NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 27, 2017 (Friday)
Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or
photo labeling.
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
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your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.
** Jean Renton reports her Stilesville yard trees took a
serious hit with the ice storm, but the birds arrived in mass on
Wednesday. A flock of COMMON REDPOLLS [Sizerin flammé] arrived, a species
we have not been hearing much about at feeder yards. The EVENING
GROSBEAK [Gros-bec errant] flock continues as regulars. And both PINE GROSBEAKS
[Durbec des sapins] and WAXWINGS [Jaseurs] appeared together
to glean a Highbush Cranberry bush beside her deck. She put out blueberries, but they have not
shown an interest as yet. Jean’s FIELD SPARROW [Bruant des champs] continues to be a
regular patron as well as 11 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS
[Faisan de Colchide]. Hope all this activity remains for the Nature
Moncton Field Feed Tour visit there on February 18
.
** Brittany Crossman mentioned in yesterday’s edition a
LONG-TAILED WEASEL [Belette à longue queue] she had video of from her Riverview
yard, and she was able to clip out a few still pictures that are documentary to
show her point and has done a composite to show the two weasels together. Brittany did measurements from the photos to
point out that the black tail tip on the assumed Long-tailed Weasel is 3 to 4
cm while the black spot on the SHORT-TAILED WEASEL
[Belette à courte queue] photo is 1 to 2 cm.
The brown colour that appears on the Short-tailed Weasel is assumed to
be from crawling through muddy dirty pallet and not part of the pelage colour.
** David Christie comments that he was able to spot the
female AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d'Amérique] that is
overwintering with a group of MALLARDS [Canard
colvert] at
Harvey. He spotted it on Thursday in
Daily Creek Brook that drains Lars Larsen marsh. A group of 15 AMERICAN
BLACK DUCKS [Canard noir] were staying out in the Shepody River.
** I drove down Rte 105 from Fredericton to Jemseg on
Thursday morning. There were several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue], RED-TAILED HAWKS [Buse à queue rousse] and BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] moving about, but
not in number. There are a lot of ASH
TREES along the river, and the ASH FLOWER GALLS are very obvious on infected
trees with the green foliage gone. A few
photos are attached. This is caused by a
mite that feeds on the male flowers. The
female mites spend the winter under bud scales and bark; then the young mites
feed on the male ash flowers to form the galls.
They start off as green masses, but in winter appear as reddish brown
ball-like irregular masses. A gall may
be unsightly to the eye to some, but apparently do no real harm to the Ash
tree.
** Last call for the Nature Moncton gull workshop and field
trip on for tomorrow, Saturday. For
those unfamiliar with the location of the Waste Management Facility, it is
located approximately 5 km out Berry Mills Rd.
from corner of Edinburgh Dr., turn on to Bill Slater Dr. (across from
Zack Road) beside the Maritime-Ontario Trucking Depot and meet at the gatehouse
of the facility at 12:45 to head together into the meeting room for the indoor
session before heading out to nearby landfill area.
** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is attached to this edition,
courtesy of Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 28 – February 4
This might be a good week to pay attention to four lesser known constellations that were created a few centuries ago, by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, to fill in blank areas of the sky. You will need a clear sky with minimal light pollution, and even then you will likely see only a few of the stars in each. Look to the north around 7 pm and use the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star, halfway up our sky. It is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper and the two brightest stars of the bowl are below. If you can see the other four stars that complete the handle and bowl then you have a chance of locating these dim constellations.
Above Polaris and to the right of W-shaped Cassiopeia is a giraffe doing a headstand, but if you can see perhaps a large triangle and maybe a few scattered stars then you have spotted Camelopardalis. Hevelius imagined this as a camel with spots like a leopard, hence the odd name. A camel had been imagined here prior to Hevelius. To the left of Polaris is house-shaped Cepheus, with the peak of the roof not far from Polaris. Between Cepheus and the foreleg of Pegasus is a zigzag of faint stars that forms Lacerta the Lizard.
