Nature Moncton Nature News: June 16 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 16, 2017 (Friday)

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

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

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

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** Please take note that due to uncertain weather conditions this weekend, the field trip to Cocagne Island has been postponed to next Saturday, June 24^th. If you are on the registration list, please be sure to communicate with Louise Nichols (nicholsl@eastlink.ca or 939-5054) to let her know whether you will be able to make it on the new date.

** Louise and Glen Nichols have had an unwanted tenant in their Sackville home attic this spring when a female RACOON [Raton laveur] found an opening sufficient to gain entry and raise a family. The Nichols tried several methods to try to persuade the mother racoon to choose another site to raise her family which she chose to ignore until a few days ago when Glen spotted her carrying off her young ones down a ladder and off into nearby woods. Glen got a video of the mother racoon on moving day. Take a look at the action at the attached URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f2e4liwx4kwy48h/DSCN4767.MOV?dl=0

** Brian Stone visited Mapleton Park to photograph the nature he found there on Thursday. BUNCHBERRY [Quatre temps] was in full bloom, and male MALLARDS [Canard colvert] were in bachelor groups in their eclipse post-breeding plumage. Brian was photographing a Harvestman (aka Daddy Longlegs) [Faucheur] when a mosquito came on the scene to enjoy a meal off Brian that got successfully swatted. It was offered to the Harvestman which seemed confused at first, but carried it off assumedly for lunch. Also photographed was a SNAIL [Escargot] grazing over a leaf, a STINK BUG, CALLIGRAPHY BEETLES mating, a female MALLARD [Canard colvert] now looking much better dressed than her eclipsing male counterpart caring for her family, a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER [Paruline à flancs marron] in full song and a male COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée] showing his Lone Ranger mask nicely which his female counterpart did not.

** Aldo Dorio came across one of the large sphinx moths on Thursday – a MODEST SPHINX (aka BIG POPLAR SPHINX MOTH). This is one of the large sphinxes in the sphinx moth line-up that tend to fly this time of year and is attracted to light, especially those that omit Ultra-violet or Mercury Vapour.

** I also had one of the giant silk moths arrive at my moth light on Wednesday night and waiting for a photo on Thursday morning – a CECROPIA MOTH [Saturnie cécropia]. This is one of the largest and most colourful of the large moths flying at the moment. Note the bright red legs as well as the colourful markings on the body and wings.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June 17 – June 24

With the late sunsets and extended twilight near the summer solstice, it
is quite late before the constellations emerge. Therefore, I will give
my fingers a rest and concentrate on the affairs of the solar system.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:27 am and sunset will occur at
9:12 pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:35 am and 9:14 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:28 am and set at 9:14
pm, giving 15 hours, 46 minutes of daylight (5:36 am and 9:15 pm in
Saint John). The Sun reaches its most northerly declination at 1:24 am
on Wednesday, marking the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

The Moon is at third quarter on the morning of June 17 and it is new
just before midnight next Friday. That it goes through a quarter phase
in less than seven days indicates it is near perigee, its closest to
Earth, at which time it orbits faster. Perigee occurs on Friday morning,
bringing very high tides for next weekend. Jupiter and Saturn will
delight evening observers for the next few months. On Monday a telescope
at high magnification might reveal Jupiter’s moons Io and Europa in
transit before 10:27 pm. A somewhat easier task will be observing the
shadows of those moons on the planet’s cloud tops between 11:04 and
11:38 pm. Saturn is at its best viewing for the next 15 years, just past
opposition and with the rings about as wide open as they get.

Venus rises two hours before the Sun and dominates the morning sky with
its brilliance. Mercury is at superior conjunction behind the Sun on
Wednesday, and it will join Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky early
next month. Mars is pretty much on summer vacation. It won’t be readily
visible until mid-September in the morning sky.

If you have yet to plan your summer vacation, here are some
opportunities to observe the sky through a variety of telescopes. RASC
NB will be participating in a Canada-wide star party on July 29 with
observing at Mactaquac Provincial Park and at the Irving Nature Park in
Saint John. Weekend star parties with RASC NB members and park staff are
being held at Mount Carleton on August 11-13 at the height of the
Perseid meteor shower, at Fundy on September 15-17, and at Kouchibouguac
on September 22-24. The summer astronomical highlight will be a partial
eclipse of the Sun on the afternoon of August 21. RASC NB members will
be offering safe views of this event through filtered telescopes and a
limited number of free eclipse glasses for personal viewing. Locations
will be provided in the August reports.

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

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton