Hi all,
With the cold front coming through today and tonight, dropping temperatures
some 20-30 degrees, we'll surely see a new mix of birds, both waterbirds and
landbirds, on Friday (another "long" birding weekend may be in order). The
sparrows may finally show up in the thousands, after what has been a very
warm October with few sparrows on the coast.
I noted yesterday that Marylanders are enjoying their second Green Violetear
of the month now, so I thought it would be good to post a reminder to keep
those hummingbird feeders stocked and watched. Several feeders per house can
be good, as Rufous, our most common western hummingbird visitor, tends to
drive away other species. Having feeders on different sides of the house, in
places where a perched Rufous cannot watch all feeders at once, helps other
hummers that want to feed. Virginia has only one report (without photos) of
a violetear, but maybe this is our year to see one. Oriole feeders (with
jelly) are worth setting out as well - vagrant Scott's, Hooded, and
Audubon's have been documented in the East and Great Lakes regions in recent
years.
Although many western species have already been reported in the East this
fall, the late October through December period (and especially the first two
weeks of November) has proved to be most productive for western birds in the
middle Atlantic states in recent decades. This has been an usual autumn in
many respects so far, and the coming cold front could continue that trend,
although I do not expect it to bring Cave Swallows, which seem to arrive
mostly on low-pressure systems whose centers track through the southern
Great Plains between late October and late November or so.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, Va.
