Nature Moncton Information Line

May 8 2020

Posted: 08 May 2020 06:04 AM PDT

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, May 8, 2020 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

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

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

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** Brian Coyle had some special nature moments on Thursday as he watched activity from a blind in a wet area near a beaver pond where there was some very interesting activity to watch at close range and not detected. He watched 2 WILSON'S SNIPE [Bécassine des marais] appearing to do a mating ritual that I suspect few of us have ever seen, let alone photographed. It shows the birds raising their tail feathers to clearly show the orange patch when the tail feathers are spread. Brian got several still photos as well as three excellent videos. A very special moment! Take a look at the action at the attached links:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ynlcc8uttn98t1/DSCN6253.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0jnilsoz7nchuol/DSCN6248.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vd0oggkj0wb8yl6/DSCN6247.MOV?dl=0

** In the same area, Brian got a video of a BEAVER [Castor] slapping its tail on the water to warn other beavers of potential danger. The danger turned out to be a BLACK BEAR [Ours noir] that the camera got a short view of in the first part of the video at the link below. Hard to get days with more action than Brian did on

Thursday.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9cpiep3rsbs6jx2/STC_0188.AVI?dl=0

** In the past few days, people have had an influx of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS [Paruline à croupion jaune]. Elaine McCullough had 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers arrive to her Riverview yard on Wednesday to get some photos showing the field marks nicely of the split white eye ring, white throat and 3 areas of yellow patches. David and Elizabeth Eagles had one visit their Centennial Park subdivision yard on Thursday; and Jane LeBlanc got a very sharp image of a male Yellow-rumped Warbler at Henry Lake, near St. Martins on Thursday. Jane's photo also nicely shows the white throat, split eye ring and yellow patches. Jane also got a photo of a HAIRY WOODPECKER [Pic chevelu] doing a number on a Birch Tree.

** Gordon Rattray visited Gray Brook pond on Wednesday and Thursday to find much more activity than he has seen recently. On Wednesday, there was one GREEN-WINGED TEAL [Sarcelle d'hiver] pair, one HOODED MERGANSER [Harle couronné] pair, one NORTHERN PINTAIL [Canard pilet] male, and TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] were in high number and on a feeding frenzy at the upper end of the pond. Several pair of AMERICAN WIGEONS [Canard d'Amérique] plus many extras, 10 MALLARDS [Canard colvert] (mostly pairs), a BELTED KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique], YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER [Paruline à croupion jaune] and many RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] on territory.

On Thursday, he saw NORTHERN SHOVELERS [Canard souchet]– 4 pairs plus at least 2 males, one pair of GADWALL [Canard chipeau], and AMERICAN WIGEON [Canard d'Amérique] mostly in pairs with at least 6 pairs. Gordon shares some photos of some of the community there.

** Sterling Marsh suggests a YouTube link on Frog Call Phonology. It's worth listening to several times to learn the various calls. Take a listen at the link below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVi_0DHOUoY

** Lynda Leclerc had 8 TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] zooming about her Nature Moncton nest box along the Humphrey Brook trail on Tuesday. Just prior to this activity, a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE [Mésange à tête noire] couple were going into it as well.

** Bob Blake reports that they had HAIRY WOODPECKERS [Pic chevelu] feeding young at their Second North River site on Thursday May 7^th. It seems very early for this species. They surely must have made an early start at house-keeping.

** It's Friday and this week's Sky-at-a-Glance is included, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, 2020 May 9 – May 16
Comets are my favourite observing target and the fact that they can be tantalizingly coy and unpredictable only adds to their allure. Famed comet discoverer David Levy compared them to cats, in that they have tails and do exactly what they want. Once or twice a decade one will be bright enough to be seen easily without optical aid, and one or two a year might be reasonable targets with binoculars. Several can be within reach of a medium size telescope each year, depending on the size of the scope and on the darkness of your sky. It is not unusual to have months elapse with no comets to target.

Currently we have a three plus comets within reach of a telescope under good conditions, three more teasingly near the Sun, and a potential naked eye one on our doorstep. I say three plus because one has broken apart and two of the pieces are seen as comets, although fading quickly. All three are within the sparse constellation Camelopardalis the Giraffe, between the two Dippers (Big and Little) and Auriga, and the dearth of bright stars to guide you makes locating them a challenge. I prefer to use the maps on the Heavens Above website to locate comets.

The three in Camelopardalis are 2017 T2 Pan-STARRS, 2019 Y1 ATLAS, and 2019 Y4 (and Y4-A) ATLAS. I saw all three one evening in mid-March from a reasonably dark-sky site with my 8-inch telescope, and two of them from my backyard last month. The names derive from the year of discovery, the half-month of discovery (I and Z are not used), and the person(s) or robotic telescope program that made the discovery. Of the above, two were discovered in the latter half of December 2019 by the ATLAS program which, like Pan-STARRS, is searching for potentially hazardous asteroids. Comet 2020 F8 SWAN is currently a binocular object in southern hemisphere twilight and will be near bright Capella in Auriga by the end of this month. It could be seen with binoculars in twilight or, as it rounds the Sun a few days before, it could become a naked-eye object or break up and disappear. Such are comets.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday's sunrise in Moncton is at 5:53 am and sunset will occur at 8:38 pm, giving 14 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (6:01 am and 8:41 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:45 am and set at 8:46 pm, giving 15 hours, 1 minute of daylight (5:52 am and 8:49 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is below Jupiter on Tuesday, reaches third quarter on Thursday, and it is lower left of Mars on Friday. Saturn and Jupiter reach their stationary points this week, on Monday and Thursday, respectively. For the next four months they will be in retrograde motion, separating slowly while moving westward relative to the distant stars. This weekend Mars crosses the constellation border into Aquarius. Needing a rest, Venus is also stationary on Wednesday before plummeting sunward over the next few weeks. By midweek, Mercury will be setting an hour after sunset.

With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold, you can watch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg

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

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton