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Are you seeing signs of autumn in the air? Here in New Hampshire, the temperature is falling, the leaves are starting to change color, and the garden plants are slowing down.
Recently, I’ve also noticed another sign of fall: bird migrations.
Swallows
Two weeks ago, I was invited to a friend’s cottage on the seacoast in Little Compton, Rhode Island. One early evening, we were amazed to witness masses of birds swarming above their pond. She told me that they were tree swallows feeding on mosquitoes. It was almost eerie to see the black clouds of small birds darkening the sky.
Then, last week, I drove to Plum Island, Massachusetts on a field trip with The Well School. I saw the tree swallows again—a multitude of small birds taking to the skies! Have you ever seen such a sight? It turns out that tree swallows gather in coastal locations to feed on the fruits of bayberry bushes prior to a mass migration south.
Hawks
Over the weekend, I witnessed yet another bird migration after hiking up a nearby mountain, Pack Monadnock. At the summit, we were thrilled to view kettles of hawks soaring in the sky. At the high mountain altitudes, they float on "thermals" (pockets of warm air), barely needing to flap their broad wings. The hawk migration means that their food supply of frogs, snakes, and forest creatures is dwindling—a clear sign of summer's end!
Bears
Birds aren't the only creatures hinting that cold weather's coming. Our Almanac publisher recently saw a bear crossing the road in the middle of her walk! This is the second time in one week I’ve heard of a bear sighting. Folklore says . . .
It is going to be a tough winter if bears are seen berrying.
Surely enough, The 2010 Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a bracingly cold winter in this area.
What signs of autumn are you seeing? Please share! Just comment in the box below.
Here in Maryland, I am seeing
Here in Maryland, I am seeing a few geese starting to fly by, and big flocks of smaller birds. There are many big fat crickets crawling around and chirping. The shorter days have started and that is one thing I didn't miss while summer was here...
Here in West Hamlin, WV, the
Here in West Hamlin, WV, the leaves are turning, the hummingbirds are gone, the squirrels are carring off my walnuts and chestnuts fast as they fall. Days are cooler. It's getting dark earlier. The grass is not growing as fast. My dog and cat are already getting their thick fur.
Autumn is here in the Kern
Autumn is here in the Kern Valley in California, the bears have been coming around eating the fruit off the apple, peach and fig trees. Some of the winter birds I get at my feeders are showing up, spotted towhees, lark sparrows. The Rufus Hummingbirds that stop here on their migration have come and gone. This years crop of baby quail are all grown and all the individual families have joined into large coveys. The acorns and cedar cones are about halfway through falling. The Acorn woodpeckers are very busy gathering acorns and storing them in holes in the telephone pole in our front yard. And the quality of sunlight has changed, its somehow softer, more suble this time of year. Its especially noticable in the early morning and in the evening. Another sign of autumn is the local vulture festival that begins this weekend, Sept. 26th. It is a week long event where we celebrate and count the kettles of vultures that migrate through our valley every autumn. Kettles are large groups of vultures flying together in a rotating circle/vortex, sometimes more than a 100 birds in one. I love sitting on my front porch and watching as kettle after kettle crosses from one side of our valley to the other, right over my house.
Here in Montreal, Quebec,
Here in Montreal, Quebec, even though the trees are turning brilliant colours we're enjoying Indian Summer. The last couple of days have been very warm and humid.
Here in the Black Hills of
Here in the Black Hills of South Dakota the squirrels have been very busy with their back and forth to get the pine cones they've knocked out of the trees. The pine trees are dropping their needles from this year. The aspens are beginning to turn golden and very shortly they will be bare.
The bucks are rubbing to remove the velvet from their antlers. The streets are emptying as the tourists all head home. Our little town is ours again...
Here in Troy, NC we are
Here in Troy, NC we are seeing alot of color. With cooler temps in the daytime and nightime. The trees that don't turn until mid October are already turning and loosing their leaves. This year has been very odd in temperatures and everything seems to be doing their thing early this year. Fruit trees are loaded and the Oak trees are loaded with acorns and they are really big this year and they're falling. Fall and winter are really my favorite time of year. It looks like GOD is painting a beautiful picture.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing
Here in Northeast Louisiana
Here in Northeast Louisiana the mornings are beginning to be cool and a few of the leaves are turning, some falling from the trees. It is a rare thing that we get real Autum weather and color here, but when we do, believe me we all enjoy and appreciate it. I think Fall is my favorite time of the year although I do wax nostalgic because of the winter death of everything just ahead. I tire very quickly of Winter so I truly am enjoying the beautiful signs of Autum we are experiencing.
Here in the Ozark Mountains
Here in the Ozark Mountains it's cooler and we are starting to see some color from the dogwoods, sumac, and sassafras. The acorns are falling, the aster and goldenrod are blooming..... visit my blog at OzarkImages.blogspot.com for more about Autumn in the Ozarks and some great wallpaper.
My sign of Fall in Indiana
My sign of Fall in Indiana are the woolly worms. They are every where now and vary in color from blonde to dark auburn.