Thinking of heading south to find warmer temperatures? Now? Not me, but many of our bird friends are getting restless. Migration has started. The pace will accelerate through September and early October before dribbling to a conclusion by late November or early December.
My goal here is to offer rather general information while acknowledging that each species moves on its own schedule. In reality, for many species the males, the females and this year’s young each have their own travel schedules.
One of the first hints of the coming migration is plainly visible with a glance at the overhead wires near open fields along almost any of our less traveled roads. The swallows are congregating. Careful observation might require more than the fingers of one hand to count the different swallow species you see. Usually three or four fingers are enough.
Lancaster County records suggest at least one of them will be gone by September first while small numbers of the others are occasionally spotted into early October.
Another group of early migrants are the shorebirds. These are usually found on mudflats near water but several, including the Killdeer, can be found in open meadows. One often favors grassy areas near airport runways. Unfortunately, the authorities aren’t real happy with scope toting birdwatchers near airport fences.
We don’t have an excess of mudflats in our immediate area ,but occasionally the water drops a little in the Octoraro Lake exposing some mud with grassy edges. Last Sunday I spotted six different shorebirds there. Others spotted more.
The one that got the most attention breeds in northern Canada and is common on the mudflats of coastal areas including nearby Delaware, but is seen infrequently this far inland. Seeing an American Avocet in Pennsylvania was a first for me. Seeing it in Delaware or further south happens often.
August signals the beginning of the organized hawk watches which continue deep into the fall. Hawk Mountain is the best known but there are at least two that are nearer home.
Raptor counts are still low but will accelerate quickly in the coming weeks. High counts of the eagles, vultures and different hawks peak on different dates.
If you have never spent a few hours at a hawk watch it might be a fun experience. If you go very often it might become addictive.
I haven’t mentioned songbirds, hummingbirds or waterfowl but I guess I can save that for later. We have a bit of time. My wife insists that we wait until after Christmas before we migrate.
