Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 23 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 23, 2022

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**A male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was spotted Thursday on High Marsh Road in the Tantramar Marsh by Tim Corner and subsequently some local birders got a surprise early Christmas present. Brilliant blue in color, thin bill, long wings in relation to other bluebird species, limited white on the belly, and no rufous on the chest. Gorgeous specimen!

The bird was actively working the north fence line heading towards the covered bridge feeding along the way. Andrew watched the bird catch and consume some type of grub as it moved along the fence posts. Several birders got great views of this beautiful bird, but it disappeared shortly afterward and was not relocated on Wednesday. This was the third MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD Andrew has seen this year a (lifer in Ontario in the spring and 2 here in NB this winter) but he had never seen a male. What a stunning bird! And just two weeks after the female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was found in Murray's Corner on December 14. What a month here for birders in the area.

(Editor’s note: this is yet another bird species that has joined us far from its normal range. The Mountain Bluebird summer range is in western North America normally overwintering in the Southern US. With the weather there this week, it is probably quite pleased to be in New Brunswick!)

**Jamie and Karen Burris had a beautiful male Pileated Woodpecker visit their Riverview yard on Monday, check out the talons on this fellow!

Jamie also sends 2 photos from the Christmas Bird Count. One is of a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings and the other is a Golden-crowned Kinglet showing off its yellow slippers!

**It’s Friday and time to check in on what next week’s night sky has in store for us for the last week of 2022 courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2022 December 24 – December 31
This week, check out the eastern sky around 10 pm to hunt down four dogs, three cats, two bears, a hare, a snake and a crab. Oh, and a unicorn if you believe in them.

Start looking toward the southeast where Orion is hunting. Below his feet is Lepus the Hare, staying immobile in hopes that Orion’s canine companions overlook him. Following Orion’s belt to the left brings you to sparkling Sirius at the heart of Canis Major the Big Dog, and it doesn’t take a great imagination to see a dog in this group of stars. Orion’s shoulders and head form an arrowhead that points toward bright Procyon, one of only a few visible stars in Canis Minor the Little Dog. Use your imagination to see Monoceros the Unicorn between the two dogs.

Now find the Big Dipper in the northeast. It forms the rear haunches and tail of Ursa Major the Big Bear, and from a rural area the legs and head of the bear can be seen easily. The two stars at the front of the bowl of the Dipper point northward to Polaris at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper, which is officially Ursa Minor the Little Bear. Below the handle of the Big Dipper are the two main stars and hounds of Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs, seemingly nipping at the big bear’s butt.

Well below the bowl of the Big Dipper is Leo the Lion, recognized by the stellar backward question mark of its chest and mane, with Regulus as its foreleg and a triangle forming its tail and hind legs. A faint triangle of stars between Leo and the Big Dipper is Leo Minor, the Little Lion. The third cat is Lynx, a faint line of stars running from Little Leo and past the front of Ursa Major. Between Regulus and Procyon is the head of Hydra the Water Snake, which will take much of the night to rise completely; and faint, crabby Cancer is above Hydra’s head.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:59 am and sunset will occur at 4:37 pm, giving 8 hours, 38 minutes of daylight (8:01 am and 4:45 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 8:01 am and set at 4:43 pm, giving 8 hours, and 42 minutes of daylight (8:03 am and 4:51 pm in Saint John).

The slim crescent Moon makes a tight triangle with Mercury and Venus low over the southwest horizon at 5 pm this Saturday, but binoculars will be needed. The Moon is at first quarter on Thursday evening when it pays Jupiter a visit. Mercury and Venus are paired up on Wednesday, with Mercury sitting half a binocular field above and Venus setting 75 minutes after the Sun. Mars is at its highest before 10:30 pm, and Saturn is setting around 8:30 so observe it early. On Tuesday a telescope will show Jupiter’s icy moon Europa disappear behind the planet at 6:17 pm, reappear on the other side at 8:53, and then disappear into the planet’s shadow 12 minutes later until it reappears at 11:34.

The Sunday Night Astronomy Show is taking a two-week vacation, but you can watch previous episodes on the YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay. Better yet, if it isn’t cloudy pick out those critters in the night sky.

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