Nature Moncton Nature News: February 2 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

February 2, 2024

Nature Moncton members as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**A Nature Moncton workshop is being planned for Saturday, February 19. Mark it on your calendars with all details at the end of this message, and it will be repeated again in future messages until that date.

**Georges Brun had a Cooper’s Hawk visit the urban forest next to his home on Churchill St. in Moncton on Thursday.

We are calling it Cooper’s Hawk as it seems to have thicker streaks/spots on the top and sides of the breast but thinner streaks in the middle further down the breast towards the belly.

The bill also looks quite thick and seems to end fairly high on the forehead giving that ‘Roman nose ’ appearance that Cooper’s Hawks show at the right angle.

The Cooper’s Hawk tends to favour an urban environment more so than a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

**After having dozens daily last winter, Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins had some of the first Evening Grosbeaks she has seen this year, just before the snow started. There were 3 females in the yard briefly, and she got a distant photo of one.

**It’s Friday and our day to peruse what we may see in next week’s night sky, especially on those nights the forecasted snow does not interfere. This report is courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 February 3 – February 10

The most inconspicuous of the zodiac constellations is faint Cancer the Crab, which is nestled between Gemini and Leo. In mythology, the crab was sent by the goddess queen Hera to distract Hercules while he was battling the Hydra. The crab was no match for the strongman’s stomp. Ancient Egyptians saw it as their sacred dung beetle, the scarab. In the first millennium BCE the Sun was in Cancer at the summer solstice, the time when it halts its northward motion and slowly starts heading south. This back and forth motion of the rising and setting Sun on the horizon was perhaps reminiscent of a crab sidling on a beach. The summer Sun is now situated in Taurus near the constellation border with Gemini.

Cancer is recognized by a trapezoid of dim naked eye stars as the crab’s body, with a couple of other stars representing the claws. The four stars were also seen as a manger flanked by a pair of donkeys, Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis. On a clear dark night we can see a hazy patch of hay within the manger, and binoculars reveal it as a beautiful star cluster called the Beehive, Praesepe or M44. Being near the ecliptic, the planets often pass through or near this cluster, masquerading as a bright guest star. The Beehive was once used to forecast storms, for if it could not be seen it was hidden by light clouds at the front of a weather system. Binoculars can reveal another star cluster, number 67 on the Messier list of fuzzy non-comets, less than a fist-width south of M44.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:39 and sunset will occur at 5:26, giving 9 hours, 47 minutes of daylight (7:42 and 5:33 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:30 and set at 5:37, giving 10 hours, 7 minutes of daylight (7:33 and 5:43 in Saint John).

The Moon is new and near perigee on February 9 so expect extreme tidal ranges next weekend. Saturn sets around 7:10 pm midweek, heading toward conjunction at the end of February. Telescope users might see Jupiter’s Red Spot for two hours centred on 10:15 Sunday evening and 7:45 Wednesday. Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle above the southeastern horizon Wednesday morning, with Venus rising shortly after 6 follow by the Moon to its lower right and Mars lower left 30-35 minutes later. Mercury joins the planetary line-up half an hour after Mars but it will be a difficult binocular target in bright twilight.

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. The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on February 10 at 7 pm.

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

**Great Backyard Bird Count Workshop and Outing

Date: Monday, February 19, from 9:30 am – 12 noon (Family Day)
Location: Tankville Schoolhouse, 1979 Elmwood Dr, Moncton
Leader: Cathy Simon

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a citizen science program of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. Nature Moncton is taking part in this program and wants to help equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to participate in this and future citizen science programs.

**At this workshop, you can expect to learn:

· What are citizen science programs and why they are important,

· What is the GBBC and other citizen science programs,

· What is the difference between the Merlin and eBird apps and when and how to use each, and

· What desktop tools are available with an eBird account.

If the weather and conditions permit, we’ll end the workshop by travelling to a birding location to practice our skills. Location TBD.

What to bring:

· your cell phone with the Merlin and eBird apps already installed,

· notebook and pen if you like to take notes,

· indoor shoes or slippers because outdoor footwear isn’t permitted inside the school,

· your Nature Moncton name tag if you have one,

· your water bottle and a snack, and

· outdoor clothing, footwear, and birding gear (camera, binoculars, etc.).

Due to space limitations and the possibility of last-minute changes due to winter weather in the Maritimes, registration is appreciated. Please email Cathy Simon at smittybatman@hotmail.com to reserve your spot.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton