Migrant Eastern Kingbird
Here’s an Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) ruling over a field in migration while snatching up all sorts of flying insects. The healthier our grasslands and open areas are the healthier our birds like this one will be for a prolonged migration between continents.
Read MoreEarly Palm Warblers
If I had to pick out one theme of the overall autumn songbird migration thus far it would have to be how oddly scheduled our birds have been. Are they checking their calendars correctly? Different parts of the region are having often different sightings, possibly based on local conditions including drought and more than double the anticipated amount of rain in some areas, of birds that “should” or “should not” be seen. Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and birds like these Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum) are October species to me with that being the...
Read MoreBlue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
I mentioned Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptila caerulea) as a current migrant in a recent post, and I photographed this bird doing just that this morning. The wheezing individual shown here was at a migratory stopover site and may have continued flying not long after I snapped this shot. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are at least partially diurnal migrants, and if you are lucky you can find small flocks of several birds heading south together on a day like this one. August may be the middle of summer to us but it is well into fall for the birds. Safe journey, pretty friend! Keep flashing that tail...
Read MoreSwamp Milkweed
The Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is on the way! These wonderfully helpful pollinator plants, beloved by the Monarch butterfly for feeding and egg laying, will be blooming soon enough. I am looking forward to seeing all sorts of butterflies and other insects enjoying the nectar this summer. Have you planted any beneficial and native pollinator plants in your yard? What are you hoping to spot feeding on them? Go see what you can find this weekend in the great outdoors… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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