Nature Moncton Nature News: November 3 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

November 3, 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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**It’s that special time of year when the occasional Red-bellied Woodpecker will appear at feeder yards in New Brunswick.

John Inman had that special moment when a male Red-bellied Woodpecker arrived at his Harvey yard late on Sunday. It is not unusual for this species to be faithful to a feeder yard for the whole winter once it settles in after a few visits.

The year-round range of the Red-bellied Woodpecker includes the eastern half of the US, not far from New Brunswick. Usually, a few lucky feeder patrons host this species each winter. It remains uncommon but regular.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a duo of photographically cooperative Red Foxes at Hay Island on Sunday. They appear to be in excellent condition.

**Nelson Poirier attended an updating session and visit to the PNA (Protected Natural Area) which includes some barrier islands and the adjacent shoreline at Tabusintac on Saturday.

It was a real eye-opener which revealed the importance of this PNA to some of New Brunswick’s wildlife community. A major focus is protecting the Piping Plovers that nest on the barrier islands. Another major focus is the presence of Eelgrass (Zostera) beds just off the coastline. Eelgrass is a very preferred forage of Brant, the "sea goose". This species makes stops at Eelgrass beds in early spring on its migratory route to breed in central far Northern Canada.

This coastline site is one of the few areas in New Brunswick that has a recovering area of Eelgrass growth and Brant are now appearing for a refueling spring migratory stop at this site.

Brant were once so populous at this area that a spring hunt was allowed until an Eelgrass blight afflicted the site to obliterate it. It has slowly recovered and now Brant can be expected to arrive there late April into May.

A steward of the PNA demonstrated how to recognize Eelgrass with its flat slender leaves and sheath joint (arrowed) at its base. The plant grows offshore where Brant feed on it, but a significant amount gets washed up on shore.

Peter Gadd was also present and was able to photograph one of the coy Ruffed Grouse that was encountered.

Nelson also dropped by Hay Island where Greater Yellow Legs were loudly announcing their presence and at least one Black-bellied Plover was still present. It was -- as expected -- in basic winter plumage. The wide black and white tail bands were helpful to confirm Black-bellied Plover versus the less common American Golden-Plover in that habitat.

The presence of large numbers of American Black Ducks were notable with only one Mallard duck observed. The Black Ducks appeared to be paired up -- a male with its bright yellow bill would be in company with a female with its darker saddle-marked bill.

**This week’s sky report was in on time and inserted into Friday’s edition but unfortunately gremlins got it and made away with it for themselves. Our sky guru Curt Nason has replaced it and it is issued a few days late. As of today, dusk arrives an hour earlier so we can appreciate the night sky to make that hour loss all the more acceptable.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 November 2 – November 9
I like to observe the sky at least once every day that I can, even if it is just for a few minutes. Often that entails observing the Sun through filtered telescopes and sketching the sunspots and prominences in my logbook. At night if I don’t feel like taking out a telescope I grab binoculars to perhaps see a comet or Mercury, or more often I tour the brighter star clusters. The mid-autumn constellations are home to many star clusters within easy reach of binoculars.

I usually start with the best open cluster, the Pleiades (M45) in the shoulder of Taurus the Bull, and focus the binos on its stars. The large V-shaped Hyades cluster, catalogued as Melotte 25, is nearby forming the face of the bull. It is anchored by orange Aldebaran at one corner, but that star is not really part of the cluster because it is less than half the distance to the others. The brightest star in nearby Perseus, Mirfak, is part of a group of stars called Melotte 20 that resembles a miniature version of the constellation Draco in binoculars. Perseus also holds the star cluster M34, which appears as a fuzzy patch in binos due to its distance. Between Perseus and Cassiopeia is a scenic Double Cluster (Melotte 13/14). Follow a string of stars from there to a large, dimmer cluster called Stock 2 or the Strongman Cluster.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 8:02 and sunset will occur at 6:02, giving 10 hours of daylight (8:05 and 6:09 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:12 and set at 4:53, giving 9 hours, 41 minutes of daylight (7:15 and 5:00 in Saint John). Set your clocks back this Saturday night and enjoy the extra hour of sleep and the extra hour of evening stargazing.

The slim crescent Moon is to the left of Mercury after sunset this Sunday and below Venus on Monday. It is at first quarter next Saturday. Mercury is low in the southwest this weekend, setting 40 minutes after sunset and extending that to 50 minutes by next weekend. Bright Venus slowly gains altitude as it continues to move eastward from the sun, setting around 7 pm midweek. Saturn is at its highest and best for observing around 8 pm, showing off its rings nearly edge-on. Jupiter rises before 7 pm midweek and telescope users might see its Red Spot near the middle of the planet around 8 pm Monday and 9:40 on Wednesday. Mars makes a scenic line with Castor and Pollux high overhead in the morning sky this weekend. We could see some extra meteors this week and next as the South and North Taurid meteor showers peak.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets this Saturday at 7 pm in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.

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