Nature Moncton Nature News: Dec 30 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Dec 30, 2022

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading thanks to Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Shannon Inman captured nice photos Thursday of a newly arrived Common Redpoll and the Lincoln’s Sparrow that has been patronizing the Inman’s feeder yard for a few weeks. (Editor’s note: Common Redpoll do not seem to be abundant this year, but some flocks have been observed and this is the time they often visit feeder yards as their food supply diminishes.)

John comments that to save a mess they section an apple into half and scoop out the core and put in a spoon of grape jelly which the Baltimore oriole is pleased with.

**American Crows assemble in town roosts, sometimes in surprisingly large numbers at the end of the day and disburse to foraging areas in the mornings. They tend to have favoured sites and will return to those sites each night unless a disturbance alters their plans. They will continue this scenario throughout the winter.

Maureen Girvan took note of such a group assembling for the night in tall trees near Skipper Jack’s restaurant site on Mapleton Rd. in Moncton. Check out the activity at Maureen’s video link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2d8fb1czvnvjxya/Video%202022-12-29%2C%206%2031%2046%20PM.mov?dl=0

**Georges Brun is noting 2 Peregrine Falcons are sometimes perched on the "A" logo on Assumption Place in Moncton. These would be expected to be the adults or juveniles of the successful nesting at the nest box on the summit of Assumption Place this past summer.

Georges has observed 2 female Northern Harriers on the Riverview Marsh recently. One flew downriver from Hall’s Creek with the second one on the edge of the Petitcodiac River (Riverview side).

Georges is also noting two adult Bald Eagles and one sub-adult. Most Canada Geese have left the area but he did hear a few Wednesday afternoon near the Bore Park area.

There are a dozen plus Rock Doves under the McMonagle Bridge (Main St over Halls Creek). It seems that their colour has gone from a dominant gray to reddish brown with a white band.

**Brian Stone drove the chilly and sometimes snowy coastline from Shediac to Bouctouche on Thursday and sends a few photos from his day. At Bouctouche Brian noticed a group of 3 American Crows chasing a hawk around and through a patch of trees. The hawk finally managed to elude the crows after a few minutes and perched on a tree top resting long enough to be identified as a Red-tailed Hawk. A duo of American Tree Sparrows was hopping through a low shrub not too far away. Along the coast at the Cormierville wharf, Brian photographed a pair of female Red-breasted Mergansers diving with a female Hooded Merganser.

A winter adult Herring Gull perched on a pole looked on disinterestedly. (Editor’s note: note the red and black patch in the area of the gonys which appears in some winter plumage Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls).

**It’s Friday and time to take a look at what next week’s sky has in store for us for the first week of 2023!

Courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2022 December 31 – 2023 January 7
This time of year the brilliant winter constellations really catch the eye, but this is also a good time to revisit some favourites of the past season. If you have a good view to the north, go out around 8 pm to observe two of the best-known asterisms in the sky. To the northwest the Northern Cross stands upright, with its base star Albireo about ready to set. The cross forms most of Cygnus the Swan, now making its signature dive into what I hope is an unfrozen lake. To the northeast, the Big Dipper stands on its handle. In a rural area you can probably see the rest of the stars that make up the Great Bear, Ursa Major.
Stretching overhead are the autumn constellations of Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Perseus. With binoculars, look for a miniature version of Draco around the brightest star in Perseus and the galaxy M31 in Andromeda. If you draw a line across the tips of the W of Cassiopeia and extend it by about the same distance into faint Camelopardalis, you might chance upon a string of about 20 stars called Kemble’s Cascade. From a dark area, try to pick out the Milky Way running from Cygnus through Perseus and the feet of Gemini, to Canis Major in the southeast.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 8:01 am and sunset will occur at 4:43 pm, giving 8 hours, 42 minutes of daylight (8:03 am and 4:51 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 8:00 am and set at 4:50 pm, giving 8 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (8:02 am and 4:58 pm in Saint John). The earliest sunrise occurs early in the week, and around noon on Wednesday Earth will be closest to the Sun at a mere 147,098,925 kilometres: The Supersun! (Editor’s note: come on down!!)

This Sunday around 5:50 pm, give or take a few minutes, telescope users without a hangover might catch Uranus reappearing from behind the Moon. The Moon passes near Mars on Tuesday and is full on Friday, January 6. Mercury and Venus are heading in opposite directions after sunset, with Mercury reaching inferior conjunction next Saturday. Saturn sets around 8 pm toward the end of the week so observe it early. On Tuesday a telescope will show Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io reappear from the planet’s shadow at 6:46 pm, and at 8:59 its icy moon Europa disappears behind the planet. On Thursday Europa’s shadow will transit Jupiter’s cloud top between 5:57 and 8:23 pm.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on January 7 at 7 pm.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.