Signs of Migration

It would appear that migration is well underway. Many immature birds as well as warblers and orioles have been visiting. The last, and welcomed, rains brought in the orioles to our feeders. The rains have seemed to chase the hummers away. We had several hummers at the feeders before the rain, but none now. Such is the nature of migration—here today, gone tomorrow.

Photos by Bill Ravenscroft.

Small is Big, Big is Small

In late August I began another trip around the sun—my 58th in fact. Now this seems to be quite an undertaking mileage wise. Yet, only 1/365 has to be accomplished every day. So, I find myself contemplating when small is big and big is small. Point in fact 1/365 of a year (small) is a whole day, 24 hours (big). Traveling half way around the world to Africa, something my youngest daughter did this summer, is no big deal to her but substantial to me. Hummingbirds are so very small and their nests are almost unrecognizable. However, their presence is a big deal to birders and non-birders alike.
One degree rise in the average temperature of our climate is the harbinger of the extremes of global warming. A one percent increase in the population of the world is 62 million people. In contrast, the attention you give a child bears tremendous fruit of a loving, caring, and engaged adult.

Well, I beg the question. What small thing can we do that will make a big difference for ourselves, our Society, for the community? It is something we should contemplate every day of this trip around the sun.

Fast but Lonely Travelers

Decidedly, fall migration has begun. Hummingbirds are once again gathering at the feeders, fattening for the trip south. Our feeders sometimes have five or six at a time seeking nectar. Even the few flowers left are being methodically visited for a last drink by the birds.

It is amazing that these little birds will practically double their weight at this time in preparation of their long flight south to Mexico and Panama. Their routes require nonstop flight of 20 some hours over the Gulf of Mexico at an average speed of 25 mph. Sustaining that seems incredible. Yet, these little dynamos do and mostly as solitaires. Large flocks of hummers do not occur. Speculation as to the reasons for this lonely migration include the declining populations of insects and flowers that prohibit a large gathering of hummers at one place and time, that large flocks are easier pickings for predators, and the possibility that a single storm could conceivably wipe out an entire hummingbird species.

Photographs by Bill Ravenscroft

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