NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June
4, 2021 (Friday)
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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)
** Oscar LeBlanc reports an interesting
scenario in his Sainte-Marie yard. A
pair of EASTERN
KINGBIRDS [Tyran tritri] nested
successfully in a conifer tree near his home last summer. He removed the nest over the winter. He now has a pair of Eastern Kingbirds
nesting in exactly the same branch again.
Oscar comments that he heard in a bird behaviour script that birds tend
to nest in the same area every year but was surprised in this case that it was
right to the same branch!
Oscar also reports he’s seeing EASTERN BLUEBIRDS
[Merlebleu de l'Est] around his
many swallow nest boxes, but only males at this point. Oscar’s swallows are back and many boxes
already occupied.
** Jane LeBlanc photographed a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
[Sittelle à poitrine rousse] peering out
of its cavity nest. The photo does not
show it clearly, but the Red-breasted Nuthatch places sticky balsam at the
bottom of the opening to deter predators, but they are quite able to have the
family moving in and out avoiding it.
Jane comments that the pair seem to be taking shreds of lichen into the
nest cavity.
Jane also got a nice photo of a MAGNOLIA WARBLER
[Paruline à tête cendrée] sounding its short loud vocalization.
Note the split white eye ring and the heavy dark barring of the chest of
this warbler and the heavy white wing band of the male in Brian Stone’s photos
of this warbler.
** Evan Smith shares an interesting
experience with a PORCUPINE [Porc-épic d'Amerique] at Wickham on June 2nd. It was the largest Porcupine he had ever
seen. He was sitting in his vehicle when
he saw it walking on the road. From a
distance, he had no idea what it was. As
it got closer, Evan got out and stood by his vehicle on the driver’s side and
the Porcupine continued on. It walked
right by on the passenger’s side and was making a grunting noise
continuously. It was well aware Evan was
there, but never looked at him. Within 5
feet or so from it, he could hear it and got a real good look at it, and as
said, it was huge. It walked about 10
feet past him and then over the bank and into the woods. Take note of the eyes and the claws of the
front paw. It respected Evan’s space and
he sure respected the Porcupine’s space.
A very interesting encounter. I
would wonder from the size and eye changes and the paw shape if this might be
an elderly animal??
** Aldo Dorio got a nice portrait of a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant
des prés] at Hay
Island on Thursday. This is a common
sparrow on the boardwalks there that is more cooperative than the Nelson’s
Sparrows that are common there and heard making their distinctive call, but
hard to get to see out in the open. Note
the blurred yellow lore, the striping on the breast and modestly short tail of
our Savannah Sparrow.
Aldo also got a few photos of a GRAY
CATBIRD that nicely show the chestnut undertail coverts that are often not
noted.
**Maureen Girvan shares two portrait photos of the
male and female PURPLE FINCH to show the significant gender plumage difference.
Note the more conservatively plumaged female with the distinct white
supercilium over the eye the similar female House Finch does not have. The
House Finch tail apex is rounded while the Purple Finch tail apex is notched as
another clue.
** On Tuesday June 1st,
Brian Stone walked in the wooded area behind Crandall University for the first
time this year to see what wildlife might present itself for a photo. On the way in, he saw several recent warbler
arrivals in the trees along the trail, including MAGNOLIA WARBLERS [Paruline à
tête cendrée], CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
[Paruline à flancs marron], YELLOW WARBLERS [Paruline
jaune], (Editor’s
note: note the muted lines on the breast of the female compared to the reddish
streaking on the breast of the male) NORTHERN PARULA [Paruline à
collier], BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS
[Paruline noir et blanc], and he
heard at least four separate ALDER FLYCATCHERS [Moucherolle des aulnes] that were too shy to present
themselves. Alongside the trail he
noticed a COMMON EASTERN BUMBLBEE investigating newly blooming Lupin flowers, a
SIX-SPOTTED TIGER BEETLE landed within range of the camera, and some other
spring flowers were blooming. NORTHERN
AZURE [Azur printainier nordique], SILVERY BLUE [Bleu argenté], CABBAGE WHITE [Piéride du chou] and CLOUDED SULPHUR [Argynne de
l’Atlantique] butterflies were nectaring and posing. In a puddle on the road/trail, he found a lot
of pond life that will soon need a new home as their world begins to dry
up. There were tiny TADPOLES that might
be young toads, SALAMANDAR LARVAE that were already an inch long, PREDACIOUS
DIVING BEETLE larvae, WHIRLYGIG BEETLES, SNAILS, and a large selection of life
for a small puddle. In the woods, PINK
LADYSLIPPER ORCHIDS were not quite in full bloom. STAR FLOWERS, CLINTONIA, WINTER-CRESS. and BUNCHBERRY
plants were coming along nicely. Upon
returning home, Brian noticed BLISTER BEETLES swarming the Choke Cherry flowers
in his backyard.
