Fall bird migration has begun.

Pretty neat website.

I have a picture from this spring of over 300 Sandhill Cranes migrating in a double V. Seemed like they were more than 1000 feet up. You could hear them, but could barely see them. Had 3 groups fly over during the day and several more during a few nights. Very impressive.

 

I've had a lot of small birds, probably mostly some sort of sparrows and finches coming thru at my place the last week or so. Yesterday they were swarming the bird baths that I have been filling for several weeks because of the drought.

 

There's a small lake near us. We seem to have them year round.

 

I heard some flying overnight on Thursday.

 

They fly year round here. All times of the night as well. Sometimes a pair, sometimes a few.
We used to have hundreds that stuck around year round in the old cow grazing fields up the street, but something happened several years ago and they started mostly disappearing during the Summer. Then they are back in the Fall.

 

Yesterday morning I had the windows open for a while and I heard a few geese out there practicing for migration. First time I've heard them this fall. they have several more weeks to get their flocks and formations together before heading south.

 

Same thing here.

Even "our" eagles fly while molting.........every day! One of their favorite trees is in our yard. Shed feathers can be found easily in the yard. Every year.

Young geese are covered with downy feathers at the time of hatching and do have to replace those with flight feathers.



Another pic of the replacment process

 

Great time of year. We get some neat visits from birds we do t see otherwise.
In the county to the west, we have a great stopping point for thousands.

 

My spouse keeps a hummingbird feeder filled through summer and we stay amused at their acrobatics buzzing around it to feed. She is surprised that they are still here as of yesterday.
It's confusing that those tiny things fly all the way to Mexico from Michigan. And then back again next spring - such is another display of God's Magic Show.

 

The hummingbirds were almost non-existent through July. Now, they are all over the feeders i have out.

 

Saw hummingbirds up until Sunday. 3 or 4 at a time now there are none. Migration must have started.

 

Spotty use for hummingbird feeders here. Kinda hate to take them down now since they may need to "bulk up" for the trip south.