**Barb
Curlew has done it again with a special visitor this spring: a BROWN THRASHER
[Moqueur roux] arrived in their Waterside yard on Friday at 80 Long Marsh
Lane.
**Great
to hear of another EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] checking in. Margaret
Murray had one checking out one of her nest boxes on Friday in Scotch
Settlement. It was a good day for Margaret as she had her first RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] and first ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK [Cardinal à
poitrine rose] arrive. She also has a lot of TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore]
taking nest boxes, as well as a busy feeder area of SPARROWS [Bruant] and
FINCHES [Fringillidés] including PINE SISKINS [Tarin des pins] that seemingly
many feeder yards have had arrive this spring.
**Gabriel
Gallant paid a visit to Bell Marsh on Friday to find some interesting activity.
He watched a RACCOON [Raton laveur] raid a CANADA GOOSE [Bernache du Canada]
nest, spotted a striking male BALTIMORE ORIOLE [Oriole de Baltimore], and one of
the very lively vocalizing RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] males
vocalizing at that popular CATTAIL [Quenouille] nesting site. He also got a
photo of a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] female; this is
nice to have because it’s usually the males vocalizing higher in the trees that
get photographed.
**Louise
Nichols visited the Crowley Farm Road BALD EAGLES’ [Pygargue à tête blanche]
nest on Thursday at noon and was able to confirm there are two EAGLETS [Aiglon]
present in that nest.
**Yet
another partial albino bird: Penny Clark had a very different-looking partial
albino PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] arrive to her McKees Mills feeder yard on
Friday. A very strikingly-marked individual.
**Doreen
Rossiter had her first RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] to her
Alma feeder yard late Thursday afternoon. They really seem to be moving in fast
now, and right on schedule.
**Aldo
Dorio got a photo of a probably recently-arrived BLUE-HEADED VIREO [Viréo à tête
bleue] on Friday. Also, on Thursday he photographed a MUSKRAT [Rat musqué]
swimming.
**Brian
Stone took note of a last year’s birds’ nest. It is suggestive of a VIREO
[Viréo] the way it’s arranged in a branch crotch and has a bark-ornamented
exterior. Brian also got some photos of what appear to be domestic HONEY BEES
[Abeille à miel] visiting his yard area, probably from a nearby
hive.
**This
week’s Sky at a Glance is added to this transcription, courtesy of Curt
Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May 14 – May 21
When people see an
amateur astronomer’s telescope that doesn’t look like
it came from a
department store, they often have two questions: “How
much did that cost?”
and “How far can you see with that?” The answer to
the first is usually
about ten times less than they guess, but the
answer to the second is
difficult to explain and even more difficult to
comprehend. Sometimes I just
say “way far” and hope they don’t press for
details.
On a clear
evening this week just go outside and look up. The brightest
object will be
the Moon, and this weekend it will be about 400,000
kilometres away. Next
Saturday it will be just a bit farther, having
reached its farthest (apogee)
on Wednesday at 406,000 km. The next
brightest object is Jupiter, which was
closest to us for the year in
early March but now it is 750 million km
distant. Mars, looking a
brilliant orange, is 78 only million km away and
getting closer, while
Saturn to its east is nearly 1.4 billion km out there.
Light travels at
300,000 km/s, so at 150 million km the Sun is a distance
500 light
seconds away. The Moon is a tad more than a light second; Jupiter
is 42
light minutes and Saturn 75 light minutes. The farthest planet,
Neptune,
is four light hours from the Sun.
The brightest star we see
in the evening now is Arcturus, a relatively
close star at 37 light years
(ly) or 350 trillion km. Below Mars is
orange Antares, moderately distant at
550 ly, and the middle star of
Orion’s Belt (which sets a half hour after
the Sun so don’t bother
looking for it) is 2000 ly away. If you are under a
dark sky well before
morning twilight you might get a naked eye glimpse of
the Andromeda
Galaxy at a distance of 2.5 million light years. Yes, a small
telescope
will reveal things even more distant, but at what point do these
distances become incomprehensible and “way far” is a reasonable
answer?
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in
Moncton is at 5:47 am and sunset will occur at
8:44 pm, giving 14 hours, 57
minutes of daylight (5:55 am and 8:47 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the
Sun will rise at 5:40 am and set at 8:52
pm, giving 15 hours, 12 minutes of
daylight (5:48 am and 8:55 pm in
Saint John).
The Moon is at first
quarter on Friday 13, and the full Flower Moon
occurs on May 21. Jupiter is
in the western half of the sky at sunset
and at its best for observing in
late twilight. Try to see its volcanic
moon Io pop out from the planet’s
shadow around 9:37 pm on Monday. Mars
rises in twilight and reaches
opposition on May 22, getting nearly as
bright as Jupiter. Ever beautiful
Saturn rises about 45 minutes after Mars.
