Wonderful Fall Birdwatching is Just Beginning!
Wonerful fall birdwatching is just beginning! I usually don't put up my feeders until mid October, because it saves money (less seed to be purchased), and birds don't need free handouts until then, but this year I have had a great temptation that I cannot resist. Putting up my bird feeders 11 days early. What brought this on, you might ask? Well, the answer is very simple. Tonight while I was birdwatching, I heard calls from blue jays, Carolina chickadees, and the wonderful little nuthatches. Nuthatches are the best, by the way. Very entertaining, they are. Up one side of the feeder, over the top, down the other side part way and then they hang upside down from the side of the feeder and grab a seed then fly away with it.
Back to my main point. Tonight I saw two very special birds. Not special to everyone, but to me they are, because I have only seen each one of them three times. Tonight was the third time for each of them. The white-throated sparrow and the Carolina wren. Both are wonderful looking birds, and I haven't seen them many times. Even worse, I don't have a 100% perfect photo of either of them. The blue jays, chickadees, and nuthatches are just a seccondary reason to put up my feeders, while the white-throated sparrow and the Carolina wren are the main reasons.
Tonight I realized that there are only two seasons for birdwatchers, and the beginning of each is a major thrill for any birdwatchers or photographers, or bird feeders. The first season is Spring, when warblers, tanagers, orioles, hummingbirds, and many other colorful, uncommon, wonderful part-time residents of Ohio come back for 4 to 5 months. The season of Spring starts in mid April to Early Spring for birdwatchers in Ohio. The second season is fall, when bird migration is at its peak. Ducks, other waterbirds, warblers, hummingbirds, and many other bird species are migrating southward, which provides wonderful observation in proper habitats. Fall begins in August (Orioes migrate early) and ends in mid April or early May when winter part-time resident move back north, and southward residents come back north for a short while.
Bird migration is in full swing right now. warblers, sparrows, ducks, and many other species are migrating right now. It is prime time for birdwatching, and bird feeding starts soon. Remember, the sooner you start bird feeding, the better chance you have of attracting more species and keeping them as regular visitors throughout the winter.