Nature Moncton Nature News: May 5 2023

May 5, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Yvette Richard felt very fortunate to be able to see the Yellow-crowned Night Heron on Wednesday on Drummond St., in the same neighbourhood the bird was reported to be a few weeks ago.

It was seen walking across the homeowner's yard and was photographed at 3 pm.

(Editor’s note: this bird has apparently stayed in the area for the past while. The address where it was seen on Wednesday is not being published at the homeowner’s request).

** On Thursday morning, Shannon Inman was able to get a very distant photo of the Great Egret she spotted flying over a few nights ago.

Shannon also got a photo of a partial group of 204 Double-crested Cormorants she counted below the Harvey dam. This species seems to be arriving in mass at the moment.

**On Thursday, Sue and Fred Richards had a Brown Thrasher under the feeders. It was feeding from the ground, under the Jack Pine near the Spruce trees. They watched its favourite spot, where it jumps into view from between 2 lines of coniferous trees, eats a bit, then jumps and disappears between the lines of trees. It is a nervous bird and seems to be the only one of its species there.

The Northern Cardinal is back after not seeing it from Wednesday afternoon until noon Thursday. He also appears to be the only one of its species there.

They are among 3 Evening Grosbeaks, 4 House Finches, 7 Black-capped Chickadees, 5 Common Grackles that fly with 6 Red-Winged Blackbirds, 4 American Tree Sparrows, 3 White-Throated Sparrows, 7 Blue Jays, 3 Mourning Doves, a male Ring-Necked Pheasant, 6 American Goldfinches, 1 Pine Siskin, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, to give a nice yard diversity.

**Dale Pugh has been listening to and watching Northern Flickers in her yard and in the neighborhood for weeks. On Thursday, a male made a quick visit to the suet feeder, and Dale had just enough time to grab her camera and shoot a few images from a window.
(Editor’s note: Dale’s photos surely capture all the brilliant colours of the Northern Flicker when it flashes its wings to flag the brilliant yellow).

**The Yellow-rumped Warblers just keep on coming and visiting suet.

Debbie Batog has had one coming to their suet feeder for the past few days, which is the first time that she has seen one in her McKees Mills yard.

**Bob and Sharon Blake had a White-breasted Nuthatch arrive at their suet feeder on Thursday. The last one they had was on Oct.22, 2012, and they are hoping this one stays a while.

**It’s Friday, and time for a preview of what we might expect to see in next week’s night sky courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 May 6 – May 13

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the night sky when you are just getting into astronomy as a hobby. A good starting point which requires no equipment is to learn and pick out the constellations. Theoretically, we can see all or parts of 66 of the 88 constellations from New Brunswick. An initial goal of 50 is doable over a year, and challenging if you live in a light polluted area. Meteors require no equipment and a few appear every hour in a dark sky. Try for 25 or 50 in a year, knowing you can pad your total during several annual meteor showers, especially in mid-August and mid-December. It helps to maintain a record of your observations, including dates, times, locations, what you observed and any other details you want.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) has observing lists for various levels of experience, accessible through their website (rasc.ca) under the Observing tab. There are three programs for beginners, including two for exploring features of the Moon using binoculars or a small telescope. The other is the Explore the Universe Program, which includes 110 objects in five categories: Constellations and Bright Stars, the Moon, Solar System, Deep Sky Objects, and Double Stars. By finding and recording your observations for half the objects in each category of this program you can apply for a certificate and pin. You can download the lists for the other programs but the certificates and pins are for members only.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:58 am and sunset will occur at 8:33 pm, giving 14 hours, 35 minutes of daylight (6:06 am and 8:36 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:49 am and set at 8:42 pm, giving 14 hours, 53 minutes of daylight (5:56 am and 8:44 pm in Saint John).

The waning gibbous Moon follows Antares into the sky late Sunday evening, and it is at third quarter next Friday. Venus passes by the M35 star cluster in Gemini on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Seeing Venus on its trail, Mars spends the week heading toward the border of Cancer. Saturn is getting high enough now in morning twilight to offer decent views through a telescope, but we will need to wait a few weeks to nab Jupiter and Mercury. Early risers this weekend might catch some meteors from the Eta Aquariids shower, emanating from a point near Saturn, although the full Moon and low radiant will lower your chances of seeing more than a few.

The Saint John Astronomy club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm this Saturday. All are welcome.

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

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton