Bird Migration Cranking Up!

My work schedule has kept me from spending as much time watching the Fall migration season unfold, but I've still managed to see a few interesting birds in my backyard.  A couple of cold fronts in the past 10 days have allowed northerly winds to develop across the Eastern U.S. which is very advantageous for southward-migrating birds.  Commercial airline pilots know how easy it is to save fuel by finding a tail-wind and sticking with it, and migrating birds are certainly no different.

male American Redstart

Although the picture is horrible, this first bird pictured here is a newcomer for my backyard:  A male American Redstart.  I saw the female of this species briefly several years ago during the Fall migration, but this is the first time for the male.  He spent several minutes fluttering around from tree to tree, once flying just 10 feet over my head, then landed in an Azalea bush only 15 feet from me where this picture was taken. American Redstarts are a type of wood Warbler that breeds in the deciduous forests of Eastern North America and Southern Canada, then winters mainly in Central America.

Red-eyed Vireo

The Red-eyed Vireos are still present in small but predictable numbers.  These birds normally peak in numbers here the last week of September and the first week of October.  Red-eyed Vireos do breed in Southeastern North Carolina, but I've never seen them locally except during the Fall migration.

Red-tailed Hawk

And probably not a migrant, but this Red-tailed Hawk caught and ate a House Finch from near my backyard feeders one week ago.  After catching the bird and taking his catch up to the roof of my house, he flew into a nearby tree where he dismembered and ate the finch, all the while a literal snow of tiny feathers fluttered down into my front yard.









Fall-migrating birds should peak in numbers and in species-diversity in the next two weeks -- I'll be watching!