There are still openings for
the Astronomy Day workshop at the Rockwood
Park Interpretation Centre from
9:30 am to 4 pm on May 14. Please
register via the email below. For more
information see http://saintjohnnaturalistsclub.org/programs.htm.
Weather permitting
(despite the weekend rain forecast, it looks like the
evening will be
partly clear) public observing will be held that evening at
the Rockwood
Park Bark Park (Fisher Lakes entrance). There will also be an
Astronomy
Day exhibit and observing at Brookside Mall in
Fredericton.
Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
When people see an amateur astronomer’s telescope that doesn’t look like
it came from a department store, they often have two questions: “How
much did that cost?” and “How far can you see with that?” The answer to
the first is usually about ten times less than they guess, but the
answer to the second is difficult to explain and even more difficult to
comprehend. Sometimes I just say “way far” and hope they don’t press for
details.
On a clear evening this week just go outside and look up. The brightest
object will be the Moon, and this weekend it will be about 400,000
kilometres away. Next Saturday it will be just a bit farther, having
reached its farthest (apogee) on Wednesday at 406,000 km. The next
brightest object is Jupiter, which was closest to us for the year in
early March but now it is 750 million km distant. Mars, looking a
brilliant orange, is 78 only million km away and getting closer, while
Saturn to its east is nearly 1.4 billion km out there. Light travels at
300,000 km/s, so at 150 million km the Sun is a distance 500 light
seconds away. The Moon is a tad more than a light second; Jupiter is 42
light minutes and Saturn 75 light minutes. The farthest planet, Neptune,
is four light hours from the Sun.
The brightest star we see in the evening now is Arcturus, a relatively
close star at 37 light years (ly) or 350 trillion km. Below Mars is
orange Antares, moderately distant at 550 ly, and the middle star of
Orion’s Belt (which sets a half hour after the Sun so don’t bother
looking for it) is 2000 ly away. If you are under a dark sky well before
morning twilight you might get a naked eye glimpse of the Andromeda
Galaxy at a distance of 2.5 million light years. Yes, a small telescope
will reveal things even more distant, but at what point do these
distances become incomprehensible and “way far” is a reasonable answer?
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:47 am and sunset will occur at
8:44 pm, giving 14 hours, 57 minutes of daylight (5:55 am and 8:47 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:40 am and set at 8:52
pm, giving 15 hours, 12 minutes of daylight (5:48 am and 8:55 pm in
Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Friday 13, and the full Flower Moon
occurs on May 21. Jupiter is in the western half of the sky at sunset
and at its best for observing in late twilight. Try to see its volcanic
moon Io pop out from the planet’s shadow around 9:37 pm on Monday. Mars
rises in twilight and reaches opposition on May 22, getting nearly as
bright as Jupiter. Ever beautiful Saturn rises about 45 minutes after Mars.
There are still openings for the Astronomy Day workshop at the Rockwood
Park Interpretation Centre from 9:30 am to 4 pm on May 14. Please
register via the email below. For more information see http://saintjohnnaturalistsclub.org/programs.htm. Weather permitting
(despite the weekend rain forecast, it looks like the evening will be
partly clear) public observing will be held that evening at the Rockwood
Park Bark Park (Fisher Lakes entrance). There will also be an Astronomy
Day exhibit and observing at Brookside Mall in Fredericton.
Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Nelson
Poirier
Nature
Moncton
BALD EAGLE WITH EAGLETS. LOUISE NICHOLS. MAY 12, 2016
BALTIMORE ORIOLE (MALE).MAY 13, 2016.GABRIEL GALLANT
BLUE-HEADED VIREO.MAY 13, 2016.ALDO DORIO
HONEY BEE. MAY 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE
MUSKRAT.MAY 12, 2016.ALDO DORIO
NEST(VIREO SUSPECTED). MAY 13, 2016. BRIAN STONE
PURPLE FINCH (PARTIAL ALBINO).MAY 13, 2016.PENNY CLARK.
PURPLE FINCH (PARTIAL ALBINO).MAY 13, 2016.PENNY CLARK.
RACCOON RAIDING CANADA GOOSE NEST.MAY 13, 2016.GABRIEL GALLANT.
RACCOON RAIDING CANADA GOOSE NEST.MAY 13, 2016.GABRIEL GALLANT.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (MALE).MAY 13, 2016.GABRIEL GALLANT
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (FEMALE).MAY 13, 2016.GABRIEL GALLANT
Nelson Poirier
