Fall Migration

Once again, I am enjoying our little patch of creation way more than I ever thought would have been possible. It's fall migration, and our yard has proven to be welcome resting spot for its usual grouping of veeries, white-breasted nuthatches, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows, brown creepers, juncoes and chickadees.

This autumn, though, we've added four new species: black and white warbler, common nighthawk, red-breasted nuthatch, and eastern phoebe. I have no photographic evidence of any of these.

I have lots of proof of a hermit thrush, though.


We have so many of them it's an embarassment. Still, you do catch them in good moments. Look closely and you'll see a ladybug on a stem of grass just to the left of the bird's beak.


And now you don't see it. Those ladybugs move slowly this time of year, and I guess they make a good meal.


The white-breasted nuthatch is an old friend. Unlike most birds, which I watch from the back windows until Harry and Daisy yell at me for being too obvious, the nuthatches seem to like the tree in the front yard. This normally is home only to house sparrows, blue jays, and downy woodpeckers.


I'm grateful to these birds (the house sparrow not so much) because they've given me an opportunity to connect with the neighbours about birds. One day a hairy woodpecker landed in the tree and out I came with my binoculars -- this gave me time to talk to Rita and Alison about the differences between the downy and the hairy, not to mention the wee nuthatch. And really, when you think about it, I don't even know anything about birds! But now we all know which tree the nuthatch prefers.


And Lynn across the street and I have had a good look together at a huge group of jays who hung out one day and called in the most unusual way, while the triplets next door joined me in watching a couple of downies doing some kind of territorial tango. And one evening Jason, AnneMarie, Hilary and I watched an owl for ages until we realized it was a decoy from Canadian Tire.

You never know what you're going to see in this neighbourhood!