Nature Moncton Nature News: July 12 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 12, 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

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Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Chris Antle was very thankful not to have stepped on a Song Sparrow’s nest while checking out her Maquapit Lake meadow. The photo is documentary as it startled her from the nest and she needed to leave it undisturbed.
This is a new meadow this year surrounded by native shrubs and flowers including milkweed planted over the years.
A Monarch Butterfly made a brief visit two weeks ago but didn’t stay for a photo op.
Thursday was the lucky day for Chris when both she and a Monarch Butterfly were in the garden at the same time.
(Editor’s note: there have been several reports of Monarch Butterflies to Nature News but this is the first photo that has been captured.)

**John Inman is noting that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird numbers have swollen now that the females are off the nest.
A tight group of 4 screeching Peregrine Falcons went by to the Harvey Dam with adults showing their young how to hunt pigeons as they did last year.
Red Admiral butterfly caterpillars are being seen foraging on their host food plant of nettle, a Bald-faced Hornet was photographed, and a fledgling Downy Woodpecker was being fed.

**Leon Gagnon leaves a report from one of New Brunswick's special places, Miscou Island.
He comments that on July 12, the Tree Swallows had just left the last nest box that was still occupied. The family stayed around the nest box for a few minutes before going to settle on the wires. There was a gathering of approximately 30 Tree Swallows fluttering about his cottage on July 11. He expects them all to leave in a few days, saying it is always a surprise to see the swallows leave so early.
American Black Ducks are one of the common waterfowl species on the island. Leon noticed a family was seen crossing the bay near Treasure Island. It’s a fairly large surface of water for dabbling ducks but the parents will decide on that.
As in past years, several Osprey were present in the Wilson Point area. A pair regularly nests near the path leading to the ‘hamlet’ during the summer.
The walker in Leon’s photo must not stop too long near the nest; otherwise an Osprey will show its displeasure. The huge nest atop the leaning dead tree looks precarious.
On July 6, 7, and 8, Leon noted an immature Bald Eagle circling around their cottage area and wondered what its interest was in the area.

Shorebirds are starting to arrive to Miscou from the north and Leon was able to get a photo of a flock on July 6.

**John Massey noted bees visiting his rose blossoms that struck him as being different. BugGuide has identified them as one of the many species of sweat bees (Lassioglosssum). The sweat bee genus is one of the largest genera of all bee genera, and is highly variable in size, coloration, and structure.

**Nelson Poirier has been noting small bees very actively going in and out of the holes of the several Mason bee houses he has on his camp walls. The Mason bees have completed their missions filling approximately one-half of the available cavities.
Nelson got photographs and submitted them to BugGuide for identification. They turned out to be one of the genera of digger bees (Anthophora). Digger bees are a solitary bee though apparently many nest in large aggregations which he assumes is what is happening. Nelson is unsure whether this is problematic to the Mason bees or whether the digger bees are simply using unused cavities. Any comments would be appreciated.

**It’s Friday in our day to review what we will be seeing in next week’s night sky courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 July 13 – July 20
Constellations are not the only stellar figures in the night sky. Any imaginative figure seen that is not one of the 88 constellations is called an asterism. The Big Dipper in Ursa Major and the Sagittarius Teapot are two of the most prominent. Others require binoculars or a telescope, such as the Coathanger and ET star clusters. Near the eastern shoulder of Ophiuchus binoculars will show a large V shape resembling the Hyades cluster, and star maps of a few centuries ago labelled this as the constellation Poniatowski’s Bull. One I read about in Sky & Telescope magazine a few years ago is a smiley face in Cygnus the Swan. Scan with binoculars just below the swan’s right (western) wing near the brightest star in that wing, and look for a pair of eyes above a semicircle grin of five stars. You will probably smile back.

This summer, spend some time scanning the night sky randomly and let your imagination run wild. Pareidolia is a phenomenon in which your mind sees a familiar pattern where none exists. Just as we imagine figures in clouds by day, we can imagine them in the stars at night.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:41 and sunset will occur at 9:08, giving 15 hours, 27 minutes of daylight (5:49 and 9:10 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:48 and set at 9:02, giving 15 hours, 14 minutes of daylight (5:56 and 9:04 in Saint John).

The first quarter Moon approaches Spica in Virgo Saturday evening, setting around the time it occults that star. It is near Antares in Scorpius on Wednesday. By midweek Venus sets 40 minutes after sunset, followed by Mercury half an hour later, and both should be a fairly easy target with binoculars. Saturn rises before midnight this week and telescope users will notice that its rings are at a much shallower angle than in recent years. Mars and Jupiter, along with Aldebaran, the Hyades and the Pleiades, make a beautiful scene low in the east that is worth rolling out of bed before 4:30. This scene only gets better over the month.

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.