Nature Moncton Nature News: May 2 2015

**Jean-Paul LeBlanc updates on the Bouctouche SANDHILL CRANE [Grue du

Canada]: it remained in the area on Friday, seen at Golf Bouctouche.

**Richard Blacquiere and Nancy Forbes were returning from the Point

Lepreau Bird Observatory watch on Wednesday when Nancy spotted an

AMERICAN BITTERN [Butor d'Amérique] near the Chance Harbour Bog area,

to get a distant photo. This species is a master of camouflage and you

may have to look for a moment at Nancy's photo to find it.

**Janet Cormier had a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH [Sittelle à poitrine

blanche] come by her Salisbury Road feeder yard on Friday to stop at

the peanut butter-laced suet block. It's the first time Janet has had

this species to her yard.

**Pat Muirhead had a different Duck [Canard] wander through her

Anagance yard on Thursday that turns out to be a domestic Duck [Canard

domestique] on the loose. Dave Christie suggested a number of domestic

breeds have that long neck, and the sagging belly is also an

indicator. This specimen probably represents a mixture of

characteristics from various kinds of Ducks. The red bill may show

MUSCOVY DUCK [Canard musqué] influence.

**I was surprised to see a HERMIT THRUSH [Grive solitaire] in our

urban yard on Friday. It didn't stay very long, but long enough for a

few fast photos as it made its way elsewhere, to show front, side, and

back, and the rusty red tail.

**Things are looking much better this week for sky watching, as last

week was a shutout. This week's Sky at a Glance is attached.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May 1 – 9

May has come, but wintry Sirius still twinkles low in the southwest as twilight fades.

On Monday, May 4, the Moon goes into its Full Phase meaning we will see it all night. Expect higher high tides and lower low tides.

The Big Dipper has turned to lie upside down after dark; face north-northeast and look very high. Its handle arcs around toward Arcturus, a little more than a Dipper-length to the Dipper's lower right.

On Monday, May 4, the bright Moon rises in twilight. As evening grows late, look below the Moon for Saturn, and then below Saturn for Antares.

Look low in the northeast in twilight for the rising of Vega, the "Summer Star." By nightfall Vega shines higher in better view. As it gains altitude it grows to be the equal of Arcturus, the "Spring Star" very high in the east (far to the upper right). They're both magnitude zero.

Summer is more than six weeks away, but the Summer Triangle is beginning to make its appearance in the east, one star after another. The first in view is Vega. It's already visible low in the northeast as twilight fades.

Next up is Deneb, lower left of Vega by two or three fists at arm's length. Deneb takes about an hour to appear after Vega does.

The third is Altair, which shows up far to their lower right around 1:00 a.m.

The two brightest points in sky are Venus and Jupiter. At dusk they're in the west and high in the southwest, respectively. Find the halfway point between them. A little upper right of there is Pollux, with Castor to its right.

Three zero-magnitude stars shine after dark in May: Arcturus very high in the southeast, Vega much lower in the northeast, and Capella in the northwest. They appear so bright because each is at least 60 times as luminous as the Sun, and because they're all relatively nearby: 37, 25, and 42 light-years from us, respectively.

On Saturday, May 2, the sun rose at 6:03 a.m. and will set at 8:28 p.m. giving 14 hours 25 minutes of daylight hours. On Saturday, May 9, the sun will rise at 5:53a.m. and set at 8:37 p.m. to give 14 hours 44 minutes of daylight hours (These values are for Moncton, New Brunswick).

This Week's Planet Roundup

Mercury remains up in good view in evening twilight all week, but its fading: from magnitude –0.3 on May 1st to +0.5 on the 8th. That's a loss of about half its brightness. Look for it far to the lower right of bright Venus.

Venus (magnitude –4.2) glares strikingly bright in the west during and after twilight — the "Evening Star." It doesn't set in the west-northwest until two hours after dark.

Mars is lost in the sunset.

Jupiter (magnitude –2.1) shines high in the south as the stars come out, and less high in the southwest later. It's the second-brightest point of light in the sky after Venus.

Saturn (magnitude +0.1) rises around nightfall and reaches its highest point in the south around 3 a.m. Below Saturn by 9° or 10° is orange Antares, less bright.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton