Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 16 2016

** Kerry Lee Morris-Cormier, Manager of the Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre, reports the shorebird numbers at Johnson’s Mills are dwindling. The interpretive centre is closed for the season but folks are still welcome to enjoy the shoreline reserve throughout the year. Thursday’s high tide observations totalled just over 1,000 birds including SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau semipalmé], SEMIPALMATED PLOVER [Pluvier semipalmé], LEAST SANDPIPER [Bécasseau minuscule], WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER [Bécasseau à croup ion blanc], SANDERLING [Bécasseau sanderling], AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER [Pluvier bronzé], BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté], and RUDDY TURNSTONE [Tournepierre à collier] — so a nice selection is still present !

** Dave Christie came across 3 COMMON GARTER SNAKES [Couleuvre rayée] on the path between his Mary’s Point home and the beach on Thursday. Two were small younger ones at approximately 30 cm, and a third adult approximately twice that length. His attention was drawn to the larger one seeing something very bright red on it, and it tarried in the area long enough to get a few fast photos that showed a bright red object protruding from the mouth. Dave presumed the snake had swallowed prey such as a toad or mouse and a bloody internal organ was protruding. Note in the photo that the snake’s head is swollen outwards on the right side of the head, so part of the prey’s body. Happening to be at the right place at the right time can really see Mother Nature’s community at work. Dave also comments on a few RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS [Colibri à gorge rubis]still on the move passing through. He had one come by his Mary’s Point yard on Tuesday and two on Thursday. He suspected the cool north-east winds of Thursday had them moving quickly on migration. None of the 3 went near the hummingbird feeder, but stopped at flowers such as PHLOX, BOUNCING BETTY, and PETUNIA for a quick refuel and soon off on their migratory mission.

** A juvenile RUDDY TURNSTONE [Tournepierre à collier] posed nicely for me on Thursday at the Neguac Wharf. A frontal view nicely shows the 2 separated breast patches of this species and the carrot-orange legs. I wished I could have caught a flight shot of this bird - it was striking ! Also attached is another photo of a SPINDLE-SHAPED YELLOW CORAL mushroom that seems to be so common in the woods this year.

** This week’s SKY AT A GLANCE is added to this transcription courtesy of Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September 17 – September 24
Autumn is nigh and with it come two families of constellations: the
Perseus-Andromeda group in the northern half of the sky and the water
constellations to the south. There is one constellation that belongs to
both families.

Perseus trails W-shaped Cassiopeia, his mother in law, in the northeast
these evenings. Cepheus, the king of ancient Ethiopia, is a house-shaped
constellation fenced within his wife Cassiopeia, Cygnus and the North
Star. The feet of Princess Andromeda are below the W of Cassiopeia, and
her head is in a rather undignified location at the rear of Pegasus the
winged horse. The asterism called the Great Square of Pegasus rises as a
large diamond; a harbinger of the baseball post season. Rounding out the
mythological tale is Cetus, a ferocious sea monster turned to stone by
Perseus (and the severed head of Medusa) before it was able to lunch on
Andromeda. Cetus is actually a celestial whale, as any etymologist could
figure out, which places it nicely among the water constellations.

To the left of the Sagittarius Teapot we see the large chevron of
Capricornus the sea goat, representing the goat-boy flautist Pan who
didn’t completely morph into a fish when he tried to escape monstrous
Typhon. Above and left is the source of all this water - Aquarius, the
water bearing servant of the Olympians. Below him is the southern fish,
Piscis Austrinus, and further east we have Aphrodite and Eros scaled out
as Pisces the fishes. Cetus swims below them, and well above Capricornus
we see Delphinus the dolphin trying to leap back into summer.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:00 am and sunset will occur at
7:26 pm, giving 12 hours, 26 minutes of daylight (7:06 am and 7:30 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:09 am and set at 7:12
pm, giving 12 hours, 3 minutes of daylight (7:14 am and 7:17 pm in Saint
John). On Thursday at 11:21am the Sun crosses the equator heading south,
marking the autumnal equinox. The day closest to 12 hours of daylight
will be September 25, falling short by about 34 seconds.

The Moon is at third quarter next Friday, September 23, following the
northerly path where the full Moon will be in mid-December. Mercury pops
up in the morning sky and, beginning the following week, it will be at
its best morning viewing for the year. Venus sets around 8:30 pm and is
near Virgo’s brightest star Spica this weekend. The eastward movement of
Mars makes an ever-lengthening triangle with Saturn and Antares in the
southwest, with both planets setting in the late evening.

The provincial astronomy club, RASC NB, meets at the Forestry / Earth
Sciences Building at UNB Fredericton at 1 pm on September 17. All are
welcome and it is free.

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

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton