Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 30 2016

** Ina Freeman reports having a visiting AMERICAN CROW [Corneille d'Amérique] that happens to like crackers she throws out for it that has fringes of white on the wings. David Sibley's guide illustrates this as rare but regular. Ina lives across from Trites Rd. in Riverview at 18 Maple Trail Lane and has been seeing it in a small field outside her back door.

** Aldo Dorio submits a second photo of a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne rubis] from a different angle from yesterday's submission. Aldo also got a few photos of a sub-adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] appearing to be a possible 3rd-year bird, showing a notable amount of yellow on the bill and white on the tail. From the look in its eye, it is not terribly impressed with the photographer!

** Brian Stone had a mouse trap set in a back room for mice. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a trap that went wrong when a BUMBLEBEE [Abeille] made the mistake of going near it to get caught. This is unfortunate as we need every one of these safe as it could be a queen that would overwinter to start a new colony next spring. Hopefully, it was not a potential queen as all others in the colony will pass on and freeze up anyway.

** There was a mushroom workshop at Nature Sussex on Monday night. Brian Stone took many photos of the huge selection of mushrooms folks brought in for show and tell. A sample is attached today, showing the BERKELEY'S POLYPHORE, MEADOW MUSHROOMS (note the pink gills and partial veil), PIGSKIN POISON PUFFBALL (note the dark centre when fresh and the thick skin compared to our other puffballs which are homogenous white in cross section when fresh), a CRESTED CORAL which is one of our many coral mushrooms, and especially note the COMMON LEPIOTA. The Common Lepiota is a common lawn mushroom which is not toxic, but is to be avoided due to its similarity to the deadly DESTROYING ANGEL. The Common Lepiota has a bulbous base, but not surrounded by a sack-like structure, and it has partial veil that has a rolled-up stocking look compared to the hanging apron type partial veil of the Destroying Angel.

** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is attached, courtesy of Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, October 1 – October 8
You can tell it is baseball playoff season with the Great Square of
Pegasus forming a diamond in the eastern sky. At home plate is Algenib,
the third brightest star of the constellation. Who’s on first? Yes, that
is Markab, the brightest star of Pegasus. On second base we have its
second brightest luminary, Sheat, which is probably what he mutters when
he makes an error. On third is a star brighter than the other three,
Alpheratz, who was traded to Andromeda but still likes to whip the ball
around the horn with his former teammates.

Trailing off toward the dugout from third is a string of stars that
forms the left side of Princess Andromeda. The second in the string is
no second string player. Mirach is as bright as Alpheratz and shows a
distinct orange colour in binoculars. Raising your binos above the
string from Mirach will bring M31, the Andromeda galaxy, into your view,
and from a dark sky that is a view you don’t want to miss.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:18 am and sunset will occur at
6:58 pm, giving 11 hours, 40 minutes of daylight (7:23 am and 7:04 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:27 am and set at 6:45
pm, giving 11 hours, 18 minutes of daylight (7:32 am and 6:51 pm in
Saint John).

The Moon is new on Friday, September 30, and at first quarter after
midnight on Saturday night, October 8. It passes near Venus this Monday
and Saturn on Wednesday. Mercury continues its best morning viewing for
the year, rising about 90 minutes before the Sun and appearing higher
than usual. Venus remains low in the west in twilight, setting soon
after 8 pm. Mars is zipping through Sagittarius these evenings, passing
within a binocular field below the globular cluster M28 on Thursday. If
you are away from urban skyglow an hour before sunrise look for the
subtle glow of zodiacal light in the east. The International Space
Station (ISS) will be making a pass or two every evening this week, with
the best two being this weekend. Check the Heavens-Above Web site for
times and locations in your area, which you can set from Configuration
on the home page.

RASC NB members will have telescopes set up at the Kouchibouguac Park
Fall Festival this weekend. The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the
Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre this Saturday, October 1 at 7 pm.
All are welcome and it is free. There will be public observing at the
Irving Nature Park in Saint John on Friday, October 7, from 7:00 to 9:30
pm, with a cloud date of October 8.

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

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton