Nature Moncton Nature News: March 24 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

March 24, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Jane LeBlanc got a photo of her first Fox Sparrow of the year. Her yard is covered with lumber as they are rebuilding their deck, so the sparrow had a lot of cover to hide in.

(Editor’s note: the Fox Sparrow makes refuelling stops in New Brunswick as it migrates to the north of us to its summer breeding grounds. Arriving this early may have it staying around feeders just a bit longer).

**On a second-hand tip from Brian Coyle, Nelson Poirier was able to see and photograph 2 adult Sandhill Cranes in a large field on the left just before coming to the Parson’s Road off Rte. 16 coming from Aulac on Thursday.

The field was near snow free on Thursday, and the cranes were very well camouflaged against the dead brown grass. There were many Canada Geese groups to act as decoys for the much more camouflaged Sandhill Cranes.

**Upon arriving at his Lower Mountain Road home Thursday, Brian Coyle noticed approximately a dozen American Robins on a small patch of open grass on his neighbour's property, busily turning over wet leaves for some tasty morsels. Upon closer observation, he noticed that one individual was leucistic.

After watching the robins, Brian noticed a Song Sparrow feeding on the ground behind his house as the snow began falling.

**Rheal Vienneau shares an update he just received from Monarch Watch on the status of the sole wintering grounds of the eastern population of the Monarch Butterfly in Mexico. It is attached below:

“In summary, eleven (11) colonies were located this winter season with a total area of 2.21 hectares, a 22% decrease from the previous season (2.84 ha).”

Jim  Lovett

Monarch. Watch

**At Upham, in his sister's yard, Brian Stone finally managed to spot the Snowshoe Hare that has been leaving tracks all over the backyard. Also, a Fox Sparrow joined the other birds patronising the feeders in the front yard.

(Editor’s note: note the pelage of the Snowshoe Hare in Brian’s photo is starting to show the change from winter white to summer brown.

It is also of note that 2 Fox Sparrows are reported in migration on the same day. A sure sign that it is really going to happen despite a few hiccups).

** It’s Friday, and time to review what next week’s night sky will have for us to check out on clear nights.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 March 25 – April 1
The spring star is springing up in the east these evenings. Arcturus is the third or fourth brightest star in the sky and the second brightest we can see from New Brunswick. It is a tad brighter than Vega, the summer star, which rises around 9:30 pm this week. The winter star, Sirius, sets after midnight and Capella, the autumn star, never sets in southern New Brunswick. The discrepancy over whether Arcturus is third or fourth brightest depends on how you define it. Alpha Centauri, in the southern hemisphere, appears brighter but it is a close double star – too close to split with the naked eye – and Arcturus is brighter than either but not both.

Arcturus anchors the constellation Boötes (bo-oh-teez) the Herdsman, and the star’s name means “bear driver.” Boötes is seen chasing the two bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, around the celestial North Pole. To many people the constellation resembles a tie, a kite or an ice cream cone. The head of the herdsman, at the tip of the constellation opposite Arcturus, is the star Nekkar, which sounds somewhat like necktie.

Halfway between Arcturus and the hind leg of Ursa Major is the star Cor Coroli in Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs. Use binoculars to look for a fuzzy patch halfway between Arcturus and Cor Coroli. This is a globular cluster called M3, the third entry in Charles Messier’s 18th century catalogue of things that resemble a comet but aren’t. This cluster contains half a million stars at a distance of 34,000 light years, nearly a thousand times farther than Arcturus.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:13 am and sunset will occur at 7:38 pm, giving 12 hours, 25 minutes of daylight (7:18 am and 7:42 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:59 am and set at 7:47 pm, giving 12 hours, 48 minutes of daylight (7:05 am and 7:51 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is near Mars on Tuesday and at first quarter phase on Wednesday. For Earth Hour this Saturday turn off your lights and have a look at the Moon passing near the Pleiades star cluster. On Monday Mercury can be found just to the right of Jupiter, setting between 8:30 and 8:40 pm. Venus garners most of the evening attention, and on Friday it sits two degrees above Uranus. Over Wednesday and Thursday evenings Mars makes a scenic binocular pairing with the M35 star in Gemini. Saturn rises an hour before the Sun this weekend, and lengthens that gap by 15 minutes over the week.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on April 1 at 7 pm. All are welcome.

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