Nature Moncton Nature News: December 8 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

December 8, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Norbert Dupuis reports 2 female Northern Cardinals have been patronizing his Memramcook feeders for 29 consecutive days. They seem to favour safflower seeds.
Norbert also had his first American Tree Sparrow arrive on Thursday morning to pose for a photo.

** Jane LeBlanc had a busy day at her St. Martins feeder, with several species there at one time. She caught a Dark-eyed Junco and an American Goldfinch together.

Jane also shares a close-up look at the female Northern Cardinal. She has two females and one male coming daily.

Also, the man who owns the property next door to Jane posted that he spent about 10 minutes yesterday afternoon watching a Northern Saw Whet Owl very near Jane's property. Jane will be looking for this bird in the coming days as she has never seen one, never mind next door.

**On Wednesday Brian Stone walked around the Rotary St-Anselme Park for some fresh air and to see if any wildlife was willing to show itself to enrich the nature blog. Either not much was there, or not much was cooperative as the only life that showed itself was a single female Hairy Woodpecker. Brian also noted and photographed a well-used nest box to keep the camera shutter from freezing shut.

The following day, on Thursday, Brian drove to Cap Lumiere and then down the coast just to see if any sea birds had decided to come in close to shore but with only a few exceptions it seemed that they were quite happy to stay out in the water at scope range and beyond. At Cap Lumiere, Brian photographed a male Common Eider Duck and noted 3 female Long-tailed Ducks in the calmer waters inside the breakwaters.

At the Irving Eco Center Brian managed a quick glimpse (but no photo) of the still-present White-eyed Vireo but also saw two predators that seemed to be focusing on that rare visitor's location. While waiting (and hoping) for the vireo to move from cover and show itself again, a small hawk flew out of the tree beside the vireo's spot and zipped past Brian at eye level so fast no identification was possible. Also, an outdoor cat was skulking in the bushes quite close to the vireo's location and was not shy about posing for the camera.

At the Saint Thomas wharf, Brian photographed a female Common Goldeneye Duck diving for food right beside the wharf. He then witnessed one of the challenges of nature as a hard-working female Red-breasted Merganser Duck struggled to get a grip on a fish that it had brought up from deep below only to have it snatched away by a Great Black-backed Gull that swallowed it down as the merganser watched from a safe distance.

(Editor's note: fish prey identity being confirmed.)

**Below is the list of events for December that the New Brunswick Environmental Network has put together. By clicking on any event, it opens it up with complete details and registration if indicated.

I want to personally apologize for the tardiness of this month's calendar email. Due to sickness and technological difficulties, I was unable to send it out at the beginning of the month. I want to assure you all that it will not happen again, and I am sincerely sorry for the inconvenience.

- Shannon,
NBEN Communications Assistant

The NBEN is proud to share information on upcoming events available to those interested in the environment. If you would like your event to appear in our monthly calendar email, please make sure to post it on our on-line calendar by logging into the Eco Community and filling in the details here.

Upcoming Events for the Month of December

December 12:

· Nature Moncton December Meeting - Mapleton Rotary Pavilion

December 13th:

· (IN FRENCH) Public Presentation: Assessing Coastal Flood and Erosion Risks in Relation to Climate Change and Future Sea-level rRse - The JK Irving Centre

· Care 101: Understanding Care Needs and Building Cultures of Care - Online

December 14th:

· Annual Christmas Bird Count - All Over Canada

· (IN FRENCH) Public Presentation: Assessing Coastal Flood and Erosion Risks in Relation to Climate Change and Future Sea-level Rise - Cap Pélé Golden Age Club

December 15th:

· What Does a Sustainable City Mean to You? What Would Your City Look Like in 2030 if it Were a Sustainable City? - Online

December 20th:

· DEADLINE: to Apply for Groundswell, the HUB Campaign Incubator - Online

· Self and Collective Care: A Learning Circle on Holistic Approaches to Sustaining Activism - Online

December 25th - December 29th:

The NBEN office will be closed for the holidays.

"Working together for the environment."

Sincerely,

Shannon Richard
Communications and Project Assistant
New Brunswick Environmental Network

**It’s Friday and our day to check out what next week’s night sky has in store for us courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 December 9 – December 16
The year’s best meteor shower radiates from near the star Castor in Gemini on Thursday, with that morning and Friday morning being the peak times. Under ideal conditions the Geminids can average two shooting stars per minute, but don’t expect to see anywhere near that number. With Gemini rising soon after an early sunset and riding high just after midnight, convenient evening viewing is rewarded more often than for the showers from Perseus and Leo, which rise much later on their peak nights. This year the Moon sets in evening twilight, giving a darker sky all night.
The Geminids are relatively slow and easier to catch with the eye, and they often have a golden glow. Dress very warmly, get comfortable in a reclining position, face an unobstructed patch of sky away from artificial lighting, and hope for a cloudless sky. Viewing on the days before and after could also be worthwhile if the weather forecast isn’t promising for the peak times.
The parent “comet” for the Geminids is actually the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1983. It orbits the Sun in a little more than 17 months, crossing the orbits of Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury. At perihelion its temperature can exceed 600 C, which can cause its carbon-water material to break down and release the pebbles and dust particles that give us meteors when they burn up in our atmosphere.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:49 and sunset will occur at 4:33, giving 8 hours, 44 minutes of daylight (7:51 and 4:41 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:55 and set at 4:34, giving 8 hours, 39 minutes of daylight (7:57 and 4:42 in Saint John).

The Moon is near Venus this Saturday morning and it reaches the new moon phase on Tuesday. Mercury is stationary on Wednesday, setting about an hour after sunset. Saturn is best seen in the early evening and Jupiter is at its best around 9:30 pm. On Tuesday telescope users can watch its moon Ganymede enter Jupiter’s shadow at 8:00 and reappear at 9:42, at which time Europa will have begun to cross in front of the planet. Venus is slowly moving sunward but it will remain in the morning sky throughout the winter. The highlight of the week is the reliable Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on Thursday. With no moonlight to brighten the sky it should make braving the chill worthwhile that morning and evening and Friday morning.
The Fredericton Astronomy Club meets in the UNB Forestry-Earth Sciences building Tuesday at 7 pm. 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.