copywrite©Marjie Gemmell
AN AUTUMN FAREWELL
TO SUMMER BIRD VISITORS
August, September and October bring poignant farewells to some of our most cherished feathered friends. Many of our summer breeding species are on the wing, heading south to warmer climates and richer winter food sources.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are all but gone from my backyard feeders. Perhaps a few late migrants will stop to feed on their way south, but the whir and squeaks of our summer hummers is sadly missing from the feeding station. I will leave the feeders up until the end of October, because many migrants depend on feeders as late fall food sources.
Along my river trail this end of September, many species have already disappeared. American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-throated, Parula and Yellow Warblers, along with my favorite warbler songster, the Louisiana Waterthrushes are heard no more. The number of vireos has diminished also. During spring and summer I hear White-eyed, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos from one end of the trail to the other. Today I heard one song in four miles – that from a Red-eyed Vireo.
The chorus of breeding bird species is winding down fast. Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, House Wrens, Indigo Buntings, Wood Thrushes, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Great-crested, Acadian and Least Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebes and Eastern Wood Peewees are among the missing.
Autumn is a time of farewell for sure, but without the gloomy goodbyes, how could there be the profuse joy of spring migration when we welcome them all back to our yards and woods? Guess you can’t have one without the other! Good birding!
Cheeps & Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
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