Nature Moncton Nature News: May 13 2017

NATURE MONCTON’S INFORMATION LINE – 13 May 2017 (Saturday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Catherine Clements

Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

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**Carol Shea paid a visit to the Irving Nature Park in Saint John on Friday to find the LITTLE BLUE HERON [Aigrette bleue] that has been dropping by there out in view, enjoying the sunshine and allowing some photos.

**Steve and Rose Dernier have had CLIFF SWALLOWS [Hirondelle à front blanc] nest on some ledges of their Irishtown Road home and garage for several years now. Numbers were down last year but several families did fledge young. They saw a few flying around the area last week, but no sign of housing starts as of Friday.

**Dave Christie could not find a TROUT-LILY [Ail doux] in bloom among the many hundreds of emerged leaves of the plant he found on Monday; however, Friday’s sunshine made the blooms conspicuous and beautiful around the cottage and trail to the beach at Mary’s Point. Note the leaf’s resemblance to the back of a TROUT [Truite], to give it its name. Dave also comments the influx of BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu] with migration back under way. He had been seeing a few around until Monday, when he started seeing groups of five to seven. When he got up on Friday morning, there were 15 in his feeder yard, and by 9:30 there were 50, which stayed for about a half-hour, refuelling, then suddenly lifted off heading northeast. Dave expects to see this scenario occurring until the end of May or early June. Many of us don’t tend to think of Blue Jays as migrating, but a major portion indeed do. Dave also comments that the influx of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS [Colibri à gorge rubis] in his area on May 3 came to a sudden halt with the onset of the cool conditions, to nil. That may all change this weekend.

**Brian Stone got some blooming plants on Friday, finding a CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY checking out one of the blooming VIOLETS [Violette] he found, and a SWEAT BEE [Abeille de la sueur] seeking pollen on a DANDELION [Pissenlit]. Praise the Dandelion for its copious supply of pollen for the early Bees!

**This week’s Sky at a Glance is added to this edition courtesy of Curt Nason. Rumour has it that we will get some clear night skies coming up to apply it.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May 13 – May 20
The constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair, is high in the
south at 10 pm this week, between the tail of Leo the Lion and
kite-shaped Boötes. It is the only constellation with a mythological
tale based on a real person. In the fourth century BC, King Ptolemy
Soter of Egypt went to war against Assyria. His worried wife Berenice
made a vow to the goddess Aphrodite that she would sacrifice her
beautiful locks if he returned safely. He did return and she kept her
vow against his wishes. When he visited the temple the next day he
discovered the hair had been stolen, and he threatened to kill the
temple priests. The court astronomer claimed that Zeus had taken the
hair and placed it in the sky for all to admire, and that night he
showed Ptolemy a cluster of stars. The Coma Star Cluster can be seen
with the naked eye in rural areas, and fills the field of view in
binoculars. At one time it was considered to be the tuft of Leo’s tail.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:49 am and sunset will occur at
8:41 pm, giving 14 hours, 52 minutes of daylight (5:55 am and 8:44 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:41 am and set at 8:50
pm, giving 15 hours, 9 minutes of daylight (5:48 am and 8:52 pm in Saint
John).

The Moon rises with Saturn just after 11 pm on Saturday, May 13, and it
is at third quarter on Thursday. Jupiter is highest in the sky and at
its best observing at 10:30 pm, while Mars is setting around that time.
Brilliant Venus dominates the morning sky, but also look for Mercury to
its lower left as the elusive planet reaches its greatest elongation
from the Sun on Wednesday. With the Moon out of the sky later in the
week, try for comet C/2015 V2 Johnson in the constellation Boötes with
binoculars or a small scope. See the Heavens-Above website for a map.

The provincial club, RASC NB, meets on Saturday, May 13, at 1 pm in Room
203 of the UNB Fredericton Forestry / Earth Sciences Building. All are
welcome.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton