ERNIE COWAN Outdoors

Summer ushers in the beginning of meteor-watching season

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There is something quite peaceful and humbling about a star-filled sky on a clear, moonless night. Adding the flash of a streaking meteor is like the final note of a captivating symphony.

There are big and little meteor showers throughout the year, but I consider summer the beginning of meteor season because the evenings are warm and pleasant, the brilliant Milky Way hangs in the night sky and it’s just more pleasant to be outside.

Unlike many activities, there is nothing more than a folding chair or blanket required to become a full participant, so pack a picnic dinner, head out to a dark sky location and enjoy the view.

One of the brighter annual meteor showers is the Perseids arriving next month. Tiny bits of debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet will enter our atmosphere, producing up to 100 meteors per hour for several nights, peaking on the night of Aug. 12-13. This year a bright moon will unfortunately make viewing a bit more difficult than it would be on a moonless night.

Because of the quality and number of meteors, even casual observers put the Perseid shower on their annual calendar. The 2018 display should be spectacular because there will be nomoon. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is one of the best night sky viewing locations, but temperatures in August can be punishing even at night, so you might consider other locations such as Palomar Mountain or the higher elevations of Cuyamaca of Mount Laguna.

The next major shower will be the Orionids that extend from Aug. 25 through Nov. 19, peaking on the night Oct. 22. There are fewer meteors produced by the debris of Halley’s Comet, but viewers this year should have a great show because there will be no conflict with the moon.

A month later, the Leonids peak on the night of Nov. 17-18, producing up to 15 meteors per hour. Mountain temperatures will be a bit cooler, so this will be a good time to head to the dark sky of Anza-Borrego where the New Moon will not interfere with viewing.

December will bring this year’s most spectacular show when the Geminids brightly flash through the dark sky, peaking on Dec. 13-14 at the rate of up to 120 meteors per hour.

The Geminids are considered one of the most reliable displays, radiating from a location high in the night sky by 9 p.m.

Meteor showers have odd sounding names because they are identified by where they seem to originate. The Perseids seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus, the Orionids from Orion, the Leonids from Leo the Lion, and the Geminids from the constellation Gemini.

There are dozens of smartphone and tablet apps available

to help viewers locate constellation and other celestial objects in the night sky.

Other above average meteor showers will continue with the New Year, including the Quadrantids in January, Lyrids in April, and Eta Aquarids in May.

What, exactly are meteors?

Because of the sometimes- bright fireballs created as this cosmic dust burns up in our atmosphere, many think meteors are larger objects. In actuality, most are nothing more than grains of sand that ignite when slamming into Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40 miles per second. The extremely bright meteors may be caused by something as large as a pea.

On any given night you are likely to see random flashes of light as meteors burn up entering our atmosphere, and there are minor showers nearly every month.

But you don’t need a meteor shower for an excuse to enjoy the spectacular night sky. If you are really into discovering the outdoor world, there is much to explore once the sun goes down.

There are satellites moving through the heavens, and a whole different world of animals that you may encounter.

I once had a curious kit fox quietly approach me as I sat on the Borrego Sand Dunes watching the night sky. Nighthawks, owls, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, geckos, tarantulas and other creatures are more active at night.

There is more to the great outdoors than a mountain hike, great fishing trip, birding or exploring the desertwilderness. The night sky is another opportunity to sit and see.

A few quiet hours sitting under a sparkling night sky will allow you to discover more than you ever imagined.

Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.

The summer Milky Way and the streak of a passing iridium communications satellite.

County’s second most common bird moves fast and avoids the limelight

BY ERNIE COWAN Union Tribune 

The characteristic “witchetywitchety” song confirmed what I was looking for, but I just couldn’t spot it. The colorful little common yellowthroat is another one of those birds that you are initially more likely to hear than see.

Despite its bright yellow and olive colors, and the male’s bold, black facemask, the yellowthroat typically hangs out in dense thickets of brush or rushes at the edge of marshes or ponds. They tend to bounce around quickly, not spending much time in one place. Sometimes you just need to be patient to get that flash of color and a good look.

Despite my efforts to locate this singing bird, I wasn’t having any luck, but he continued to sing and I continued to scan the tangled thickets for a glimpse of Mr. Yellowthroat.

A movement made me glance up, and there he was, uncharacteristically out in the open, pouring his heart out with a spring melody. I have captured several photos of these colorful birds, but most were less than ideal because of the poor light, or my inability to get close enough as they moved so quickly.

This yellowthroat was on full display, and he didn’t seem at all concerned that I was close by and enjoying his avian serenade. This colorful male even posed for pictures.

While elusive because of where they tend to hang out, the common yellowthroat is actually the second most common bird in San Diego County behind the song sparrow. They love the dense growth of riparian woodlands, marshy ponds or even overgrown weed fields.

The yellowthroat is considered a New World warbler with a range extending from southern Canada to central Mexico.

This is a common bird year-round, but numbers do increase when winter migrants arrive, and they also move seasonally into gardens where their insect food is in greater supply. But, finding the yellowthroat this time of year is most productive at places like Doane Pond at Palomar Mountain State Park, Cuyamaca Lake, the San Luis Rey River mouth in Oceanside, the lake and riparian habitat at Guajome Lake Regional Park, the creek bed of Peñasquitos Canyon, and even the marshy areas of Sentenac Marsh in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Other likely locations include Lindo Lake in Lakeside, Lake Hodges, Escondido’s Kit Carson Park, lagoons along the coast, Lake Henshaw and the Tijuana River Valley. You will be looking for a small bird, less than 5 inches long, with a wingspan of 6 to 7 inches. Often, the song will be the first clue they are around, but the bright colors of the male help it stand out in the thickets where it is most often found.

Like many bird species, the males are the most colorful. Females lack

the bright yellow color, with a more drab olive brown, a little yellow at the throat and under the tail, and no black mask.

The yellowthroat is an insect eater, often hunting near the ground for spiders, ants, beetles, bees, moths and similar sources of protein.

Yellowthroats breed in San Diego and build wellhidden cup nests close to or even on the ground. Sometimes the nest will have a roof. The female will lay up to six eggs, and during incubation, the male bird will bring food to the female. Once the chicks hatch, both parents will participate in feeding.

This is a great time to head out looking for the common yellowthroat. It’s a colorful and interesting bird to add to your life list.

Cowan is a freelance writer based in Escondido. Email him at BirdandErnie@gmail.com or follow him at erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.