Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 28 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 28, 2018 (Friday)

Please advise editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

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** Tomorrow -- Saturday September 29^th -- is the Nature Moncton field trip to the Beausejour marshland area and the write-up is repeated at the end of this message due to a lack of email deliveries on Thursday, and it also was not placed on the website until yesterday. Sorry for this delay and I hope lots are able to participate in this special field trip.

** Jane Leblanc was greeted by a RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY [Vulcain] nectaring on Asters at her home in St. Martin’s on Thursday. It would appear fairly fresh in Jane’s photo. This has not seemed to have been a good year for this butterfly species.

** John Inman had an adult COOPER'S HAWK [Épervier de Cooper] come by his 220 Mary’s Pt. Rd. feeder yard on Tuesday. It was standing over a captured ROCK PIGEON [Pigeon biset], then dragged it off out of sight into some vegetation.

** Brian Stone visited Mapleton Park on Thursday. He found 6 WOOD DUCKS [Canard branchu] there. The males were almost in full breeding plumage, already seeming to have gone out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage. A GRAY CATBIRD [Moqueur chat] was offering its opinion, and a HONEYSUCKLE BUSH was supporting an abundant crop of berries. Note the frequent twin berries of Honeysuckles. We have several varieties in New Brunswick. Some are introduced and some natives.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in today’s edition, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September 29 – October 6
Major League Baseball playoff season kicks off, or rather throws out the first pitch, on Tuesday and they always arrange to have the Great Square of Pegasus form a diamond in the eastern sky for evening games. 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 binoculars 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. It might resemble a pool of champagne on the clubhouse floor of the World Series champions. Go Expos!

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:15 am and sunset will occur at 7:03 pm, giving 11 hours, 48 minutes of daylight (7:19 am and 7:08 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:24 am and set at 6:49 pm, giving 11 hours, 25 minutes of daylight (7:28 am and 6:55 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is at third quarter on Tuesday and makes a binocular pairing with M44, the Beehive star cluster, before twilight on Thursday morning. Venus is stationary on Friday, preparing to make its sunward plunge toward inferior conjunction three weeks later. Jupiter’s Red Spot is facing our way shortly after 7 pm on Tuesday, and with the giant planet getting lower after sunset our chances of seeing the Red Spot again this year diminish rapidly. Saturn and Mars will be the main targets for stargazers over the next two weeks.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on Saturday, October 6 at 7 pm. All are welcome.

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

Marshland Outing – follow-up to Acadian Dykes Presentation

Date: September 29, 2018

Moncton Meeting Time: 8:00 A.M.

Meeting Place: Champlain Place parking lot behind the Burger King

Aulac Meeting Time: 8:30 A.M.

Meeting Place: Irving Station Parking lot in Aulac

Guide: Roger Leblanc

Many of the great birding and nature watching spots in our region are situated in or around salt marshes, as are several towns and cities. But these habitats have also been used historically for agricultural production. The intensive dike and water control methods used for this are considered one of the first engineering feats on the continent and a monument has even been erected by the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering to recognize this.

As Nature Moncton’s September meeting featured a presentation on this subject we thought it would be a good idea to do a follow-up outing to the diked marsh below Fort Beauséjour near the NB -NS border where it is still possible to see the remnants of this work as well as the monument. Bird life and nature are also very present there at this time, so this would be a chance to mix a bit of history and nature observation. The outing will be led by our own Roger Leblanc and the meeting point for the outing and car pooling will be at 8:00 AM Saturday the 29 of September in the Champlain Place parking lot behind the Burger King. Those who wish to join us from the Sackville/Amherst area could meet the group at 8:30 in the Irving Station Parking lot in Aulac. This will be a full day outing. Bring a lunch, check the weather and dress accordingly.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton