Migrant Birds

Birds of a feather: the Mockingbird and the Yellow-Shafted Flicker migrate to warmer climates each fall.

Birds of a feather: the Mockingbird and the Yellow-Shafted Flicker migrate to warmer climates each fall.

Migration is an annual fall event for many species of birds.  Hummingbirds are among the first to leave as summer turns to fall.  Several species of ducks and other waterfowl often head toward Cape Cod and other coastal areas before finally departing.  Among the birds from the central Massachusetts area that migrate each fall are:
Bald Eagle – Southeastern States
Bluebird – Southern States
Brown Thrasher – Southern States
Catbird – Southern States
Cedar Waxwing – partial migration; may stay overwinter but move in flocks
Chimney Swift – South America
Cowbird – Southern States
Duck, Wood – Southern States
Duck, Black – Southern States
Duck, Mallard – Southern States, Mexico, Central America
Flicker, Yellow-Shafted – Southern States
Goose, Canada – may be non-migratory in some areas
Grackle – Southern States
Hawk, Sparrow (Kestrel) – Southern States, Central America
Hawk, Broadwing – Central America, South America
Heron, Great Blue -  Southern States, Central America, South America
Hummingbird, Ruby-Throated – Southern States, Mexico, Central America,
Indigo Bunting – Mexico, Central America, South America
Kingfisher – Southern States, Central America, South America
Kingbird – Central America, South America
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned – Southern States, Mexico South America
Killdeer – Southern States, Mexico, Central America
Loon – Gulf Coast, Southern states, Mexico
Mockingbird – a partial migrator; some individuals overwinter in our neighborhood
Nighthawk – South America
Oriole, Northern and Orchard - Mexico, Central America, South America
Phoebe, Eastern – Southern States, Mexico
Red-winged Blackbird – Southern States, Mexico, Central America
Redstart – Mexico, Central America, South America
Robin – Some migrate to Southern States and Central America; others remain
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak – Mexico, Central America, South America
Scarlet Tanager – Central America, South America
Sparrow, Chipping – Southern States, Central America, Mexico
Sparrow, Field – Southern States, Gulf of Mexico
Sparrow, Fox – Southern States
Sparrow, Song – Southern States
Sparrow, White-Throated – Southern States, Mexico
Sparrow, White-Crowned – Southern States, Mexico
Starling – can be migrator or non-migrator; some will go to southern states
Swallow, Tree – Mexico, Central America
Swallow, Barn  – Central America
Towhee – Southern States, South America
Turkey Vulture –  Southern States, Mexico, Central America
Veery -South America
Warblers  – Central America, South America
Woodcock – Southern States
Wood Pewee – Costa Rica, Northwest South America
Wood Thrush -Mexico to Panama, with some in Texas and Southern Florida
Wren – Southern States, Mexico
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker – Mexico, Central America
Yellow-Throat  – Southern States, Central America

Seckel Pear

The Seckel Pear, or "Sugar Pear."

The Seckel Pear, or "Sugar Pear."

The Seckel Pear is small but very sweet.  It makes sense that they are often referred to as “sugar pears.”  Most of the time people eat them fresh (Seckels make great lunch box treats) but some prefer to mix slices poached in wine with a blue cheese and walnut salad, roast them in honey, or pickle or spice them.  Ours are destined for pear butter. Like most pears, Seckels will be very firm when first picked, but they ripen well in a cool dark place.

The Seckel Pear was developed around 1800.  The skin has a dull green-brown cast and may show reddish highlights.  It is high in sugar and has a slightly grainy texture.  The Seckel is an ideal pear for the home orchard because it is hardy and self-fertilizing.  I picked these Seckel pears on a neighbor’s property.  The trees were planted in the 1960’s and later neglected.  Without thinning or pruning, the trees became very tall and the resulting fruit grew on branches that were simply “out of reach.”  I used three sections of an aluminum snow rake handle with a small four-tined garden cultivator tool inserted in one end.  Extending the pole as far above my head as possible, I was able to reach some of the now “wild” pears.  This is not the most gentle of ways to pick pears, but otherwise the pears would ripen on the tree, become mealy, and fall to the ground. The deer, raccoon, squirrel, wild turkey and other animals that frequent the overgrown area will get the rest.

New England Aster

The purple New England Aster is a familiar September sight.

The purple New England Aster is a familiar September sight.

The New England Aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae) is often dug up from the wild and planted in gardens.  It grows naturally in fields and woodland thickets, along roadsides, or wherever there are low moist spots.  Look for stems that are hairy and sharp-pointed leaves.  The leaves appear to clasp the stem at their base.  The petal like rays are purple.  The green bracts just under the flower heads curve downward.

September Bounty

The flower tops of Queen Anne's Lace form a "bird's nest" in the fall.

The flower tops of Queen Anne's Lace form a "bird's nest" in the fall.

September is traditionally a month of harvest.  It brings the look and feel of autumn as summer slips away. Listen for the night sounds of tree frogs and crickets. Fall bird migration begins, with Hummingbirds, Broadwing Hawks, Yellow-shafted Flickers, and Geese leading the way. Watch for Red Admiral butterflies. Grapes ripen along stone walls and woodland edges. Peaches droop in orchards. Deer stay closer the woods. Bears eat nuts and berries. Redwing blackbirds prepare to migrate. Muskrats build winter homes. The praying mantis deposits a frothy egg mass on twigs and rocks. Wild carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace) forms a “bird nest” growth at tip. Apples ripen in orchards. Deer, fox, ruffed grouse, and raccoons eat apples in orchards.  Insect larvae feed on the apples. Yellow jackets are especially fond of the decaying fruit.  Hitch-hiker seeds – beggar ticks, burdock, and tick trefoils – are picked up on pants and socks. Field and woodland Asters are numerous. Wooly bear caterpillars seek shelter. Thistle heads are now silvery. Look for mushrooms following a rain. Red Maple leaves turn crimson. Pods of Milkweed crack open. The dark purple-black berries of Pokeberry hang along country roads. The blue flowers of the Chicory bloom along sunny streets. Two species of butterflies that migrate south are the Monarch and the Painted Lady. The first frost of the year may occur this month. Fall leaf colors begin showing. Green Darner dragonflies and Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies dazzle with their speed.