Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 21 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Oct 21, 2022 (Friday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Aldo Dorio noted 15 Horned Larks at Hay Island on Thursday. The small black ‘horns’ are not visible in the photo. These structures are not as visible in the female, or this just may be a bird in non-breeding plumage. Conspicuous in flight is the mostly black tail with white outer feathers and brown central feathers that appear black from below.

** Brian Stone walked around the Highland Park trail in Salisbury on Thursday to get a bit of fresh air in the break from the damp, cloudy weather that has been hanging around lately. He got some (great) photos of an American Coot and some of the dozens of Green-winged Teal Ducks that were present. One teal was preening on a perch in the water and when another teal approached, it dipped back in the water and the other teal took its place on the perch and began preening. Very cooperative ducks. Brian also saw a female Northern Cardinal and a couple of the Common Gallinules, but they remained out of reach of the camera. A couple of very large, basketball-sized Nests caught Brian's eye as the falling leaves left them exposed. (Editor’s note: comments on such large grass constructed nests would be appreciated. Brian comments they were too high to note if there was an open bowl from above, so Deer Mouse winter nests is a possibility).

Brian noticed a last-of-season fresh Dandelion flower and photographed a Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Editor’s note: this larval caterpillar of the Isabella Tiger moth will overwinter in the caterpillar stage) and a Salt Marsh Caterpillar that waddled slowly across his path as he walked.

Nature Moncton has 2 Field Trips Scheduled for November which I will give a heads-up for today so the dates of November 12 and November 26 can be slotted off. The write ups are below and they will be repeated near the scheduled dates:

NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP – NORTHUMBERLAND COAST OUTING: PORT ELGIN TO CAPE JOURIMAIN

Date: Saturday, November 12^th (rain date: November 13^th)

Time: 8:15 AM (or 9:00 AM) to late afternoon (or as long as folks want to stay)

Meeting Place: a) Behind Burger King at Champlain Mall (8:15 AM)

b) Shell gas station, Port Elgin (9:00 AM)

Guides: Roger Leblanc and Louise Nichols

When you think of great birding, what comes to mind first is the migration periods of May and September. But although those are times when birds are moving in big numbers with such breathtaking phenomena as the return of warblers in spring and the passage of shorebirds in fall, did you know that statistically the best month for mega-rarities is actually November? But at any time, location, location, location is the magic word. And one of the best places to go looking around here in November is the most south-easterly part of the province along the Northumberland coast from Port Elgin to Cape Jourimain National Wildlife area. And so that is where Nature Moncton is proposing a full day outing.

What to expect and where

At this time of year, variety will be lower than it would be in spring, but lots of species are on winter territory or still on the move, in particular water-loving birds like ducks and gulls that can be in huge numbers at specific spots. For that reason, our first stop will be the Port Elgin water treatment lagoon where high numbers of sea ducks and Bonaparte’s Gulls could be present with whatever else might have followed them there. From there we will follow the coast, stopping at many well-known spots (and some maybe not so well known) on the shore but also inland. There we will look again for water birds but also upland species. We will continue our adventure with a stop at Cape Tormentine where the village and the infrastructure of the closed down ferry terminal as well as the still active wharf have proven time and again to be attractive at that time of year to many interesting species. We will then finish our day with a stop at the Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area where the many ponds and trails on the peninsula have also been magnets in the past for some very good birds in late fall. So all in all, we should be in for a good number of species and who knows what “rare one” might be present at some of those spots that have proven over the years to be very productive in November.

Where to meet and when

Those in the Moncton area who wish to carpool to Port Elgin can meet Roger Leblanc at 8:15 AM behind the Burger King in the Champlain Mall parking lot. Others can meet Louise Nichols at 9:00 AM in the parking lot of the Shell gas station on Hwy 16 at the Port Elgin roundabout.

Bring a lunch. All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

** NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP – RAPTORS IN THE TANTRAMAR

Date: Saturday, November 26^th (rain date: Sunday, November 27^th)

Time: 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Meeting Place: The Tourist Information Centre at the end of Mallard Drive, Sackville.

Guides: Roger Leblanc and Louise Nichols

Are you someone who is interested in learning more about identification of hawks and other raptors? Would you like to learn ways to distinguish one species from another even if they are viewed at a distance with a scope? If so, this outing will give you the chance to see some of these birds and learn some helpful hints on how to ID them.

No doubt, birds of prey are a fascinating part of the birding world and one of the best places to see them in winter is the Tantramar Marsh near Sackville. By the end of November, some of the bigger hawks, harriers and eagles can all be seen hunting for prey. Red-tailed Hawks can usually be found in this area -- and by this time, Rough-legged Hawks, some of which spend the winter with us, have usually returned. In addition to these hawk species, Bald Eagles are in abundance and, if you’re lucky, perhaps a Golden Eagle, one of which was present in this area for a number of consecutive years. Also some years you can still find some lingering Northern Harriers looking for food in the marsh as well as Short-eared Owls. As winter approaches, it may even be possible to spot a Snowy Owl in the fields attracted there by the same “all you can eat rodent buffet” created by the grain left in the fields. And then there is always a possible surprise visitor.

So if you’re interested in learning more about raptors and seeing some in action, join us on November 26^th (rain date, the 27^th) for this outing. We will meet at the Tourist Information Centre in Sackville where we can arrange some carpooling to travel out to High Marsh Rd and some of the other marsh roads in Sackville. Bring binoculars and a scope if you have one and bring a snack or lunch as we will continue into the early part of the afternoon.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not

**It’s Friday and time to review what the coming week’s night sky has in store for us courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2022 October 22 – October 29
The western side of the Square of Pegasus points southward to the solitary bright star Fomalhaut in the mouth of Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Fomalhaut is the 18th brightest star in our night sky, and astronomers have known it is surrounded by discs of debris for many years. In 2008 an exoplanet was imaged near the inner edge of a disc, but more recent images suggest it could be an expanding disc of dust caused by a collision. The eastern side of Pegasus points down to Diphda, the brightest star in the tail of Cetus the Whale. A circlet of stars well to the east forms the head of the whale.

Between Piscis Austrinus and Cetus is the dim constellation Sculptor, which is a shortened version of its original name, Apparatus Sculptoris (the sculptor’s studio), given by Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. By 11 pm it is low in the south but it does have a prominent marker. Use binoculars to seek out a long triangle of dim stars stretching eastward from Fomalhaut, but don’t be discouraged if your attempt to locate Sculptor is a bust.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:45 am and sunset will occur at 6:20 pm, giving 10 hours, 35 minutes of daylight (7:49 am and 6:27 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:55 am and set at 6:09 pm, giving 10 hours, 14 minutes of daylight (7:59 am and 6:16 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is new on Tuesday, beginning a stretch of moonless mornings that could make the zodiacal light visible in the east from rural areas an hour before sunrise. Mercury is below the slim crescent Moon Monday morning, rising an hour before sunrise. Venus is at superior conjunction behind the Sun this Saturday, out of sight until it emerges from evening twilight in December. Saturn is stationary on Sunday, after which it resumes eastward motion relative to the stars. As twilight fades on Wednesday evening telescope users might see the shadows of two Jovian moons on Jupiter’s clouds; with the shadow of Europa exiting at 7:25, followed by Ganymede’s at 8:07. Mars is brightening rapidly as Earth approaches, rivalling the brightest star Sirius by next weekend. Early risers this Saturday might notice a few meteors streaking from Orion’s upraised club as the Orionid shower is just past its peak.

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.