Now look to the right of the Big Dipper and pick out the three pairs of stars that stretch midway up the sky and form the feet of the Great Bear, Ursa Major. This trio of star pairs has been called the Three Leaps of the Gazelle. Between the middle pair and the sickle-shaped mane of Leo the Lion is a squashed triangle forming Leo Minor, the Little Lion. Finally, a long string of faint stars running from Leo Minor and across the front of the Great Bear toward Camelopardalis depicts the elusive constellation of Lynx. Imagination is a wonderful thing.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:46 am and sunset will occur at 5:19 pm, giving 9 hours, 33 minutes of daylight (7:49 am and 5:26 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:38 am and set at 5:29 pm, giving 9 hours, 51 minutes of daylight (7:41 am and 5:36 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Friday, February 3, giving great views through a scope from midweek through the weekend. It also provides the opportunity to check an item off your observing list. Late Tuesday morning the Moon passes four degrees (less than three finger-widths at arm’s length) south of Venus. Get them both in binoculars, and then try to see Venus with just your eyes in daylight. It is fairly easy when the sky is clear if you know where to look. The Moon passes by Mars that evening. By midweek Saturn is rising three hours before the Sun and two hours before Mercury. Jupiter rises around 11:30 pm and it is still well placed for viewing in the morning.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets on February 4 at 7 pm in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
This might be a good week to pay attention to four lesser known constellations that were created a few centuries ago, by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, to fill in blank areas of the sky. You will need a clear sky with minimal light pollution, and even then you will likely see only a few of the stars in each. Look to the north around 7 pm and use the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star, halfway up our sky. It is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper and the two brightest stars of the bowl are below. If you can see the other four stars that complete the handle and bowl then you have a chance of locating these dim constellations.
Above Polaris and to the right of W-shaped Cassiopeia is a giraffe doing a headstand, but if you can see perhaps a large triangle and maybe a few scattered stars then you have spotted Camelopardalis. Hevelius imagined this as a camel with spots like a leopard, hence the odd name. A camel had been imagined here prior to Hevelius. To the left of Polaris is house-shaped Cepheus, with the peak of the roof not far from Polaris. Between Cepheus and the foreleg of Pegasus is a zigzag of faint stars that forms Lacerta the Lizard.
Now look to the right of the Big Dipper and pick out the three pairs of stars that stretch midway up the sky and form the feet of the Great Bear, Ursa Major. This trio of star pairs has been called the Three Leaps of the Gazelle. Between the middle pair and the sickle-shaped mane of Leo the Lion is a squashed triangle forming Leo Minor, the Little Lion. Finally, a long string of faint stars running from Leo Minor and across the front of the Great Bear toward Camelopardalis depicts the elusive constellation of Lynx. Imagination is a wonderful thing.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:46 am and sunset will occur at 5:19 pm, giving 9 hours, 33 minutes of daylight (7:49 am and 5:26 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:38 am and set at 5:29 pm, giving 9 hours, 51 minutes of daylight (7:41 am and 5:36 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Friday, February 3, giving great views through a scope from midweek through the weekend. It also provides the opportunity to check an item off your observing list. Late Tuesday morning the Moon passes four degrees (less than three finger-widths at arm’s length) south of Venus. Get them both in binoculars, and then try to see Venus with just your eyes in daylight. It is fairly easy when the sky is clear if you know where to look. The Moon passes by Mars that evening. By midweek Saturn is rising three hours before the Sun and two hours before Mercury. Jupiter rises around 11:30 pm and it is still well placed for viewing in the morning.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets on February 4 at 7 pm in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nature
Moncton
ASH FLOWER GALLS. JAN 26, 2017.NELSON POIRIER.
ASH FLOWER GALLS. JAN 26, 2017.NELSON POIRIER.
Hevelius constellations
LONG-TAILED WEASEL-JAN 27 2016-BRITTANY CROSSMAN
SHORT-TAILED VS LONG-TAILED- JAN 2016 - BRITTANY CROSSMAN
