University ( HYPERLINK
"mailto:shecnar@lakeheadu.ca" shecnar@lakeheadu.ca).
** And a heads up – Connie Colpitt
advises that Sean Blaney will be doing a plant identification bio-blitz at the
Highland Park Wetland area in Salisbury for the Salisbury Naturalist Club on
Sept. 6th at 7:00 and all are welcome. Connie suggests that folks could park at the
bottom of McDonald St if they come. I’ll
report this in early September as a reminder.
** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is
included in this edition, courtesy of Curt Nason. Many may have seen Curt during the recent
coverage of the partial Solar Eclipse on CTV news.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August
26 – September 2
The constellation Cepheus the King is quite large but it can be difficult to pick out. Around 9:30 pm, look northward 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 colourful star can be seen in binoculars or a scope just below the base of the house. Herschel’s Garnet Star, a red supergiant, is one of the most luminous stars known and 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.
Another famous star in Cepheus is Delta ( δ) Cephei, which is situated near the bottom left of the house, it being the namesake of the Cepheid variable stars. Such giant stars pulsate with a regular frequency and subsequently dim and brighten consistently over that time. For example, Delta Cephei dims and brightens by a factor of two over about five days. Early in the 20th century, Harvard astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered that the intrinsic brightness of a Cepheid variable was proportional to its period and worked out a formula for this relationship. Using the 100-inch telescope on Mount Wilson in the 1920s, Edwin Hubble detected Cepheid variables in what was then called the Andromeda Nebula. Knowing the intrinsic brightness of these stars based on their periods, and how stars dim with distance, he determined the distance to these stars and proved that the nebula was actually a galaxy outside of the Milky Way.
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. She was rescued by Perseus, whose namesake constellation is seen below Cassiopeia.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:32 am and sunset will occur at 8:08 pm, giving 13 hours, 36 minutes of daylight (6:38 am and 8:12 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:41 am and set at 7:55 pm, giving 13 hours, 14 minutes of daylight (6:47 am and 7:59 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter and approaching Saturn on Tuesday, providing a scenic opportunity for stargazing. Setting around 9:30 pm, Jupiter is getting too low in the west for steady viewing in a telescope. Venus makes a pretty binocular companion for M44, the Beehive Cluster, on Thursday and Friday mornings. Mercury is at inferior conjunction this weekend, passing between us and the Sun. It will be at its best morning viewing for the year in September, when it has some close encounters with Mars, Regulus and the Moon.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
The constellation Cepheus the King is quite large but it can be difficult to pick out. Around 9:30 pm, look northward 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 colourful star can be seen in binoculars or a scope just below the base of the house. Herschel’s Garnet Star, a red supergiant, is one of the most luminous stars known and 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.
Another famous star in Cepheus is Delta ( δ) Cephei, which is situated near the bottom left of the house, it being the namesake of the Cepheid variable stars. Such giant stars pulsate with a regular frequency and subsequently dim and brighten consistently over that time. For example, Delta Cephei dims and brightens by a factor of two over about five days. Early in the 20th century, Harvard astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered that the intrinsic brightness of a Cepheid variable was proportional to its period and worked out a formula for this relationship. Using the 100-inch telescope on Mount Wilson in the 1920s, Edwin Hubble detected Cepheid variables in what was then called the Andromeda Nebula. Knowing the intrinsic brightness of these stars based on their periods, and how stars dim with distance, he determined the distance to these stars and proved that the nebula was actually a galaxy outside of the Milky Way.
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. She was rescued by Perseus, whose namesake constellation is seen below Cassiopeia.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:32 am and sunset will occur at 8:08 pm, giving 13 hours, 36 minutes of daylight (6:38 am and 8:12 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:41 am and set at 7:55 pm, giving 13 hours, 14 minutes of daylight (6:47 am and 7:59 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter and approaching Saturn on Tuesday, providing a scenic opportunity for stargazing. Setting around 9:30 pm, Jupiter is getting too low in the west for steady viewing in a telescope. Venus makes a pretty binocular companion for M44, the Beehive Cluster, on Thursday and Friday mornings. Mercury is at inferior conjunction this weekend, passing between us and the Sun. It will be at its best morning viewing for the year in September, when it has some close encounters with Mars, Regulus and the Moon.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
Cepheus_17
