Subject: Re: Backyard Migration
Date: Aug 06 08:54:19 1997
From: kraig at wln.com - kraig at wln.com



I'm not sure what to call the increase in bird activity this time of
year. By September, I have no problem calling it "migration", but in
late July/early August? Post-breeding dispersal? Pre-migration
staging? I see an increase in bird activity in our yard (and
elsewhere); much of it involves young birds, with or without their
parents in attendance. Most of the birds present are those that breed
locally.

Last night for instance, I watched a steady stream of birds drop in to
our tiny fish pond, including B-t Gray Warblers, chickadees, both a
Willow and a Pac-slope Flycatcher, a family of flickers, waxwings,
grosbeaks, Hutton's Vireos, and so on. I get the impression that
after fledging, the breeders abandon their territories and spread out
over the countryside, looking for food and, in our case, water.

When does dispersal become migration?

Eric Kraig
Olympia, WA
kraig at wln.com



>Over the last two weeks the first signs of "fall" migration has been moving
>through my backyard. On two different occasions I have had male Western
>Tanagers. A couple of Black headed Grosbeaks (imm) and an immature Northern
>Oriole that flew in with a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. I have never seen
>other species flying with Cedar Waxwings. Lately I have had lots of Robins in
>the yard feeding on the cherry tree. At one point I saw an adult feeding a
>juvenile. It would be interesting to build a list of species that feed their
>young while on migration.
>
>On Sunday we had five species of woodpeckers come through. Actually only 4
>(Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and N. Flicker)
>made it into the yard and the Pileated Woodpecker kept calling from Pine Lake
>County Park. The Northern Flickers have been doing a lot of displaying and
>calling, almost as if it were spring time.
>
>Jim Rosso
>Issaquah