Editor & Proofreader

Editor: Nelson Poirier    Proofreader: Louise Nichols

Friday 12 January 2018

Jan 12 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 12, 2018 (Friday)


Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.

** A note just in on Friday morning from Bev Schneider who was with a small group watching for the GYRFALCON [Faucon gerfaut] at Bouctouche.  Bev reports she did see it, but very briefly, after a ROCK PIGEON [Pigeon biset], but doesn’t think it scored, so hopefully it will be seen again in the beautiful warm sunny conditions there today.  Interesting to hear it is remaining in that general area.

** Again a reminder to members and friends of Nature Moncton to prepare short 10 to 20 minute presentations on any nature item they would like to share for the Nature Moncton Members’ Night meeting next Tuesday night, January 16th.  President Susan has postponed the Annual General Meeting which will leave more time for presentations.  Advise Susan at susand@nbnet.nb.ca or Vice-president Gordon Rattray at gordonr@nbnet.nb.ca if you have something to share.

** Nature NB has a #MyNatureNB contest where we can vote for a favourite entry.  It is easily accessible at http://www.naturenb.ca/mynaturenb-photo-and-storytelling-contest/.  You can click on your favourite and vote.  Nature Sud-est in Shediac had a lot to do with the story behind the mushroom photo.

** Danny and Nicole Sullivan and Brian and Annette Stone did a run to the Tantramar Marsh on Thursday.  They found it fairly quiet, seeing a distant adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] and a distant ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK [Buse pattue].  Brian comments that some of the roads had small but rock hard snow drifts across them to make them impassible at the moment.  A stop at the Sackville Waterfowl Park showed some obvious nests with the foliage gone and a content-appearing AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle d'Amérique].

** It’s that time of year when we often see more HORNED LARKS [Alouette hausse-col].  Aldo Dorio photographed a lone Horned Lark on Thursday at Hay Island.

** There has not been a wave of PINE GROSBEAKS [Durbec des sapins] or BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] arrive in New Brunswick as yet; however Jill Greening from Saskatchewan who follows the Nature Moncton BlogSpot reports she had approximately 100 Pine Grosbeaks in her yard until they completely cleaned her crab apple tree of clinging fruit.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of Curt Nason, pointing out it’s time to look for Orion and, from there, find several other January sky highlights.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 13 – January 20

With Orion’s hourglass figure now above the horizon after sunset, the
giant hunter waits an hour or so for his two dogs to get up before he
starts hunting. The first to greet the night is Canis Minor the Little
Dog, a small constellation highlighted by Procyon, the eighth brightest
star. To identify this star, Orion’s head and shoulders form an
arrowhead, with orange Betelgeuse at the apex, which points toward
Procyon. Like Sirius in Canis Major, this star is bright because it is
in our celestial backyard, about 11 light years away.

The name Procyon means “before the dog,” indicating it is a harbinger of
Sirius the Dog Star which rises about 40 minutes later. Ancient Egyptian
farmers watched for the first visible rising of Sirius before sunrise,
as experience had taught them the Nile would soon flood its banks with
fertile soil when this occurred. In mythology the two dogs are sometimes
depicted as Laelaps (Canis Major), an extremely fast dog and an equally
fast fox. The dog was sent to hunt the fox but, after a long chase with
no apparent end, Zeus turned them both to stone and placed them in the sky.

I like to look at the dogs and their westerly neighbours, Orion the
Hunter and Lepus the Hare, in a more modern sense. The mighty demigod
Orion becomes everyone’s favourite hunter, Elmer Fudd, with that
wascawwy wabbit bugging him below his feet. Although not related
directly to Bugs Bunny cartoons, the big and little dogs become Spike
and Chester. Just as Chester would bounce around in front of his hero,
the bulldog Spike, Canis Minor bounces up before Canis Major.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:58 am and sunset will occur at
4:57 pm, giving 8 hours, 59 minutes of daylight (8:00 am and 5:05 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:54 am and set at 5:07
pm, giving 9 hours, 13 minutes of daylight (7:56 am and 5:14 pm in Saint
John).

The Moon is new on Tuesday and, with binoculars and some weather luck,
the old crescent might be seen near Mercury and Saturn on the morning
before. Those two planets are closest together this weekend. Also on
Monday morning, Mars is a binocular-width to the lower left of Jupiter.
Having passed Jupiter last weekend, Mars sets its sights on a rendezvous
with Saturn in early April.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at
nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
 
AMERICAN ROBIN. JAN. 11, 2018. BRIAN STONE

Canis Minor

HORNED LARK.JAN 11, 2018. ALDO DORIO

NEST. JAN. 11, 2018. BRIAN STONE

NEST. JAN. 11, 2018. BRIAN STONE