Fall Report

Photograph by Bill Ravenscroft

As the day presses on during the past week, the few sightings of hummers at the feeders have come to a halt. However, noticeable are different birds visiting the water bath and surrounding cover of the bushes in my back yard as well as the high branches of the oaks above. For the past two days, three or four Ruby Crowned Kinglets have visited, flitting back and forth between the Rose-A-Sharon and the Oaks. They have been accompanied by six to eight Nashville Warblers. The Nashvilles were particularly interested in the water bath gathering at least three at a time and affording me a good look at their white eye ring, gray head, and yellow throat. Yesterday evening, there were other warblers high in the oaks. However, before I could acquire my binoculars and focus on these birds, they were off. Scratching about the under growth has been a Brown Thrasher.

Steady are the constant companions, the Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice and Carolina Wrens. A female Downy also frequents the peanut feeder. Not seen in a while are the Red Bellied Woodpeckers. They are heard about the neighborhood, however. Tough Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers have not yet been seen in the yard, I have seen one in the park.

My good friend has a different visitor. Since Tuesday, this Red Shouldered Hawk visits early in the morning in his yard. The smaller birds do not show for four or five hours afterwards. Oh well, one must be appreciative of whatever gift comes along.

Fall Migrants

Migration has begun. These warblers were photographed in the area around Lake Waco by photographer Bill Ravenscroft. The above is a Nashville Warbler. Below is a Yellow Warbler.

A Brown Thrasher was spotted tooling around under my Rose-A-Sharon near the waterbath. I fumbled trying to get a picture and did not succeed. Most of the hummers have departed, although I have one to three still visiting my feeder and the few remaining flowers.

We are experiencing cool mornings and mild, pleasant afternoons,--perfect conditions for some great fall birding.

Central Texas Hummingbirds

Adult male Ruby Throat

Photo by Karen Arquette

Migration seems to have begun. Karen was reporting that 80 to 100 hummers a day would visit her feeders this summer. Yet, recently, the numbers have dropped to around 30 or 40 a day. Flowers are still blooming. The feeders are still being filled. These jewels are tanking up for their flights south. We will enjoy them all we can.

Immature male Ruby Throat

Photo by Karen Arquette

Cedar Waxwings

One of the great joys of migration is that twice a year I get to witness the gathering hundreds of these marvelous birds. Over the last couple of days their frenzied activity has occurred in my back yard, coming and going to the bird bath and feasting on the berries in the tress all around my yard and the neighbors'.

I was spending a good deal of time watching and trying for a good digiscoped photo of these when they exploded from the yard en masse and hightailed it for some distant shelter. Immediately searching the sky above me, I found a Cooper's Hawk gliding across the ravine headed my way.