Nature Moncton Nature News: April 8 2016

** Leo-Paul and Carmella Melanson were in Halifax on Thursday and took the opportunity to visit Crystal Crescent Beach outside of Halifax in the Sambro area where a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH [Paruline hochequeue] had been located, and has been staying in the area for several days now. It took a two hour wait, but this special warbler visitor appeared and cooperated for two nice photos. This seems to be the time that this warbler sometimes overshoots its migratory destination and visits the Maritimes and is to be watched for.

This area of Crystal Crescent Beach has been very productive this past winter as the abundance of Kelp Flies present has made a group of AMERICAN PIPITS [Pipit d'Amérique] present all winter. The Pipits themselves make a visit worthwhile but now the Louisiana Waterthrush is a value added bonus. The Louisiana Waterthrush is similar to our expected Northern Waterthrush but note that white line over the eye broadens where it diminishes towards the rear in the Northern Waterthrush. Also it has very bubblegum-like pink legs, and like its American Pipit companions at this site it does have that behavior of constantly bobbing its tail. Brian Stone and I visited the activity at this special spot a few weeks ago, but before the Louisiana Waterthrush appeared on the scene. For anyone visiting Halifax this is a must stop at the moment.

** There are lots of reports of NORTHERN FLICKERS [Pic flamboyant] arriving back, and the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS [Pic maculé] are starting to join them now. Bob Blake had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker come by to check out a suet block in his Second North River yard on Wednesday.

** Aldo Dorio shares a photo of a sub-adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] guarding its booty from COMMON RAVENS [Grand Corbeau] at Hay Island. Aldo felt that the fresh prey may be a Merganser. The Eagle is showing a bright yellow eye and lots of yellow on the bill to suggest a third year bird. A GREAT BLUE HERON [Grand Héron] is also showing the head plumes of breeding plumage.

** We are still enjoying the Waxwings coming to feed at the fruit tray of Stirling's cut up cull apples. They seem very erratic in their arrival times and numbers, which seem to vary from a dozen to fifty. The blend has been mixed with both species, now leaning more to BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] where there were more CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] at first.

** Today's Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this transcription courtesy of Curt Nason. Hopefully a few clear nights will soon appear to enjoy the sky show.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April 9 – April 16
Leo the Lion is regarded as the signature constellation of spring, and
it is not difficult to picture a lion in its distinctive pair of
asterisms. A backwards question mark or a sickle represents its chest
and mane, anchored by the bright star Regulus at its heart. To the east
a triangle of stars forms the back leg and tail. Originally, a faint
naked-eye cluster of stars represented a tuft at the end of the tail but
that now makes the tresses of Coma Berenices. This spring Jupiter shines
by Leo’s rear paws.

In mythology, the lion was a vicious creature that resided in the
mountains of Nemea. Its hide was impenetrable to spears or arrows; the
only thing that could cut it was the lion’s claws. The first of
Hercules’s twelve labours was to kill this creature, which the legendary
strongman did by strangulation. He then cut the lion’s hide off with its
claws and used the skin as a shield. A friend of mine sees this
constellation as a mouse, with the triangle as its head the sickle as
its tail. However, legends are not made by having a strongman battle a
mouse.

Amateur astronomers often point their telescopes at Leo for two trios of
galaxies; one under the belly and the other by the back leg. For each,
the trio can be seen simultaneously with a wide-field eyepiece. Five of
the six galaxies are Messier objects.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:43 am and sunset will occur at
7:59 pm, giving 13 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (6:49 am and 8:03 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:30 am and set at 8:08
pm, giving 13 hours, 38 minutes of daylight (6:37 am and 8:12 pm in
Saint John).

The Moon is at first quarter on Wednesday, giving great views in a scope
all week. On Sunday evening, just before sunset, it once again occults
or passes in front of the bright star Aldebaran. The star disappears
around 8 pm and reappears from behind the sunlit edge of the Moon 55
minutes later. You will need a scope or maybe binoculars to see the star
disappear, and start watching well before 8 pm.

Mars and Saturn continue to edge closer, forming an eye-catching
triangle with Antares below. Mars halts its prograde eastern movement
relative to the stars next Saturday and retrogrades away from Saturn
until July. Jupiter dominates the evening sky; check out the nightly
positional changes of its four moons with binoculars or a scope. On
Monday the most distant of its four Galilean moons, Callisto, disappears
behind Jupiter at 8:48 pm and reappears from the planet’s shadow at
11:30 pm. Mercury sets 90 minutes after the Sun this weekend, starting
its best evening viewing for the year. Comet P/252 LINEAR is a
challenging, tiny ghostly ball in binoculars moving up through Ophiuchus
in the morning. Look up its position on the Heavens-Above Web site. If
you are up for the challenge, try well before twilight.

The William Brydone Jack Astronomy Club in Fredericton meets on Tuesday,
April 12 at 7 pm in Room 203 of the UNB Forestry/Earth Sciences
Building. The provincial astronomy club, RASC NB, meets at the same
location on April 16 at 1 pm. All are welcome.

Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca