NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 23, 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.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check into the website at www.naturemoncton.com
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: Catherine Johnson. johnson2@xplornet.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 <tel:506-384-6397>(384-NEWS)
To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com<mailto:nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>.
**Last
call to the Nature Moncton Shorebird Event day coming tomorrow Saturday, August
24th.
No doubt the first call, after the morning workshop,
will be the Riverview Marsh with all the recent activity there. It seems
like something new is showing up there every day. The detailed write-up
on Saturday's event is attached below.
HERE COME THE
SHOREBIRDS
WORKSHOP AND
OUTING
Date: August 24th, 2019
Time: Workshop will begin at 10:00 AM at the Sobey’s
Community Room off Elmwood Dr. (77 Filles de Jesus Ave) in Moncton
The group will leave at 1:00 PM from the parking lot
of Sobey’s for an outing at Petit-Cap (with possible first stop at Riverview
Marsh)
Presenter and Guide: Roger Leblanc
Cost (for workshop): $8.00
Registration (for workshop): Louise Nichols, nicholsl@eastlink.ca
** Those interested may choose to participate in
the workshop alone or in the outing alone.
Even though we are smack in the middle of a beautiful
hot summer, autumn migration has already started. No, not so much those confusing
autumn warblers or hard-to-differentiate flycatchers yet, but shorebirds. Now the
simple mention of shorebirds brings a glazed look to the eyes of many who are
just starting out birding, and for good reasons. There are dozens of species
and they are often seen in mixed flocks. Plus here in the Maritimes, we mostly see them
at a time of year when they have gone (or are going) into drab basic or winter
plumage that is essentially the same for all: a bicolored combination of dark
gray on top, alternating with pale gray on the bottom -- great for hiding from
predators but not so good for birders. Add to that that they are more often
seen far out in marshes or mud flats, and it is understandable that some just
call them peeps and move on to more “reasonable” birds. But shorebirding can be
lots of fun and we are in fact fortunate in our region to be close to some
shorebird migration phenomena that are world class and of global importance. So
how are we supposed to identify those little gray birds all the way out there
on the mud flat that just won’t stand still and kind of all sound the same?
Once again Nature Moncton is coming to the rescue. On
Saturday August 24th we will offer a practical workshop on shorebirds, focusing
on the 15 or so species that we can reasonably expect to see here now. Our own
Roger Leblanc will lead this workshop/outing and will share with us the tricks
of the trade that he has honed over several decades for putting names on most
of the shorebirds of autumn. In the morning workshop he will focus on ID field
marks, but also habitats, behaviors and other clues that help birders more
easily identify the birds. So if you
have been hoping to find something to do bird-wise to bridge the extravanza of
spring birding and the allure of autumn rarities, this is your chance. Don’t miss
it. All are welcome, Nature Moncton
Member or not.
** Bring a lunch and a scope if you have one.
**One of the two MARBLED GODWITS had a close call
after being attacked by a PEREGRINE FALCON on Thursday at the Riverview Marsh.
Several who saw it happen did see the 2 Marbled Godwits later after a
period laying low in grasses on the other side of the pond.
The
WILSON'S PHALAROPE put on a great show in close for folks.
**Rose-Alma
Maillet spotted a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE a few days ago. I did not see it
myself on Thursday but others said they spotted it earlier on the distant
shore, so it appears as all 3 specialties are still there along with a variety
of other shorebirds.
Jamie Burris
shares some recent photos. They had a Hummingbird Clearwing moth who was very
interested in their Evening Primrose patch. In Jamie’s photos, you can see the
clear wings, eye and feeding tube sharply. On a recent trip to Marshville, NS,
Jamie photographed a Semipalmated Plover on the beach and in flight. He also
captured a photo of a honey bee nectaring on their swamp milkweed. The sun was
setting giving it a suit of armour appearance. They also had a Ruby-throated
Hummingbird appear in their Riverview back yard Wednesday and enjoyed their
Gladiolus that are starting to bloom.
**Yvette
Richard visited the Johnson's Mills Interpretative Centre on Wednesday to see a
nice display of shorebirds and sends a photo of a passing flock of SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPERS.
**Debbie
Batog caught a photo of a GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY butterfly sharing a
coneflower bloom with a bee.
**Aldo
Dorio is continuing to see more BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in moulting plumage at
Hay Island. The white supercilium can sometimes make us wonder about
American Golden Plover but the larger bill size suggest Black-bellied Plover
and the crown of the head would be darker in an American Golden Plover and in
most cases at least a hint of golden plumage.
**Brian
Stone got two nice views of a LUNA MOTH caterpillar recently. These big
caterpillars can be hard to see when in trees but are very obvious when motoring
on the ground possibly looking for a site to form a cocoon.
Brian
also spotted a BALD FACED HORNET nest, probably at its maximum basketball size
by now and it was approximately 20ft up in a tree.
