On The Road – Albatrossity – Fall back 2

Flyover Country is not typically foggy; constant winds keep any nascent fog too stirred up to be a regular thing. But some days in the fall are calm, and conditions are right for a foggy morning. This was the scene at one of my favorite fall birding spots as the fog cleared off on one of those days. And it’s a cell phone photo, since I only had the long telephoto for the “good camera”. Click here for larger image.

One reason that spot is a favorite fall birding destination for me is the abundance of sunflower seed heads, which translates into an abundance of sparrows. Fall sparrow migration can be delightful here, and this perky LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) is one of the stars of that show. Click here for larger image.

It was also a good fall season for Swamp Sparrows (Melospiza georgiana), who were probably confused by the complete lack of swamps here. Some years I only see one or two, some years I see lots, and last fall was in the latter category. A few hardy ones can even spend the winter here; they are always one of the most sought-after species on our local Christmas Bird Count. Click here for larger image.

Lincoln’s Sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii) are among the first sparrows to arrive here in the fall, and, unlike their cousins the Swamp Sparrows, will usually be found in decent numbers throughout the winter season and early spring, usually until April. Then in the first week of May they start getting vocal and head north to raise the next batch of babies. Click here for larger image.

Our local specialty sparrow here in Flyover Country is the Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula). Plump and doughty, these burgermeisters will also be here all winter, and are definitely one of the avian highlights of that season. Click here for larger image.

You may not think of them as sparrows, but Spotted Towhees (Pipilo maculatus) are definitely in the family. They replace their summer Eastern Towhee cousins in the local dogwood and honeysuckle thickets, where they skulk and scold any birder who ventures past. Click here for larger image.

Sparrow flocks also attract predators like this Merlin (Falco columbarius). I usually see the first Merlin of the season in September (rarely in August), but the big push comes in mid-October, when these spunky birds show up to pick off the occasional sparrow or finch from the sunflower patch. Click here for larger image.

Most of our local Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) molt after the breeding season is over, and usually by fall they are in pretty good shape, should they want to migrate south for the winter season. But sometimes that molt gets delayed, for whatever reason, and you get raggedy-looking specimens like this one. Click here for larger image.

As our local redtails leave for warmer climes, October also brings the first of the northern migrant redtails, who think that our winters are downright balmy, compared to what they might experience in their breeding sites in Alaska or Canada. This is my old friend Harley, who was back on territory near my house for at least the twelfth winter season here. As I write this, Harley is still here, but if history is any guide, he will be gone in a couple of weeks. Canada or Alaska will host him for a few months, but I sure hope to see him again in October 2025. Click here for larger image.

Usually I see my first Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) for the season in November; these cold-loving nomads can hang out up north for longer than the redtails do. This year the weather or the prey abundance in the upper parts of Flyover Country must have been fine; I saw my first one on December 11. That one was distant and the photos were not the best, so here is #2, seen at the very end of December 2024. I don’t blame them; if it was possible I would have stayed in Canada too! Click here for larger image.