Nature Moncton Nature News: May 6 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

May 6, 2022 (Friday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Tomorrow, Saturday, May 7 is the day Nature Moncton has a field trip scheduled to visit Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail in Elgin.

This special part of New Brunswick is now a protected area to remain untouched as a natural area and has so much to offer. All details of tomorrow’s visit are outlined below:

NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP TO THE MAPLETON ACADIAN FOREST TRAIL IN ELGIN

Date: Saturday May 7th (Rain date: Sunday May 8th)

Time: 9:30 AM

Meeting Place: The Elgin Country Kitchen and General Store (from there, we will go together to the entrance of the trail)

Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail

A full day outing (bring a lunch) to the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail near the village of Elgin is very interesting at any time of year but on May 7th, at the peak of spring, it should be exceptional. The trail winds through a superb example of a mature Acadian forest characterized by a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees growing in a relatively humid environment. This creates fertile soil and good habitat for all kinds of living things that will be waiting for us there.

The Mapleton Acadian Forest Nature Preserve was established in 2016 to conserve in perpetuity this otherwise endangered habitat in the province. The preserve is the result of a partnership between The Elgin Eco Association and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. It covers 160 acres and boasts an excellent 3 km nature trail with several interpretive panels which will help us understand the natural beauties and also historic aspects of the preserve, like an old manganese processing plant from the 1930’s, a sugar camp, and some remnants of old time forestry. On the nature side there will be much to see like huge mature trees of several species, in particular a stand of towering hemlocks several centuries old. Botanists should also find all kinds of woodland plants and flowers just starting to bloom. Mammals, while also present, might be quite shy of humans (and who could blame them). Still we should see signs. For instance nesting boxes have been placed along the trail for Northern Flying Squirrels for which this is perfect habitat. And the timing will certainly also be perfect for birds which should be in full song and display at the start of breeding season. Returning wood warblers should be the star of the birding show and at least 10 to 12 species of those can be expected.

How to get there and difficulty level

The entrance to the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail is located 4.4 km down the NB-895 after turning off the NB-905 just before Elgin. We will meet first at the Elgin Country and Kitchen General Store in Elgin which is located at # 4 River Rd. Take exit 233 from the Trans Canada highway onto NB-905 and follow it down until it changes to River Rd. From the store, we will all go together to the trail entrance, so no one gets lost.

The trail can be described as medium difficulty. There are some hills to be climbed and appropriate footwear and clothing are advised.

**Pat Gibbs has been enjoying a closely bonded pair of Mallard Ducks visiting her Moncton yard for some time now. On Thursday, the pair mated and the bond promptly terminated. When mating was complete, the female put the run to the male in no uncertain terms with the decision her mate had done his duty and she had no requirement for him to be in her life any longer! The female -- after the successful expulsion of the male -- promptly started preening herself from bill to tail. Pat got the scenario in a series of photos that clearly tells the story.

Pat comments it reminded her of the song lyrics that went something like: "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair"!

This is normal procedure for many waterfowl. They pair up and stay in close harmony for a period in the spring but when mating is completed, the female sends the male on his way. The males will then lose their colourful breeding plumage to enter a period known as 'eclipse plumage' and spend the summer doing idle pursuits such as ‘golfing, canoeing, and just loafing about’ not allowed near the female in brooding or in raising the young. The female seems quite content to wave a wing goodbye and raise the family on her own.

**Aldo Dorio has been very fortunate to have a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nest in his Neguac backyard for several seasons now. The first brief appearance of a male to his yard occurred on Friday morning to allow a quick photo.

**Brian Stone made a round of the Memramcook area lagoons on Thursday and found a few subjects to photograph. At the Arthur St./Grand Pre St. lagoon Brian found few birds actually in the lagoon. 2 male and 2 female Ring-necked Ducks and 1 male Northern Pintail Duck that were too far out for a photo. Some of the recently arrived Tree Swallows presented themselves for portraits though. A Song Sparrow perched on the wire fence links to observe the activity.

At the Reid McManus Nature Reserve lagoon Brian photographed a Canada Goose sitting on its nest, a Double Crested Cormorant (editors note: note the distinct double crests of breeding plumage) resting at the water's edge, an American Wigeon pair, and a Northern Shoveler pair. At the other, nearby lagoon off Route 106 Brian saw a pair of American Kestrels (editor's note: note the distinct line of white spots on the trailing edge of the male kestrel in flight) and many Tree Swallows. The lagoon was full of ducks, but most were too far off for photos. The marsh beside the lagoon had a few Swamp Sparrows to offer to the camera.

**It’s Friday and time to review what next week’s night sky may have in store for us courtesy of Curt Nason. Forecast predictions are for lots of clear nights!

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2022 May 7 – May 14
In the second century BCE the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea ranked the stars according to their brightness in six categories called magnitudes (for greatness). The 20 brightest stars were rated first magnitude and the faintest stars were sixth magnitude. This system was retained for two millennia and standardized in the 19th century when much fainter stars were being detected by telescopes and astrophotography. English astronomer Norman Pogson devised a logarithmic system whereby five magnitudes was a difference in star brightness of exactly 100 times. With this system, a magnitude 1 star is about 2.5 times brighter than a magnitude 2 star, and that one is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 3.

For many of us, the faintest star we can detect with the naked eye in a dark sky is sixth magnitude (commonly called mag 6). Vega, the fifth brightest star, is mag 0, slightly dimmer than Arcturus and slightly brighter than Capella. With the ability to measure the exact brightness of stars, their magnitudes are often recorded to one or two decimal places, and negative values are used for very bright objects. Sirius is mag -1.4; Jupiter is currently mag -2.1 and Venus is -4.1. The full Moon is mag -12.6, approximately 400,000 times fainter than the Sun at -26.7. A first magnitude star, of which there are 22, is brighter than mag 1.50; a second magnitude star shines from mag 1.50 to 2.49, and so on.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:57 am and sunset will occur at 8:35 pm, giving 14 hours, 38 minutes of daylight (6:04 am and 8:37 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:47 am and set at 8:43 pm, giving 14 hours, 56 minutes of daylight (5:55 am and 8:46 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is near the Beehive star cluster in Cancer on Saturday, International Astronomy Day, and it is at first quarter on Sunday. It passes near Regulus in Leo on Monday and Spica in Virgo on Friday, two of the four first magnitude stars that are occasionally occulted by the Moon. Get ready for a total lunar eclipse at the end of next weekend. Mercury is stationary on Tuesday, after which it moves westward relative to the stars and returns to the left of the Pleiades next weekend. Saturn rises around 3 am this weekend, followed by Mars an hour later and then Jupiter and Venus. Venus rapidly pulls away from the planetary pack while Mars speeds toward a close conjunction with Jupiter near the end of the month.

On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.

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