**This
week’s Sky at a Glance, for the final week of August is included with this
edition courtesy of guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 August 24 – August 31
One of the prettiest constellations can be seen halfway up in the southeastern sky around 10 pm. Delphinus the Dolphin is composed of a small diamond-shaped asterism with a star tailing off to the right, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture a dolphin leaping out of the sea. Although its stars are not bright, its compact shape is eye-catching. Below it are the watery constellations of Capricornus, Aquarius, Piscis Austrinus and Pisces. In mythology, Poseidon had designs on the sea nymph Amphitrite but she hid on him. A dolphin kept track of her and eventually convinced her that the sea god was an okay guy, and it was rewarded with a place of honour in the sky. The diamond part of the constellation has also been called Job’s Coffin but the origin of this is unknown.
Above Delphinus, and within the Summer Triangle, are two other small constellations called Sagitta the Arrow and Vulpecula the Fox. Like Delphinus, Sagitta does resemble its namesake but apparently the fox is too sly to give itself away readily. Sagitta is supposedly the arrow shot by Hercules to kill an eagle (Aquila) that had been commanded by Zeus to peck out the liver of Prometheus each day to punish him for giving humans the secret of fire. Binoculars might reveal the tiny gaseous remnants of an expired star, called the Dumbbell Nebula or M27, above the arrowhead, and the Coathanger Cluster is to the upper right of the fletching.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:29 am and sunset will occur at 8:12 pm, giving 13 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (6:35 am and 8:16 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:37 am and set at 7:59 pm, giving 13 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (6:44 am and 8:03 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new and at perigee on August 30, making for a great long weekend of dark sky observing and extreme tides. Jupiter dominates the first half of the evening this week, while Saturn will be a better target in the latter half. Telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot around 9 pm on Monday and 10:45 pm on Wednesday. Mercury rises an hour before the Sun this weekend but rises by only 20 minutes sooner next weekend.
The annual RASC NB Fundy Stargaze will be held on August 30 and 31 at the Herring Cove campsite in Fundy National Park.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
One of the prettiest constellations can be seen halfway up in the southeastern sky around 10 pm. Delphinus the Dolphin is composed of a small diamond-shaped asterism with a star tailing off to the right, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture a dolphin leaping out of the sea. Although its stars are not bright, its compact shape is eye-catching. Below it are the watery constellations of Capricornus, Aquarius, Piscis Austrinus and Pisces. In mythology, Poseidon had designs on the sea nymph Amphitrite but she hid on him. A dolphin kept track of her and eventually convinced her that the sea god was an okay guy, and it was rewarded with a place of honour in the sky. The diamond part of the constellation has also been called Job’s Coffin but the origin of this is unknown.
Above Delphinus, and within the Summer Triangle, are two other small constellations called Sagitta the Arrow and Vulpecula the Fox. Like Delphinus, Sagitta does resemble its namesake but apparently the fox is too sly to give itself away readily. Sagitta is supposedly the arrow shot by Hercules to kill an eagle (Aquila) that had been commanded by Zeus to peck out the liver of Prometheus each day to punish him for giving humans the secret of fire. Binoculars might reveal the tiny gaseous remnants of an expired star, called the Dumbbell Nebula or M27, above the arrowhead, and the Coathanger Cluster is to the upper right of the fletching.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:29 am and sunset will occur at 8:12 pm, giving 13 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (6:35 am and 8:16 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:37 am and set at 7:59 pm, giving 13 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (6:44 am and 8:03 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new and at perigee on August 30, making for a great long weekend of dark sky observing and extreme tides. Jupiter dominates the first half of the evening this week, while Saturn will be a better target in the latter half. Telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot around 9 pm on Monday and 10:45 pm on Wednesday. Mercury rises an hour before the Sun this weekend but rises by only 20 minutes sooner next weekend.
The annual RASC NB Fundy Stargaze will be held on August 30 and 31 at the Herring Cove campsite in Fundy National Park.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
BALD-FACED HORNET NEST.AUG 22, 2019. .BRIAN STONE
BALD-FACED HORNET NEST.AUG 22, 2019. .BRIAN STONE
BELTED KINGFISHER. (MALE) AUG 22, 2019. ALDO DORIO
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. AUG 22, 2019. ALDO DORIO
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. AUG 22, 2019. ALDO DORIO
Delphinus 2019
GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY SHARING A CONEFLOWER BLOOM WITH A BEE. AUG 22, 2019. DEBBIE BATOG
HONEY BEE AUG 1 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING MOTH JULY 26 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
LUNA MOTH CATERPILLAR. AUG 20, 2019. BRIAN STONE
LUNA MOTH CATERPILLAR. AUG 20, 2019. BRIAN STONE
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD AUG 21 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD AUG 21 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD AUG 21 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS AUG 21, 2019 YVETTE RICHARD
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER AUG 4 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER AUG 4 2019 JAMIE BURRIS
WHITE-TAILED DEER (DOE). AUG 22, 2019. BRIAN STONE
WILSON'S PHALAROPE AND LESSER YELLOWLEGS. AUG 22, 2019. NELSON POIRIER
WILSON'S PHALAROPE AND MALLARD DUCKS. AUG 22, 2019. NELSON POIRIER
WILSON'S PHALAROPE. AUG 22, 2019. NELSON POIRIER