Nature Moncton Nature News: August 9 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 9, 2019 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com.

** Roger Leblanc visited the Bouctouche Rotary Park for shorebirds on Thursday. He tallied 8 species of shorebirds to include the 3 PEEPS, GREATER AND LESSER YELLOWLEGS [Grand et Petit Chevalier], SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER [Bécassin roux], SEMIPALMATED PLOVER [Pluvier semipalmé], and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté]. He looked long and hard at the Short-billed Dowitchers as a Long-billed Dowitcher had been seen at that site last year at this early date, early for a Long-billed Dowitcher. Roger comments that the boardwalk is in bad shape, but the shorebirds can be easily scoped from the grass area along the side.

** The male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS [Colibri à gorge rubis] will be with us only for another week before they will be well into migration. However, David Lilly was able to photograph a well-dressed male, probably filing flight plans south to the gleeful clapping wings of the females and young-of-the-year who will remain into September.

Penny Clark reports on the McKees Mills Bald Eagle nest action at the moment. There is only one eaglet in the nest but she did see two young in the nest about three weeks ago...both standing on the edge of nest and one appearing to be very much larger than the other (Debbie Batog reported on two young on the nest at that time as well).

A few days ago Penny was hearing the eagles call go on and on...sounded like it was coming from the shore so she walked down her steps to the water and there was the young one sitting right there on the shore a few feet away from me...it didn't fly off right away so had a very good look at him. A few days later she heard his call going on and on and outside again and there he is in a tree right beside the cottage with an adult a few branches away from him, then along comes a osprey and starts buzzing them. After a bit the adult flew after the osprey but the eaglet stayed in the tree for quite a while after and continued to call and call. Penny was wondering if it is learning to fly and calling for the adult for help and advice.

I don’t think the Bald Eagle feeds their young if out of the nest. I wonder if a fish put near it would be of help?

** Mac Wilmot shouts “yahoo!” He finally got Monarch Butterflies [Monarque] to his Lower Coverdale milkweed patch even though the flowering has passed and they are looking less than prime. He’s irrigating it from his pond to make things more palatable. He has found 6 caterpillars in different stages of development, so the earlier action had to be there undetected.

** Brian Stone was in the Hampton area on Thursday. The ducks were enjoying the heavy growth of duckweed and a non-vegetarian PIED-BILLED GREBE [Grèbe à bec bigarré] was well-plastered with it. A very well-fed WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] and fawn were moving about nonchalantly. WOOD DUCKS [Canard branchu] were present, still in eclipse plumage, with their breeding plumage yet to return. An adult SPOTTED SANDPIPER [Chevalier grivelé] was noted as well. There should be some unspotted young-of-the-year about by now.

Louise Nichols had the unspotted young-of-the-year SPOTTED SANDPIPER appear at their Aulac yard pond edge to get a great photo.

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

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 August 10-August 17
With the Perseid meteor shower peaking this week, let us visit its namesake constellation. Perseus the Hero stands on the northeastern horizon by midnight, just below the W shape of his mother-in-law, Cassiopeia. He is a hero because, among other deeds, he prevented his future wife Andromeda from becoming a tasty lunch for a ferocious sea monster.

The brightest star in Perseus, Mirfak, is part and namesake of the Alpha Persei Cluster. This is one of my favourite binocular targets because it resembles a miniature version of the constellation Draco. Another popular binocular target is a close pair of star clusters - NGC 869 and 884 - located halfway between Perseus and Cassiopeia, which astronomers have cleverly called the Double Cluster. The Perseid meteors appear to originate from a point near the Double Cluster.

The constellation’s second brightest star is Algol the Demon, representing the eye of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus beheaded the Medusa in a plan to avenge an embarrassing moment by using her head to turn his hecklers into stone. The sea monster was his first victim of this weapon. Algol is famous for dimming by a factor of three every 69 hours. It is a very close pair of stars orbiting each other in our line of sight, and their combined brightness drops when the dimmer star passes in front of the brighter one. Look for the star cluster M34 about a binocular width above Algol.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:12 am and sunset will occur at 8:36 pm, giving 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight (6:19 am and 8:39 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:20 am and set at 8:25 pm, giving 14 hours, 5 minutes of daylight (6:27 am and 8:28 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is full on Thursday, the Mi’gmaw Ripening Moon, and passes near Saturn on Monday. Jupiter is stationary on Sunday, after which it begins its normal eastward motion relative to the stars. Telescope users might see its Red Spot around 11:30 pm on Sunday and 11 pm on Friday. Saturn is highest in the south and at its best for observing around 11 pm. Mercury will slowly start moving sunward but it also brightens in doing so, making this week a good time to look for it with binoculars 45 minutes before sunrise. Venus reaches superior conjunction behind the Sun on Wednesday and will move into the evening sky in autumn. The highlight of the week is the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks over Monday evening into Tuesday morning. Moonlight will obscure the fainter meteors but this shower is noted for having more than its share of bright shooting stars. The nights immediately before and after will typically produce half the number seen on the peak night.

There will be public observing in Cambridge Narrows on Saturday evening as part of the Life at the Lakes Festival, and at Oak Bay on Friday, August 16.

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

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton