NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 10, 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)
**Our own David Christie has been
chosen to be inducted into the ORDER OF NEW BRUNSWICK.
Jim Wilson has worded it so well,
am going to quote his words below for those who may not be on the naturenb
listserv:
“A news
release was issued this afternoon by the office of the
Lieutenant-Governor,
listing the names of ten outstanding New Brunswickers who will receive the
Order of New Brunswick on November 4th. Included in the ten is our own David
Christie!
As most of
you know, David is one of the pioneer naturalists of the past six decades and
has done a tremendous amount of work on many, many projects both on his own and
also working closely with Mary Majka with whose family David has been closely
associated for most of his adult life.
To quote the news release, David will receive
this honour "for his significant contribution in expanding our
understanding of New Brunswick natural history, for his support of land
conservation, and for the role he played in raising awareness about the
importance of protecting the province's unique areas and creatures."
The Order
of New Brunswick (O.N.B.) is the Province's highest civilian honour and only
170 accomplished individuals have been invested since the Order was established
in 2000. As Premier Higgs noted in today’s news release, "Each of the 2021
recipients is an example of what can be accomplished when thoughtful, committed
and passionate people put their
hands to
work to make a difference for their families, friends, communities and New
Brunswickers."
Today's
news release can be found at
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2021.09.0624.html
Congratulations
David! Well deserved!”
**Brian Stone met Rose-Alma
Mallet's group at Dorchester lagoon and saw the same 70 BLACK-BELLID PLOVERS
there. One of the plover photos is sent at a large size so one can zoom in a
bit. It has 2 RED KNOTS at the right side, marked by arrows in one of
the smaller photos.
He went to Louise Nichol's YELLOW
LADIES’-TRESSES orchid grouping on her Aulac property to see how they were
doing and got several photos. These were previously identified as indeed the rare
Yellow Ladies’-Tresses orchid by an expert on this species. Ten are now
blooming near the bog on her property.
A RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY was
photographed at the end of the outing for a final treat.
He stopped in at Bis Marsh in
Dieppe and saw large numbers of ducks and birds, but binoculars were not
powerful enough to identify them. He also checked the Arthur St. lagoon in
Memramcook and photographed two of the RING-NECKED DUCKS present along
with an AMERICAN KESTREL perching on wires.
Another stop was at the
Dorchester lagoon where he saw the 70 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS flying and
perching reported by Rose Alma Mallet's group. (Editor’s note: the flight shots
nicely show the black ‘armpits’ of this species). A few RED KNOTS were
mixed in with the group.
Brian arrived at the Sackville
water retention pond (Lorne and St. James Street) at the same time as Rose Alma
Mallet's group and with Louise Nichols searched for the hoped for sandpipers and
managed to locate 2 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER
with the hoped for Stilt Sandpiper not in sight. Some SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHERS were mixed in with the GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS
and a pair of TURKEY VULTURES cruised overhead.
Brian also photographed a group
of RING-BILLED GULLS. The gull in the middle (arrowed) is going into its
1st winter plumage with the remainder being adults showing the
winter dark head streaking.
** Aldo Dorio sends two photos of an
immature BALD EAGLE that really shows the variability of the immature
plumage of the bird with this specimen showing lots of white patching. The bill is showing very little yellow to
suggest a fairly young immature bird.
** On the Nature Moncton field trip to
Petit-Cap on Sunday, a few expired MOON SNAIL SHELLS were noted riddled
with small holes and we wondered what might be the perpetrator. In consult with Alyre Chiasson, he promptly
recognized it as caused by a BORING SPONGE of the Cliona
species. Alyre provided a few links that
describe the activity which often refer to oysters and scallops more, but these
are probably cited because they are a commercial entity where a Moon Snail is
not.
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/aah-saa/diseases-maladies/sbsoy-eng.html
** It’s Friday and time to review what
next week’s night sky has in store to see, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason. Mother Nature is going to keep some night sky
views from us with all the rain expected to make clear nights more special.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 September 11 – September 18
Two stellar crowns are included among the 88 official constellations. Both are
above our horizon around 8 pm but one requires an unobstructed and a
near-pristine sky to the south. Both crowns arise from mythological tales of
the popular demigod Dionysus (Bacchus in Roman mythology), the god of
wine.
Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is a pretty semicircle of stars situated
high in the west, one third of the way from Arcturus to Vega. In mythology,
Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She helped Theseus slay the
bull-headed Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth, and she accompanied him and
his crew on a voyage home to Athens where they were to wed. Along the way they
stopped at the island home of Dionysus, who was a great and wily host. After a
night of revelry Theseus was forced into leaving without Ariadne, and Dionysus
presented her with a beautiful crown if she would be his bride. The crown was
placed in the sky to commemorate their wedding.
The Sagittarius Teapot asterism is low in the south at 9 pm this week, and
Corona Australis, the Southern Crown, rides the horizon below. This semicircle
of stars is sometimes called the lemon wedge asterism, to go with the teapot
and the teaspoon above the teapot’s handle. Dionysus was the result of an
affair between Zeus and a mortal woman. The gods had to be careful in such
affairs as mortals could not withstand the full passionate heat of their
embrace. Vengeful Hera, the wife of Zeus, tricked the now-pregnant woman into
requesting Zeus hold her as he would a goddess, and as expected she did not
survive. The unborn child was sewn into the thigh of Zeus and raised by his
aunt after birth. Later, Dionysus honoured his mother by placing a wreath in
the sky. Such a start in life would drive anyone to drink.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:52 am and sunset will occur at 7:37 pm,
giving 12 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (6:58 am and 7:42 pm in Saint John).
Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:01 am and set at 7:24 pm, giving 12 hours,
23 minutes of daylight (7:06 am and 7:28 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Monday; see if you can spot the Lunar X with a
telescope around 5 pm, just within shadow line. The waxing gibbous Moon
slides below Saturn and Jupiter on Thursday and Friday. Jupiter’s Red Spot can
be seen with a telescope around 7 pm Wednesday and 9 pm on Friday. Mercury is
at greatest elongation on Sunday evening but it is less than a binocular field
above the horizon 20 minutes after sunset. Venus is only 10 degrees high at
that time, due to the shallow angle of the ecliptic on September evenings.
Rural observers might catch sight of the zodiacal light in the east 60-90
minutes before sunrise, which is more readily visible due to the steep angle of
the ecliptic on September mornings.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
