Late Season Songsters:
This is supposed to be the time of year when things grow quiet in the bird world. In past years, they have. But not this year. For several weeks, we have been inundated with the sounds of several blue jay families, bouncing around outside our home and scolding everything that moves. Much sweeter and more welcome sounds (sorry, blue jay lovers, but your birds screech and squawk), drift down from a host of eastern kingbirds foraging from the tops of trees as they prepare to leave for points south.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
There are still scolding wrens, mewing catbirds and a couple of orioles chattering in the serviceberry bushes. Families of rose-breasted grosbeaks feed on sunflowers and serviceberries. Then, this week, there were several very special surprises: First was the melodic call of a veery from our woods one evening. The next afternoon, a great crested flycatcher came in, whistling its “Breep, breep, breep.” He landed, facing away from us, on a branch in a black cherry tree, right outside our living room window. Then he turned into the sun, his rufous wings highlighted by the light and his breast glowing a bright lemon hue. He hung around until the end of day, snagging flying insects, and snatching the occasional serviceberry.
American Redstart
But the best bird experience of all was the day that American redstarts appeared and sang their way through our wetland for the entire afternoon. These beautiful black and orange warblers are regular nesters on Charter Sanctuary. Hearing them communicating reminded us - as if we needed any reminders - of why we bought this place sixteen years ago.