There are as many skeletons as bird feeders out now, and you can feel the changes. I notice for the first time the days shortening, shadows at six o’clock filling the house and from a more southern angle. The world is ticking back to fall and the birds know it.
Mainly due to allergies, I haven’t been out birding like I like to, but I’ve noticed some interesting things through the windows of the house and the car.
The House Sparrows are returning to the front flower bed. Last winter a small flock of 20 or so of these little birds took up residence in the thick bushes off the front porch. They dispersed in the spring, only a few pairs staying behind, but now that flocking season is here, they’re back. Every time I open the front door a burst of sparrows appears and hurries to the neighbor’s flowerbed.
The Cardinals and Blue Jays are still around. Last year, we went out of town in late July and when we came back they had gone, and I didn’t see them around again until March. This year when we left, we had the neighbor kids keep the feeders going and they’ve stuck around. I guess last year the feeders going empty right at the end of nesting season inspired them to move on.
The Chipping Sparrows aren’t back yet, but I don’t expect them for another month or so.
The Chickadees are back in force. They are occasional visitors to the feeders during the summer months, but they are much more common in the fall through spring.
The hummingbirds seem to have left, but I’ll keep the feeders up for a little while longer in the hope a Rufous Hummer will come by.
I’m suddenly seeing more Carolina Wrens than Bewick’s, though the Bewick’s are still here. I wonder if any are the ones I saw fledge back in June.
Around the neighborhood, I’ve noticed ducks starting to come back to the ponds while more hawks drift overhead.
Driving to work each morning, I look for the Scissor-tails. They’re still around, flocking up in preparation for their long journey to the Central American highlands. I thought they’d be gone by now, but each morning I see more and more sitting on the power lines, and I find I am grateful for each day that I get one more look at these favorite birds before they leave. I suspect that like many birds they’re waiting for the morning the light falls in just a certain way that will say to them, “fly.”
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
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