Nature Moncton Nature News: June 21 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 21, 2019 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

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

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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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** Yvette Richard captured a photo of a COMMON GALLINULE [Gallinule poule-d'eau] at the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Thursday, peeking from the cattails. Yvette also got a photo of a female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] with a beak-full of provisions for a developing family.

** Phil Riebel got a great photo of a WARBLING VIREO [Viréo mélodieux] on its nest with his some-distance-away zoom lens. The nest was well concealed in the aspen tree but wind blowing exposed it briefly. This vireo, in true vireo fashion, likes to incorporate spider web into its nest, but will often blend plant fiber with it which seems to be the case in this photo. The Warbling Vireo eye line shows nicely in the photo as well, and it’s on an aspen tree, which it also favours. Almost seems like this vireo read the nest guide!

** The sphinx moths are starting to emerge. Leigh Eaton got a photo of the quite-large WAVED SPHINX MOTH [Sphinx nodule] as it day-perched on a brick window frame in a very public spot at the Medicine Shop on Mapleton Rd. in Moncton. The white discal spot on the mid-wing is a helpful identification feature. Leigh comments that COMMON GRACKLES [Quiscale bronzé] feeding their young are trying to monopolize his feeder area, but the SONG SPARROWS [Bruant chanteur], CHIPPING SPARROWS [Bruant familier], MOURNING DOVES [Tourterelle triste], AMERICAN GOLDFINCH [Chardonneret jaune] and HOUSE FINCH [Roselin familier] persist in getting their share.

** Brian Stone paid a visit to Mapleton Park on Thursday to find lots of activity in this Municipal Park. There seems to be an abundance of HOBOMOK SKIPPER [Hespérie hobomok] activity to get good photos and a 19 second video clip. Take a look at the attached site:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3oaods4zpjcba6v/Hobomok%20Skipper%20Butterflies.MOV?dl=0

WOOLY ALDER APHID colonies were forming which soon should get the interest of the Harvester Butterfly that feeds on the aphid larvae. A nice photo shows an AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique] fledgling already as large as its parent. Note the thickened rubbery commissure of the mouth of the fledgling that it will soon be losing. The male MALLARDS [Canard colvert] were showing signs of going into eclipse non-breeding plumage. The seeds of ASPEN TREES with attached fibers to let them disperse with the wind were everywhere. Some colourful plants photographed were BLUE-EYED GRASS, CLOVER in bloom, JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT with Jack preparing to appear soon, OXEYE DAISY sporting a visiting FLOWER FLY, FIELD PENNYCRESS, HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY with the central flowers yet to open but the attractive side non-reproductive petals doing their thing. Other butterflies spotted were NORTHERN CRESCENT [Croissant nordique], COMMON RINGLET [Satyre fauve] and RED ADMIRAL [Vulcain]. The COMMON WHITETAIL [La lydienne] was the only dragonfly photographed.

** I’m attaching a poor photo of an ALDER FLYCATCHER [Moucherolle des aulnes] from behind. It only allowed one very quick photo but I heard Alder Flycatchers calling from the exact area below the wire. It sure makes identification easy for the difficult empidonax flycatchers when you can connect the call and visual sighting.

** On Tuesday’s Nature Moncton general meeting, entomology professor Gaëtan Moreau gave an excellent presentation on the hymenoptera, the large order of insects that includes bees, wasps, and ants. The talk focused on bees and wasps, touching upon their lives, their means of reproducing (including the fascinating parasitoid wasps), why and how often they sting, and what they do to benefit our lives. Several specimen cases filled with an incredible variety of these insects were placed at the front of the room for all to admire. A lively question and answer period followed the talk. Many thanks to Gaëtan for enlightening us on these important contributors to the environment.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason. The short nights are making sky-watching time shorter.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 June 22 – June 29
After watching the sky for many decades it is nice to see something new. Several people noticed shiny blue clouds stretching northwest to north on the evening of June 12, about an hour after sunset. Possibly, this was the first time noctilucent clouds (NLC) have been seen in southern New Brunswick.

NLCs form in the earth’s mesosphere at an altitude of about 80 kilometres. Water molecules rising to that height attach to smoke particles from disintegrating meteoroids and freeze. Sunlight from below the horizon refracts through the ice clouds, scattering the blue portion of the sunlight back toward the planet. This phenomenon was first seen in polar regions in 1885 after the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano spewed water vapour and gases such as methane high into the atmosphere. In recent decades the NLCs have been spotted at latitudes increasingly farther from the poles. Also, the periods when they are visible are stretching beyond a month either side of the solstices.

Studies of historical NLC reports suggest that these increases in range of latitude and time are related to both global warming and the 11-year sunspot cycle. Methane in the mesosphere undergoes a chemical reaction that produces water vapour, adding to the water vapour rising that high in warmer weather. During the minimum of the sunspot cycle, which we are currently experiencing, the reduced solar activity results in lower levels of the ultraviolet light that breaks up water molecules. Two days after seeing the NLCs in New Brunswick, they were seen at a record low latitude just north of Los Angeles. Satellite measurements of polar atmospheric water vapour showed higher than usual levels this year, which are now decreasing.

Keep an eye out for these electric blue clouds in the northwest about an hour after sunset or in the northeast before sunrise. To get an idea of what to look for you can see pictures of NLCs on the website spaceweather.com, which is the source of my information above.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:28 am and sunset will occur at 9:14 pm, giving 15 hours, 46 minutes of daylight (5:36 am and 9:15 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:30 am and set at 9:14 pm, giving 15 hours, 44 minutes of daylight (5:39 am and 9:16 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is at third quarter on Tuesday, rising at 1:40 am and setting at 1:35 pm. Jupiter is at its highest and best for observing around midnight, and telescope users might see the shadow of its moon Io crossing the planet’s atmosphere late Thursday evening. Saturn is rising around 10 pm this week. Mercury is at greatest elongation from the Sun on Monday and remains within a binocular view to the left of dimmer Mars. Venus rises around the beginning of civil twilight in the morning.

The next RASC NB star party will be at Mactaquac Provincial Park on July 5 - 6.

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

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton