NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 10, 2020 (Friday)
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Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
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** It would seem early for a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
[Pic maculé] to arrive, but Peter and Deana Gadd got a distant
photo of a male at the Miramichi Marsh on Thursday. Peter put it on eBird, but the database
objected as it seems too early. But
Peter also recorded one on April 17th of 2012 at Hay Island. Peter and Deana saw 14 species of birds at
Miramichi Marsh on Thursday. All were
expected species except this woodpecker.
** Dave Christie reports that the high
post-full-moon tides were very high on Thursday. The salt marsh area across from the Lars
Larson Marsh had 16 GREAT BLUE HERONS [Grand Héron] up near the
road, presumably after small fish near the edge of full tide. Looking up from the Shepody River, he noted
18 GREEN-WINGED
TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver] of mixed gender
on the north side of the river along with a lone pair of AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS
[Canard noir].
** John Inman had 3 TURKEY VULTURES [Urubu à tête
rouge] circling his beach area at mid-day, but then saw 11
standing on the dike at high tide later in the day.
Aldo Dorio sends a photo of a GREAT-BLUE HERON chatting
about the weather with a BLACK DUCK. We don’t often see that light coloured
bands on the back of the Black Duck but as Gilles Belliveau pointed out will
occasionally show from certain angles.
** We have not been noting WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de
Virginie] in the fields around Miramichi as yet as we often
do in the spring. That may be about to
change as Verica LeBlanc shares some photos of the first White-tailed Deer she
has seen browsing at the corner of Rte 126 and Sutton Rd. They were suddenly alarmed to quickly show
how they get their names when those white flags go up. Verica’s photos suggest the deer to be in
nice condition, coming out of winter.
** Ron Stiles shared a very interesting video today
from National Geographic. I hope folks are able to access it from the
link below. Possibly, many have already
received it. It is unfortunate it took a
pandemic virus to do it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t1ggbt5jqszzbf5/National%20Geographic%20VIDEO-2020-03-27-22-50-11.mp4?dl=0
** It’s Friday and this week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is
included, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2020 April 11 – April 18
With Easter happening this weekend, let us look for signs of it in the night sky. Lambs have long been associated with spring and Easter, so we can start with Aries the Ram low in the west. For many, the symbol of Easter is Peter Cottontail, the Easter Bunny. When darkness sets in we can see Lepus the Hare below the feet of Orion. I see the constellation as three vertical pairs of stars, with the brightest pair in the middle and the widest to the right. With a reasonably dark sky you can see the bunny ears between the widest pair and Orion’s brightest star, Rigel.
In Germanic mythology, Ostara, the goddess of spring, found a wounded bird and changed it into a hare so that it could survive. This animal was allowed to run as fast as it could fly and it retained the ability to lay eggs, which it did in spring to honour its rescuer. The Saxon name for the goddess was Eostre.
Sunrise services are a popular way to celebrate Easter, and that is a good time to look for religious Easter symbols in the sky if you are an hour or two early. The Northern Cross, the most recognizable part of Cygnus the Swan, is high in the east among the procession of constellations. Look for semicircular Corona Borealis to the southwest, one third of the way from the bright star Arcturus toward equally bright Vega. Can you picture this as a cave with an open door? It does play the role of a cave in a local aboriginal legend in which the bowl of the Big Dipper is a bear pursued by seven hunters.
I think the best symbol is seen on the Moon when it is full or nearly so. When it rises in spring, look for the dark bunny ears to the upper right. With them identified, it isn’t difficult to picture Peter Cottontail clutching a giant egg.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:39 am and sunset will occur at 8:01 pm, giving 13 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (6:45 am and 8:05 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:26 am and set at 8:11 pm, giving 13 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (6:33 am and 8:14 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter on Tuesday and is seen to the right of Jupiter. The next morning the Moon is below Saturn, and it is lower left of Mars on Thursday. Mercury is sneaking sunward under the cover of bright twilight and will appear in the evening sky next month. Venus rules the evening sky, setting soon after midnight.
With astronomy meetings and outreach on hold, there are many educational astronomy websites to fill in your time. You can catch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archives of previous shows, on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
With Easter happening this weekend, let us look for signs of it in the night sky. Lambs have long been associated with spring and Easter, so we can start with Aries the Ram low in the west. For many, the symbol of Easter is Peter Cottontail, the Easter Bunny. When darkness sets in we can see Lepus the Hare below the feet of Orion. I see the constellation as three vertical pairs of stars, with the brightest pair in the middle and the widest to the right. With a reasonably dark sky you can see the bunny ears between the widest pair and Orion’s brightest star, Rigel.
In Germanic mythology, Ostara, the goddess of spring, found a wounded bird and changed it into a hare so that it could survive. This animal was allowed to run as fast as it could fly and it retained the ability to lay eggs, which it did in spring to honour its rescuer. The Saxon name for the goddess was Eostre.
Sunrise services are a popular way to celebrate Easter, and that is a good time to look for religious Easter symbols in the sky if you are an hour or two early. The Northern Cross, the most recognizable part of Cygnus the Swan, is high in the east among the procession of constellations. Look for semicircular Corona Borealis to the southwest, one third of the way from the bright star Arcturus toward equally bright Vega. Can you picture this as a cave with an open door? It does play the role of a cave in a local aboriginal legend in which the bowl of the Big Dipper is a bear pursued by seven hunters.
I think the best symbol is seen on the Moon when it is full or nearly so. When it rises in spring, look for the dark bunny ears to the upper right. With them identified, it isn’t difficult to picture Peter Cottontail clutching a giant egg.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:39 am and sunset will occur at 8:01 pm, giving 13 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (6:45 am and 8:05 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:26 am and set at 8:11 pm, giving 13 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (6:33 am and 8:14 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter on Tuesday and is seen to the right of Jupiter. The next morning the Moon is below Saturn, and it is lower left of Mars on Thursday. Mercury is sneaking sunward under the cover of bright twilight and will appear in the evening sky next month. Venus rules the evening sky, setting soon after midnight.
With astronomy meetings and outreach on hold, there are many educational astronomy websites to fill in your time. You can catch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archives of previous shows, on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (MALE). APRIL 9, 2020. PETER GADD
GREAT BLUE HERON AND DUCK. APRIL 9, 2020. ALDO DORIO
GREAT BLUE HERON AND DUCK. APRIL 9, 2020. ALDO DORIO
WHITE-TAILED DEER. APRIL 9, 2020. VERICA LeBLANC
WHITE-TAILED DEER. APRIL 9, 2020. VERICA LeBLANC
Lepus 2019
