The Birds Say That Summer is Nearly Over

                                                            Juvenile Brown Thrasher

                                                                Green Heron, Clutch 6

                                                                 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

                                                                    Eastern Kingbird

                                                               Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

                                                               Green Herons, Clutch 6


Sunday 08-21-16 through Wednesday 08-24-16

There birds generally indicate that summer is over and things are soon about to change.  The
days have been cooling down, and the length of the daylight is shortening.  Migration has
already begun with a light to medium shorebird movement, and songbirds have started to take to
the air.

Here is our last clutch of Green Herons that are growing up and still in the area, even though
their birthplace had been taken over by other herons and they were left on the sidelines.  They managed to raise themselves and persevere, while the parents went elsewhere, but that is quite normal this late in the season.  Many of the other Green Herons from various clutches remained in various locations on Boomer Lake, Boomer Creek, and even in smaller western waterways in the vicinity.
This was quite the year for Green Herons, and next year will help us fill in the story even more.

We also saw plenty of juvenile birds, like Brown Thrashers, Northern Mockingbirds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, and many, many more.

Many of the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets came out and settled on the lake from the Boomer Creek Rookery and are still in our presence.

                                                      1st Summer Broad-winged Hawk

                                                                      Great Egret
                                                            "Making a Withdrawal"


Tuesday, August 30

0728-0954 hrs./70 to 80 degrees F/partly cloudy/light and variable S winds

A beautiful first summer Broad-winged Hawk came looking for breakfast, stayed a while in a few different area locations, and was escorted off by three brave American Goldfinches when they had
enough.  Even young hawks can raise alarm calls with songbirds, and they will even brave the odds
in order to protect each other.  The young Green Herons watched and waited, not even paying the hawk any mind.  Hawk watch has begun, and a few visitors have been in our midst.  Turkey vultures
are also returning to the area, and soon it will be Songbird Central for the southern push of warblers,
vireos, and other familiar faces that we just saw heading north just a few short months ago.