NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
June 16,
2023
Species
names in boldface indicate that a photo is included.
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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Doreen
Rossiter in Alma had a surprise visitor to her window feeder on Thursday, which required a quick check in the bird guide. It was something she has not had
in her yard since 1992 -- a male House Sparrow!
(Editor’s
note: the non-native House Sparrow had at one point become one of the most
common sparrows in New Brunswick. The real reason for its decline has been
debated; however, the decline must have been a very welcome scenario for the Eastern
Bluebird and Tree Swallow as the House Sparrow was a serious competitor of these species and
was known to destroy their nests.)
** After comments in
yesterday’s edition, Bob Blake reports they have numerous Mountain Ash trees just hanging with blossoms in their
yard, and is also hoping the berry crop will be very heavy this year.
**Nelson
Poirier shares a few recently photographed nature items.
A photo of Partridgeberry is
attached, showing its evergreen leaves and red berries that have remained
intact over the winter. This plant can be confused with Wintergreen, a.k.a.
Teaberry, but note that the Partridgeberry has two ‘eye spots’ at the apex,
remnants of the double ovary. The berries have a mealy flavour, not the flavour
of Wintergreen.
Nelson has been noting an immature
Bald Eagle that comes to his woods cache of fish offal and taking note of
the very extensive white markings on the wings and mantle when perched. In a
presentation Todd Watts gave at the Festival of Nature on raptors, Todd pointed
out that this plumage is specific to 2nd year birds. Todd also
pointed out that the eyes of the 2nd year bird are lighter than the
dark eyes of the 1st year bird. This feature appears in one of the photos but is
unclear because it is a trail camera photo at a distance.
The nighttime temperature has finally
reached 15° C. at Nelson's camp moth light, and the moths are arriving, including
some of the showy sphinx moths.
One photo is of the One-eyed Sphinx Moth
showing the black-edged blue eyespot with a black spot in the center of the
underwing.
A second photo is of the Twin-spotted
Sphinx Moth showing the hindwing that has a black-edged blue eyespot divided by
a black line. The darker spot on the wing tip (arrowed) helps to distinguish these
2 sphinx moths when the underwing is not exposed.
Also photographed were the Curve-toothed Geometer Moth and White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbose). These moths are smaller than the ones mentioned above.
Also shown are freshly dropped eggs of the Twin-spotted
Sphinx moth.
**The Nature Moncton field trip to Gagetown
Island and Nevers Island scheduled for June 29 has a few spaces left for anyone
who would like to join. If you wish to join, be certain to contact Louise
Nichols as in the writeup below:
NATURE MONCTON OUTING
GAGETOWN ISLAND AND NEVERS ISLAND
Date: June
29, 2023 (rain date: June 30, 2023)
Meeting Time: 10:00
AM
Meeting Place: Gagetown
Marina
Cost: $10
Not many of us have visited Gagetown Island,
one of New Brunswick’s hidden gems in the middle of the St. John River. It’s a place we have all passed possibly
hundreds of times but not ventured out to. The island has a very old historic
homestead; it is also home to a breeding Black Tern colony, and no doubt holds many
other of nature’s surprises.
Nature Moncton is planning an exploration
visit to the island on Thursday, June 29, 2023 (rain date June 30). As a bonus, we will also visit Nevers Island.
Nevers Island is a small island very near the main island, and it has
recently become a bird magnet due to the refurbished Ducks Unlimited
impoundment.
Gagetown Island is a short boat ride (15-20
minutes) from the Gagetown Marina. Frank Merrill with Ducks Unlimited has
kindly offered to ferry folks to the island.
Liz Mills, an experienced botanist, will be
present to assist with special flora the islands may have to share.
We will meet at the Gagetown Marina at 10:00
AM to avoid missing the boat! The visit will end when it ends, but folks who
wish to depart earlier can be transported back. Be prepared for biting insects
and wet areas, and a packed lunch will be a necessity. The walking may be a bit
rough at times, so please consider your level of physical fitness --don’t
expect any groomed trails.
For those who can, it’s a short canoe/kayak
crossing if you wish to join by paddling.
Early registration is suggested with Louise
Nichols, Activities Committee chairperson, at nicholsl@eastlink.ca with name
and contact email as numbers may have to be limited to 20 people on the boats. Additional folk can be accommodated
if they can use their own watercraft to get across.
A Personal Floatation Device or Life
Jacket must be worn on the boat.
Join us for this unique adventure!
**It’s
Friday, and time to review what next week’s night sky may have in store for us
courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.
Hoping Mother Nature will provide a few cloud-free evenings for
observing.
Five millennia ago, Persian and perhaps Egyptian astrologers designated four of the first magnitude stars (the 20 brightest) as Watchers of the Sky, with each guarding one of the four cardinal directions. With their proximity to the Sun at the equinoxes and solstices, they were also used to mark seasonal changes. Collectively, they were known as the Royal Stars.
Regulus in Leo and Antares in Scorpius were two of the Royal Stars, and we see them now appearing through evening twilight. Regulus guarded the north and marked the summer solstice, while Antares guarded the west and marked the beginning of autumn. Fomalhaut, in Piscis Austrinus below Aquarius, guarded the south and marked the winter solstice. Aldebaran, currently rising in Taurus an hour before sunrise, guarded the east and marked the spring equinox. These stars no longer mark the seasons as they did 5000 years ago due to precession of Earth’s polar axis, which makes one complete wobble every 25,800 years. On the summer solstice, the Sun is now located near the border of Gemini and Taurus.
None of the Royal Stars make the top ten in brightness. The brightest star in the sky for this time of year, Arcturus, is at its highest at sunset. It precedes almost equally bright Vega, which anchors the Summer Triangle with Deneb and Altair. Vega reaches its highest point about half an hour before Fomalhaut rises around 2:30 am. These two stars are the same distance from us, at 25 light years.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:27 am, and sunset will occur at 9:12 pm, giving 15 hours, and 45 minutes of daylight (5:35 am and 9:14 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday, the Sun will rise at 5:28 am and set at 9:14 pm, giving 15 hours, and 46 minutes of daylight (5:37 am and 9:6 pm in Saint John). The summer solstice occurs on Wednesday, June 21, at 11:58 am.
The Moon is new early Sunday morning, providing an opportunity to see a 20-hour-old crescent that evening. It will make a scenic visit with Venus and Mars on Wednesday evening, with the Gemini Twins not far away. Saturn is stationary on Sunday, beginning four and a half months of retrograde motion relative to the stars. Jupiter rises around 3 am this weekend and stands about 20 degrees above the horizon two hours later. Mercury rises 45 minutes before sunrise, and you will need a clear horizon to see it in binoculars before twilight gets too bright.
The first RASC NB star party of the year occurs this Friday and Saturday at Kouchibouguac National Park. See the rascnb.ca website for details. 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.
Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier
Nature
Moncton
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