Fall Migration and Birdcast

Fall Migration is underway and while your seed and suet feeders will typically slow down now through October birdwatching in the area will be significantly more interesting because migration is in full swing.  Keep those hummingbird feeders fresh and filled because we still have several weeks of busy hummingbird feeding remaining. 

When spending time outdoors have your binoculars with you and ready because Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Flycatchers are pouring through middle Tennessee stopping to feed in the mornings on insects and berries.  Pay special attention to birdbaths and fountains as many of these birds seek out good water sources to take advantage of.

American Redstart

Tennessee Warbler

Mornings are the best time to see lots of different species because most of the mentioned migrants are traveling at night. They settle down to rest and feed in the morning.

Look for large if not massive flocks of Chimney Swifts and Common Nighthawk in the evenings commonly seen in areas near downtown or where there is ample night lighting like high school football games.

Chimney Swift

Common Nighthawk

Did you know that radar used to track weather systems is also used to track bird movements? I suggest you check out BirdCast. BirdCast is a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. BirdCast applies weather surveillance radar to gather information on the numbers, flight directions, speeds and altitudes of birds aloft in order to expand the understanding of migratory bird movement. Just last night, Sept. 8, an estimated 995,300 birds flew over Davidson Co. And that number will increase as we approach the usual strongest time of migration in the month of October. BirdCast has live migration alerts in real time. Their findings have been eye-opening and very interesting to say the least. To summarize all the interesting information provided by BirdCast would be impossible. I urge you to check out this site. Wonderful! Visit Birdcast at www.birdcast.info

Make time to visit one of the many great local birdwatching areas this fall to see some birds you may not have seen before. The usual local hot spots include:

Radnor Lake   Warner Parks    Bells Bend    Harpeth River Greenway    Shelby Bottoms        

Hidden Lakes State Park     Gossett Tract State Park    

Bowie Nature Park and Montgomery Bell State Park

Wood Thrush Notes

By all accounts, the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been plentiful and hungry this year.  As of this morning, I was still seeing over a dozen at a time at my feeders.  We will only see them for another week or so as the majority of them will move northward by mid-May. 

If you’ve been having difficulty seeing a bird but hear it singing you should try using the Merlin app by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It’s a very useful and easy to use app for bird identification including the songs and calls ID feature. I really put it to the test at Montgomery Bell State Park recently and it was fast and accurate. Just hit the “sound ID” button then touch the microphone icon. Your device will listen and, if it is hearing the bird song, will identify it in seconds. What a nice use for technology.

Nashville-Tennessee Warblers

It seems appropriate to share information with you about two warblers that I’ve seen recently and are seen regularly in TN during spring migration, the Nashville Warbler, and the Tennessee Warbler. 

The Nashville Warbler is described as a “boisterous yellow songster”.  Smaller than a Goldfinch, males have mostly yellow underparts including the throat, with an olive green back, and a gray hood.  The white eye rings are prominent. If it stops moving long enough you may detect the chestnut patch on the crown of the head.  The bird got its name from Alexander Wilson in 1811 as he saw this bird while in Nashville and promptly named it after the city.  This bird only passes through Nashville, however, and will end up in its breeding grounds well north of us and into Canada. 

Nashville Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

The Tennessee Warbler can be described as plain. They are still quite handsome but lacking the flash of other warblers. In the males look for the white eyebrow stripe against the grayish head which contrasts with the green back. Male underparts are a dull white. Females are similar but the head is less gray and its underparts are more yellow. This warbler will also just pass through Nashville on its way to the uppermost parts of the U.S. and into primarily Canada to its breeding grounds. The TN warbler is also known to appreciate nectar in its wintering grounds in tropical forests. Rather than get nectar from flowers from the front, like hummingbirds, they will pierce the flower at the base and lap up the nectar as it comes out. This bird was also named by Mr. Wilson.

Wood Thrush Notes

Fall Migration is underway and while your seed birdfeeders will typically be a little slower now through October birdwatching in the area will be significantly more interesting. On your morning walks have your binoculars with you and ready because Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles, Grosbeaks, and Flycatchers are pouring through middle Tennessee on their return to Central and South America stopping to feed in the mornings on insects.

Tennessee Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Mornings are the best time to see lots of different species because many of these migrants travel at night. They settle down to rest and feed in the morning. And mornings after a storm tend to be even better. Make time to visit one of the many great local birdwatching areas this fall to see some birds you may not have seen before. The usual local hot spots include:

• Radnor Lake

• Warner Parks

• Bells Bend

• Harpeth River Greenway

• Shelby Bottoms

• Hidden Lakes State Park

• Gossett Tract State Park

• Bowie Nature Park

• Montgomery Bell State Park

The Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society is once again offering the first of 4 fall migration birdwatching walks at Radnor Lake beginning Wed. Sept. 22. If you have considered making birdwatching a new activity and don’t know where to start this would be a great opportunity for you to learn from some very experienced birders. For more information about the Nashville Chapter of TOS please visit their website, www.nashvillebirds.org