Brian also photographed a SNOWSHOE HARE
showing ticks attached, especially to the ear and head. This tick species is
very host specific to the hare(and domestic rabbits) and would not attach to
humans.
** The warmer nights are bringing on
moths to my moth attracter light, and the sphinx moths that arrive are always a
treat. The large colourful POLYPHEMOUS
MOTH arrived along with the ONE-EYED SPHINX, SMALL-EYED SPHINX, and a COLUMBIA
SILKWORM MOTH. The Columbia Silkworm
Moth has similarities to the large Cecropia Moth. The Columbia Silkworm Moth is usually
noticeably smaller and lacks the extensive red markings of the Cecropia
Moth. The Columbia Silkworm Moth is more
uncommon. A few of the medium-sized
zales also dropped by: the INTENT ZALE
and the COLOURFUL ZALE. Although the
light was low, they allowed some open-winged views to see all those
scary-looking “eyes” to warn predators.
** It’s Friday and time to review the
next week’s Sky-at-a-Glace, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June
5 – 12, 2021
The astronomical highlight for New Brunswick this week is a partial solar
eclipse on Thursday morning at sunrise, from 5:38 to 7:38. At the peak, around
6:36, approximately 75% of the Sun’s surface area will be covered by the Moon.
This is our best solar eclipse since August 11, 1999, when more than 90% of the
Sun was covered.
Solar eclipses occur at new Moon, but since the lunar orbit is tilted to
Earth’s orbit by five degrees (ten times the Moon’s apparent diameter) it is
usually above or below the Sun at that phase. For a period of a few weeks,
twice a year, new Moon occurs when it is near to crossing Earth’s orbit and
there will be a partial, annular or total eclipse somewhere on the planet. With
a total eclipse, a rarity at any one location, the Moon’s shadow races across
part of Earth on a path 100 to 200 kilometres wide. Locations outside of the
shadow get a partial eclipse, with percent coverage decreasing with distance.
An annular eclipse, which this one will be in northern Ontario and Quebec,
occurs when the Moon is near apogee and its apparent width is smaller than that
of the Sun.
Staring at the Sun without proper eye protection can cause permanent eye
damage, even blindness, and since the eye has no pain receptors you may not
notice any damage for several hours. Proper protection is #14 welder’s glass or
approved eclipse viewers / glasses from a reputable dealer. Note that these are
not safe for use with binoculars and telescopes; other filters can be purchased
for this purpose. A cheap and effective way to view the partial eclipse is to
project the sunlight through a pinhole onto a white surface. Check the Internet
for methods of doing this. Or, use Nature’s projection method by looking at the
shadows of leaves, which often have tiny holes to project the Sun’s image.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:29 am and sunset will occur at 9:06 pm,
giving 15 hours, 37 minutes of daylight (5:37 am and 9:08 pm in Saint
John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:27 am and set at 9:10 pm,
giving 15 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (5:35 am and 9:12 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new early Thursday morning, passing across much of the Sun over two
hours as they rise. The slim crescent will be within a binocular view to the
lower right of Venus on Friday evening. Mercury is setting with the Sun early
in the week, and it is at inferior conjunction on Thursday. Mars’s eastward
motion against the stars brings it in line with the Gemini Twins on Tuesday.
Saturn and Jupiter are well placed for observing for nighthawks or very early
risers, and by late in the month the two gas giants will be rising before
midnight.
With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold you can watch the local
Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube
at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
