Early 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 MoreBlack-capped Chickadee
The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is as familiar a backyard resident as can be, but did you know these birds migrate, too? Well, some of them anyway, in a particular way. Young birds move south and irrupt during certain years based on the reproductive success of the summer and the local conditions. The best way to see this is finding a number of them in migratory hotspots in the autumn. If you are at an area such as a beach along the shore of Lake Erie where you typically find zero and suddenly see a flock of six or eight, there you go. I have seen up to 18 in a little flock...
Read MoreRed-breasted Nuthatch Invasion
Who turned the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) switch on? The most noticeable trend thus far in this autumn migration has been the appearance of Red-breasted Nuthatches all over the place in the Northeast. Birders have reported them at migratory hotspots, in yards where they are not resident, and even noticeable increases in abundance at locations where they are found year-round. While I have enjoyed hearing their nasal, honking calls and seeing them frantically dashing overhead from tree to tree, I was not able to adequately photograph any of these arrivals until this past weekend....
Read MoreWhimbrel
This is not a very good photo, but it is a very good bird – the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). If you live near any coastal areas you should keep an eye and an ear open to watch and listen for them migrating by right now, as this bird was doing. It was really moving, and being an able and swift flier is something you need to do when you are cruising between continents and hemispheres…
Read MoreLeast Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
I love the Least Flycatcher’s scientific name (Empidonax minimus) as it is so very easy to understand. The tiniest of the empidonax flycatchers has a bold eye ring, and any yellow or green you seen on the feathers of this bird was a reflection of today’s warm morning light off the surrounding foliage. This was one of many cool migrants I enjoyed early this Friday, and the kind bird posed so well for me during an otherwise frustrating photography day. I wish you a wonderful Labor Day weekend of heading outdoors to see what you can find. It will also be a weekend of seeing what is...
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