Now in basic plumage, large and small flocks of Franklin’s Gulls are gorging on insects encountered on water and in flight as they prepare for a long migration to the Pacific Coast of South America. Surprised to see the single green speculum feather on this molting or young Green-winged Teal, the remarkable blue water color originally attracted me to photograph this small duck. One of several first-fall Red-tailed Hawks provided some different portrait angles during shared moments. I didn’t hesitate to add a few extra raptor photos here to emphasize the soon to begin International Hawk Migration Week. A different breast pattern on this smallish male Swainson’s Hawk make it look quite different from the larger, darker female that provided the photograph below. A molting yearling Swainson’s Hawk provided a flight photo during Saturday’s birding drive. Note the tan coloration in its underside plumage, and the new (darker) flight feathers mixed among the secondaries and primaries.

As we approach International Hawk Migration Week, which officially begins Saturday, I waited out a couple unseasonably cool days with especially strong wind before a break in the clouds and a lull in the wind provided a chance to do some quality birding Saturday afternoon. That’s when I began what has become a weekly birding drive along my Raptor Route to count hawks and to get an idea of local changes in avifauna in the area after the dramatic weather change. Essentially, some new birds arrived to fill in for species that headed south.

Standouts among the ducks were a group of beautiful Redhead drakes in full colored plumage, and a surprise Green-winged Teal in camo plumage, along with the first of fall Hooded Grebe in basic plumage. There were also many flocks of Mourning Doves, Franklin’s Gulls, and Killdeer. But on the other end of the spectrum, I only saw 2 Eastern Kingbirds and no Western Kingbirds – a testament to the lack of bugs during the much cooler weather the previous 2 days and an indication that most of the flycatchers headed south.

On the raptor front, I counted 14 Swainson’s Hawks, 13 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Northern Harriers, and a surprise Cooper’s Hawk for a total of 30 birds of prey. That’s a considerable reduction in the previous week’s total of 47 raptors along the Raptor Route, but as noted last week, the Labor Day weekend is always a peak migration period here, with more than twice as many Swainson’s Hawks on hand (there were 32 Swainson’s the previous weekend).

Like last week, I followed up Saturday’s route by driving south and a bit southeast along a favorite birding drive that was punctuated by several large flocks of Barn Swallows and Killdeer with smaller groups of Mourning Doves. Woodpeckers were expected and observed, including 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers (a single adult, and an adult with a recent fledgling) plus 3 Northern Flickers. This time I kept an accurate count of all raptors, and although Swainson’s Hawks are always less abundant to the south, there were surprisingly few Sunday – only 4, but there were 18 Red-tails and 2 American Kestrels for a total of 24 raptors.

In My Yard: As I began working Friday morning, a small hawk materialized outside my bay windows, flying only about 4 feet high toward the mature ash trees in my front yard – a Sharp-shinned Hawk! I grabbed my camera and headed for the front door, thinking the hawk might have perched in a low branch, but apparently not. On a smaller avian level, I observed a House Wren near the ground among my sumacs adjacent to the bay windows.

Although I was hummingbird-less Tuesday, just before sunset a new female Ruby-throat gorged herself on sugar-water at my feeder. I was gone Wednesday, but Thursday there were at least 2 female hummingbirds feeding at flowers, and one that was overly territorial at my feeder. By late afternoon though, it seemed the hummingbirds may have already made an exit, as none came to fill up on nectar before dark as they usually do. But the same territorial female continued Friday and Saturday, and she appeared to be the only hummer in the area until prime feeding time in the evening when a second hummingbird appeared. There was a similar 1–2 replay Sunday and Monday, but Tuesday up to publishing time the regular female visited.

September is one of my favorite months of the year, bittersweet as temperatures cool and plants and trees show signs of the coming change, but the ever-enhanced migration of birds adds a level of anticipation that a different bird could appear at any moment, and sometimes they do! Enjoy the birds you see, add a little more birding time to you schedule, and enjoy the days of September.

Article and Photos by Paul Konrad

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