Nature Moncton Nature News: March 31

March 31, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

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**The Birds! Birds! Birds! event is taking place tomorrow, Saturday, April 1, at the Harvey Community Hall at 29 Mary’s Point Road (Albert County). The day is packed with action, with several presentations, a silent auction, booths, lunch, and more.

Nature Moncton will be one of the booths present and Gordon Rattray will be one of several presenters. It all sounds like a pleasant start to spring running from 10 AM to 3 PM.

**Nancy LeBlanc was pleased to have a female Pileated Woodpecker drop by their yard on Thursday.

The tree may be having some problems with insect infestation as the woodpecker had its ‘stethoscope’ in place tuning in for possible insects inside.

**Anna Tucker has been watching the Riverfront Trail in Moncton for spring activity from Ring-necked Pheasants. That happened this week when a bold male made himself available for a photograph.

**Aldo Dorio is back to keeping an eye on action at Hay Island. He photographed a female Common Merganser that would appear to be in courting or foraging mode. Only the merganser knows for sure!

** Brian Stone sends photos of the 2 different Fox Sparrows foraging in his sister's yard at Upham. One of them is feeding on the seeds below the feeders in the front yard and the other one is scratching for food in the clear, snow-free areas in the backyard. Brian made a video clip of that scratching/kicking/stomping action, a technique the Fox Sparrow has polished more vigourously than its sparrow kin. Enjoy the action at the attached video link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7mqge5ip0e6ne0/FOX%20SPARROW.%20MAR.%2030%2C%202023.%20BRIAN%20STONE.MOV?dl=0

**Heads up to slot off Saturday, April 15, for a Nature Moncton sea duck field trip along the coast. Details below:

SEA DUCK MIGRATION OUTING

Date: Saturday April 15^th, 2023

Time: 9:30 AM

Place: Sobeys at Elmwood Drive

Guide: Roger Leblanc

We all know what ducks are. They are one of the most recognizable groups of birds. They are big, colorful (males in particular) and not hard to find. But did you know that in these parts we are fortunate enough to be right in the passing lane of sea duck migration, a natural phenomenon which can be quite impressive? In early spring a lot of sea ducks that have wintered on the coast of the Atlantic will be on the move, following the Northumberland strait up to their northern breeding grounds. En route, they will often stop to feed and rest in large numbers. And this is our chance to observe them at a time when they are dressed in their finest and when their breeding behavior and vocalizations are not only possible but expected.

To help you take in this natural spectacle, Nature Moncton is offering a sea duck migration outing on April 15^th. Roger Leblanc will be our leader on this quest. He has been studying the sights and sounds of sea ducks on the Northumberland coast for decades and is always pleased to share that knowledge with others.

So why not join us Saturday April the 15th for a fun outing to the world of migrating sea ducks? The group will assemble at 9:30 AM in the parking lot of the Elmwood Dr Sobeys in Moncton. If you live nearer the coast, you can also join us on the south side of the new bridge on route 134. From there we will explore several known hot spots for sea duck migration up to and including

Bouctouche. So, if you have always wanted to know more about sea ducks and their habits, this activity is for you. Come join us for a fun learning activity.

Bring a lunch, water and snacks.

All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

**Friday has arrived with our scheduled day to review what next week’s night sky may have in store for us courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 April 1 – April 8
The constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair, is midway up in the eastern sky at 10 pm this week, between the tail of Leo the Lion and kite-shaped Boötes. It is the only constellation with a mythological tale based on a real person. In the fourth century BCE, King Ptolemy Soter of Egypt went to war against Assyria. His worried wife Berenice made a vow to the goddess Aphrodite that she would sacrifice her beautiful locks if he returned safely. He did return and she kept her vow against his wishes. When he visited the temple the next day he discovered the hair had been stolen, and he threatened to kill the temple priests. The court astronomer claimed that Zeus had taken the hair and placed it in the sky for all to admire, and that night he showed Ptolemy a cluster of stars.

That cluster was the Coma Star Cluster, also called Melotte 111, which can be seen with the naked eye in rural areas and it fills the field of view in binoculars. At one time it was considered to be the tuft of Leo’s tail. The area of sky encompassed by Coma Berenices and its surrounding constellations is called the Realm of the Galaxies. The galactic North Pole lies within this constellation, perpendicular to the dusty disc of our Milky Way Galaxy. When we look in this direction the paucity of interstellar dust allows us to see deeper into space and observe other galaxies tens of millions of light years away. This relatively small constellation contains eight of the 110 Messier objects within its borders, including globular cluster M53 and M64, the Black Eye Galaxy.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:59 am and sunset will occur at 7:47 pm, giving 12 hours, 48 minutes of daylight (7:05 am and 7:51 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:46 am and set at 7:56 pm, giving 13 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (6:52 am and 8:00 pm in Saint John).

The Paschal Full Moon occurs on Thursday, leading into the Easter weekend. On Saturday, Mercury sets around 9:10 pm, followed by Venus two hours later. Uranus will be within a binocular view below Venus this Saturday with two stars of equal brightness to its upper right. Jupiter is getting lost in the twilight as it nears conjunction with the Sun on April 11. Over the week, Mars slides up the lag of the mortal twin Castor in Gemini. Saturn rises in the morning sky around 5:50 this weekend,

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