Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 14 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 14, 2018 (Friday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

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** Brian Coyle was able to get more warbler photos on Thursday and does feel that he may have mistaken PALM WARBLERS [Paruline à couronne rousse] for a group of migrating CAPE MAY WARBLERS [Paruline tigrée], now that he was able to get more photos that are attached today. It seems to have been a great year for Cape May warblers from the many reports of them. Brian also has two BLUE-HEADED VIREOS [Viréo à tête bleue] chasing each other about and vocalizing. Brian still has a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] coming to his feeder each day, and he still saw it present on Thursday morning.

** Chuck Prince monitors wildlife activity with trail cameras to get some recent MOOSE [Orignal] activity. These big beautiful animals seem to be in excellent condition and, as of August, the velvet on the male antlers is still very much intact, fuelling the extremely fast growth rate the antlers are capable of.

** Dale Gaskin has been in contact with New Brunswick farmer Mike Dickinson, and he will be able to supply Black-oil Sunflower, grown here in New Brunswick, to Nature Moncton at the October or November meeting. Surprisingly, the price of $15 per bag is still the same as it always has been. To reserve your supply with the number of bags you would like, call Dale at 734-2197, leaving a message if necessary. This is not a Nature Moncton fundraiser, but in support of a New Brunswick farmer and bird seed having a much lower carbon footprint.

** Aldo Dorio shares a photo of a bountiful crop of ripening WILD RAISIN, aka Witherod. It is at its pink stage, just starting to ripen to dark blue. Look carefully at the photo and you’ll see a CEDAR WAXWING [Jaseur d'Amérique] among the berry clusters as this berry is attractive to fruit connoisseurs despite its very large seed. Aldo also photographed some SANDERLINGS [Bécasseau sanderling] enjoying the Hay Island shoreline.

** Brian Stone recently got some excellent photos of our largest dragonfly, the DRAGONHUNTER [l’Hagénie]. This colourful dragonfly preys on a variety of insects, but that can also include other smaller dragonflies and damselflies. This dragonfly is in the clubtail group. Note the enlarged area at the end of the abdominal segments. Brian also got a photo of a POWEDERED DANCER [Argie svelte] Damselfly.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September 15 – September 22
This is the time of year when the evening sky seems static; the stars are in the same place night after night when they appear in twilight. As you can see below, the Sun sets about two minutes earlier each evening. With reference to the stars, Earth rotates once every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. But since our clocks are based on a 24-hour solar day rather than the sidereal day, the stars rise about 4 minutes earlier each evening. The rate of earlier sunsets this time of year cancels much of that. Although the stars rise earlier we see also see them sooner. That is a bonus because many of the finest objects to observe in a telescope are prominent now, particularly the Milky Way.

The opposite occurs in spring when the later sunsets add to the earlier rising of stars. The constellations seem to fly past over a month or two, much to the chagrin of those who delight in observing the distant galaxies that abound in those constellations. Earth’s motion around the Sun results in many of the constellations being seasonal. For example, we currently see Orion in the southeast before sunrise. Come January it will be there after sunset and stick around in the evening sky until mid-spring. Those constellations near the north are circumpolar, meaning they never set and we see them year round. There are 22 constellations in the southern hemisphere sky that we see no part of at all from New Brunswick.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:57 am and sunset will occur at 7:30 pm, giving 12 hours, 33 minutes of daylight (7:02 am and 7:35 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:06 am and set at 7:16 pm, giving 12 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (7:11 am and 7:21 pm in Saint John). It crosses the equator heading south for winter at 10:54 pm on September 22, marking the beginning of autumn.

The Moon is at first quarter on Sunday and passes near Saturn on Monday. Venus is at its brightest, or greatest illuminated extent, on Friday but low enough after sunset to be hidden by trees or houses. Jupiter sets at 10 pm so it is observed best in late twilight before it gets too low for a steady view. Saturn continues to give awesome views in the early evening and sets around midnight this week. Mars remains a bright orange beacon toward the south all evening. Mercury is at superior conjunction behind the Sun on Thursday. If you are in a dark clear sky 60-90 minutes before sunrise, look for a subtle pyramid of light angling up from the eastern horizon: the zodiacal light, caused by sunlight reflecting off dust along the ecliptic.

This weekend has the final RASC NB star party of the season at the Kouchibouguac Fall Festival on September 14/15, and there is public observing at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John on September 14 from 7:30 to 11 pm (cloud date September 15).

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton