NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
January 17, 2025
Nature Moncton members as well as any
naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos
and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily
edition of Nature News
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information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
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and proofreader Louise Nichols at Nicholsl@eastlink.ca if
any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols
**Over the last 3 to 4 weeks, Norbert Dupuis has seen
almost weekly a big flock of Evening Grosbeaks, commenting, “a beautiful
sight indeed.”
**On Thursday morning, Caroline Arsenault dropped by
Nelson Poirier’s birdfeeder yard for a potential visit with the Lincoln’s Sparrow,
that continues to be a regular patron. Fortunately, the timing was right, and
it seemed to show off for its admirer.
Caroline was able to get a video clip which is attached
at the link below:
**For the past couple of weeks, David Lilly has been
photographing the Provincial Bird, the Black-capped Chickadee, in various
winter conditions. He shares a few photographs in his commentary with a few
facts we often tend to forget.
Interesting Facts:
- Winter
Survival: Chickadees can lower their body
temperature slightly during cold nights to conserve energy, a behaviour
known as "torpor." They can survive in harsh winter conditions
due to their ability to cache food and regulate their body temperature.
- Curiosity
and Intelligence: They are curious birds and will often
approach people, especially if they are near food. This inquisitiveness is
also linked to their ability to solve problems, such as remembering the
locations of their food caches.
- Social:
Chickadees are social birds, often seen in mixed-species flocks during the
fall and winter.
Their small size, curiosity, and bold nature make them a
favourite among bird watchers. Have you spotted one, or are you looking to
attract them to your area?
**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 January 18 –
January 25
There are many critters represented as constellations; birds, fish, canines,
felines, insects, snakes and even a unicorn. But no rodents have been so
honoured, although the second brightest star in Gemini is called Castor, which
is the genus of beavers. However, some time ago the cute bunnies decided they
didn’t want to be associated with rodents and called themselves lagomorphs. So,
at the risk of being attacked by the killer rabbit of Arthurian filmdom, I will
let them represent rodentia this week.
By 9:30 pm Orion stands high in the southern sky while Lepus the Hare cowers
below his feet, hoping to avoid detection by Orion’s larger canine companion to
the east. 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. If you extend the middle pair down an equal distance a
small telescope will reveal a fuzzy patch called M79. This globular cluster is
unusual in that it is in our winter sky, whereas most of the globulars are seen
among the summer constellations. M79 could be part of another galaxy that is
interacting with the Milky Way.
If you draw a line from the top of the middle pair to the top of the widest
pair and extend it a little more than half that distance, a telescope might
pick up Hind’s Crimson Star, one of the reddest stars in the sky. Its
brightness varies by a factor of 300 over 14 months, with the red colour being
most pronounced at its dimmest.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:55 and sunset will occur at 5:04, giving
9 hours, 9 minutes of daylight (7:57 and 5:12 in Saint John). Next Saturday the
Sun will rise at 7:49 and set at 5:14, giving 9 hours, 25 minutes of daylight
(7:51 and 5:21 in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter phase and near
Spica on Tuesday. Venus is a binocular view to the upper right of Saturn this
weekend, and by next weekend it will be about 6 degrees above Saturn.
Telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Europa disappear behind the planet at
8:19 on Wednesday evening, and Io doing the same on Friday at 8:42. The Red
Spot will be within view on both occasions. Mars makes a scenic line with
Pollux and Castor this weekend, and over the week it will move up to the side
of Pollux. Take note of the colour differences of Mars and the two stars.
Mercury is moving sunward rapidly and is pretty much beyond observing until
mid-February.
Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and
Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
**Nature Sussex Outing (with Nature Moncton members
welcome to join in.)
Date/Time:
January 18 (Saturday) 10 am
Topic:
Lichen Walk with Dr. Stephen Clayden
Details:
Botanist /Lichenologist Stephen Clayden will lead an easy winter walk in
the Jones Creek area ( Apohaqui) exploring some of the lichens hosted on trees
and taller rocks ( depending on snow depths!) in this part of the Kennebecasis
watershed. Learn the names, habitat
preferences, and interesting lifecycle of this often-overlooked
partnership of algae and fungi. The
session will consist of roughly an hour outside collecting and discussing, with
an equal amount of time indoors, taking a more in-depth look through
microscopes and a short presentation.
There may be some uneven ground and snow (!) This outing
site may require snowshoes and/or hiking
poles.
Meet at the Apohaqui Community Ctr (16 Jones Memorial
Park Rd, Apohaqui).
As the weather can be quite unpredictable at this time of
year, I’d ask that if you are at all interested in this outing, please email or
call kellyhoneyman@xplornet.ca or (506)
832-7582 so that postponement or other additional tour details can be passed
along efficiently.
(Editor’s note: Stephen Clayden is an excellent and very
knowledgeable resource person on lichens. This will be a great hands-on outing
to learn more about something we pass so frequently all year long and don’t
stop to appreciate.
Nelson Poirier will be going with seating room available.
Send an email if interested in participating.)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
