August has been an interesting month.
In the first week an amazing thing happened. Finn was out checking the sunflower levels on the north-side, when he walked into the hurried attack of a Sharp-Shin hawk to one of our songbirds. The hawk nearly flew into his head. When it realized that Finn was not his “prey” he pulled his pounces back & changed direction. Not so quick that Finn didn’t see the surprise & wonder on the hawk’s face (the hawk MUST have seen the same on Finn’s). When the Sharp-Shin settled into a near by tree, he was asked to leave the feeders alone. VERY shortly thereafter (w/in 5 minutes) I looked upon a magnificent female Peregrine Falcon posing on the ground, not far from the back feeders, near the blueberry bushes. She was looking around, possibly feeling she was being watched. I couldn’t call for Finn to see her. If I moved she would have fled. Instead I tapped upon the window & asked that she leave our feeders alone (yes – the feeding stations, as well as the ones eating from the feeding stations). She looked at me, hugged the ground & flew off to the back woods. From her pounces I saw the limp body of a male Rose-breast Grosbeak. Her chicks ate well that day.
So, with all of the predator action, the 1st week or so, was slow on bird sightings. All the songbirds left us be for a few days. They slowly started to come back. We haven’t seen many Grosbeaks of any variety. Lots of Goldfinches & Sparrows. By the 3rd week of the month the Grackles arrived “en force”. They have had a very good year with the hatchings. When they fly in, the trees are black with them. The feeders are black with them. The ground is black with them. I go out a couple times a day to see what needs refilling. It is almost as if they are preparing for the migration south. When the wave is over, there is silence. Only crickets, grasshoppers & cicadas can be heard. Decidedly, when the coast is clear the woodpeckers return. The only ones who dint let the grackles push them out, are the chipmunks.
For a couple of weeks the heat was in the upper 80’s F. But, it is back to normal again, 70’s F. We have hit the high 30’s F at night, which has prompted me to begin the plant shuffle. I have many zone 5’s outside .. my area is zone 4a. The leaves are starting to change on the maples & birches. I believe that the “OLD” calendar is coming back. The one our great-great grandparents used. Spring started in Feb. with the birthing of the sheep. We think that is still winter .. but, life is coming back to the world. Summer begins in May, when we take the seeds we started indoors, back in March & put them out to grow. Fall starts with the harvest in August. If you are in the North East, check your maple trees … what color are your leaves? … in New Hampshire, they are starting to yellow. Winter is seen at the end of October. All the leaves are falling, the air is chill & some have seen their first snow. Watching the Grackles feed like a fervor is on them reminds me that nature knows more than man.
So, at the end of August, what we are seeing is Goldfinches, Chickadees, Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers, some Sparrows, the Grackles and of course Crows and Ravens. I did hear the distinctive call of a Pileated Woodpecker out back. Things have quieted down some, since the kids went back to school and Leaf-peeper season has yet to begin. Pileated don’t like too much activity. As far as the 4-Legers … well, the Red and Gray Squirrels are quite abundant, along with the Mice and Chipmunks. One of our Cats has caught a couple mice in the house. We have a catch & release program for all critters caught in the house. This includes spiders, flies, fireflies and beetles.
Food Consumption: Suet is the big winner this month – the resurgence of the grackles has seen to that, sunflower seeds are about the same, hummingbird food hasn’t changed, mixed seed is also unchanged & thistle is “STILL” too expensive to purchase (poor finches)
In Order of Quantity (unless noted otherwise) …
Aug:
Birds: Common Grackles, Black-Capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Hairy & Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Crows, Purple Finches, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Sharp-Shinned Hawks (our population supervisors), Indigo Buntings, House Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Ravens, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Black & Turkey Vultures and a beautiful Perigrin Falcon
Animals: Red & Gray Squirrels, Chipmunks, Mice