I’ve yet to see juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the Bird Feeder Exhibit. There have been reports of recently fledged birds coming to feeders in South Carolina and in the Sandhills of North Carolina but it should be a week or so before we start seeing them here.

The Belted Kingfisher has returned. As was true last year, there was a four-week period when a kingfisher was neither heard nor seen in the Wetlands. The only explanation that I can come up with for the female’s absence is that it was off sitting on eggs, although both male and female share incubation duties, which last about 24 days. I think, though, that the female does the bulk of the egg sitting.

On June 13, I saw a kingfisher carrying a fish in its bill. This is not an unusual occurrence, for sure. However, the bird did not swallow the fish on site, which is usually the case, but was headed off to the west when last seen. What does that mean? It probably means that there are hungry little kingfishers sitting in a dark burrow somewhere along a stream bank (Ellerbee Creek?) waiting and squawking with bills agape.

Fledgling Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, and Brown-headed Cowbirds have all been seen at the Bird Feeder Exhibit or elsewhere around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, the cowbirds being hosted by Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler foster parents.

After a seven-month absence, a Green Heron was back on station on 28 April. As if it had never left the Wetlands, this colorful little heron (it’s very likely the same heron that was here last year) was trying to snag fish and tadpoles from the water while perched on one of the stumps just off the boardwalk in front of the Black Bear Exhibit. Welcome back!

The first Chimney Swifts of the year were seen foraging over Catch the Wind on the 26th of the month. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen, first at the Butterfly House April 22nd and in Explore the Wild a few days later.

A Great-crested Flycatcher was heard on 4/23 and thereafter. The first Red-eyed Vireos were seen on 4/27 and, although seen earlier in the month, two Rough-winged Swallows were seen perched on a snag in the Wetlands on the same day.

The first singing House Wren of the season was heard on 25 April. Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been heard singing their rapid, buzzy, whistly songs around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. They often begin singing before departing for points north and their breeding grounds. Wood Thrushes are back (4/25) as are Gray Catbirds, the first squeaky notes of a catbird being heard on April 22nd in the swamp adjacent to the Wetlands Overlook. If you want to see and hear what a Gray catbird looks and sounds like, check out this YouTube video.

Cedar Waxwings are still being seen. A group of 60 or so were seen in the trees above the main entrance to Explore the Wild.

Several singing Northern Parulas, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and breeding plumaged Yellow-rumped Warblers were all seen on 26 April. Yellow-throated Warblers were first spied on 4/18 along with a single singing Prothonotary Warbler. Although at least one Yellow-throated Warbler remains in the area, the Prothonotary was not heard from again. An Eastern Palm Warbler showed up on the 22nd and a Yellow-breasted Chat was briefly heard on the 26th behind the Ornithopter.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was heard and then seen feeding high in the canopy on 26 April.

Like the Ruby-crowned Kinglets above, White-throated Sparrows are tuning up their vocals before leaving our area for their nesting grounds further north. Their sweet, plaintive, whistled songs can be heard from the underbrush or along wooded edges. They often get only half their song out before starting over again or quitting altogether, as if practicing so as to get it just right for their debuts on the breeding grounds. It is a pleasant song.

Common Grackles have been observed flying back and forth from the Wetlands to some uknown location behind the Ornithopter. Their bills are empty on the trip to the Wetlands, full on the way back. A Baltimore Oriole was seen on the same day and in the same tree as the grosbeak above (4/26). The grosbeak and oriole no doubt came in on the same winds.

Pine Siskins are still being seen at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind.

Traditionally, the third week in September sees a push of migrating hawks through the region when the winds are from the north. More often than not, the winds were from the north during the third and fourth weeks in September. Unfortunately for those of us who like to watch hawks and also reside in the piedmont, most migrating hawks move along the ridges in the western part of the Carolinas. On 20 September, one observation site in the mountains saw over 3,000 hawks pass by on their way south with another 6,000 or so the following day, most of those being Broad-winged Hawks.

Here at the Museum the numbers were not quite as impressive. However, three Bald Eagles were observed during the period. An adult and a sub-adult were seen soaring overhead, slowly moving in a westerly direction on the 19th of September. Another adult Bald Eagle was seen in a glide to the southwest on 24 September. Besides the eagles, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk and several Red-shouldered Hawks (our local Red-shouldereds) were seen on the 19th of September. The eagle in the image at left is not one of the birds that flew over, but it’s a good illustration of what a sub-adult Bald Eagle looks like.

I’ve not seen a Green Heron in the Wetlands since the first two weeks of September. Have they moved on? A Great Blue Heron is still making frequent visits to the area.

Chimney Swifts continue to forage above the Wetlands. They’re often quite high so you have to strain a bit to see them, or you can use binoculars (recommended, but not required, for wildlife observation on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop).

I saw three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the period. Neither was at the feeders in Catch the Wind. I think that they were migrants.

The local Belted Kingfisher is showing up in the Wetlands daily and staying longer. Its visits had been sporadic during the summer, but now she seems to be settling in for the duration.

A handful of Northern Flickers and a Red-headed Woodpecker were seen on the 24th of September.

Twenty or so Fish Crows were observed flying off to the west on 18 September.

Two House Wrens were seen during the period, flitting about in the underbrush that lines the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. These birds were probably locals, one was a juvenile.

Several White-eyed Vireos were seen on September 24th & 28th as were a Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat, with a Wilson’s Warbler making an appearance on the 28th of the month only. Also seen on the 24th were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Scarlet Tanager.

Green Herons are a daily sight in the Wetlands. There are at least two present at any given time. They’re doing well in the Wetlands, feeding on frogs, tadpoles, fish, and even dragonflies that fly too close to these stealthy and agile hunters. Another member of the heron family was also seen during the first half of September, a Great Egret. I saw one flying overhead coming from the direction of the Wetlands. I don’t know if this bird actually stopped in for a visit or was just inspecting the Wetlands from the air while en route to another location; I first caught sight of it as it headed east over the Ornithopter.

An immature female Cooper’s Hawk blasted by me at eye-level as I stood next to the Ornithopter. It was probably one of the birds that fledged here this summer.

The Museum’s Red-shouldered Hawks were out for a Sunday afternoon family soar on the 7th of September. Two adults and two immature birds were soaring over Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind, drifting off to the south while, in typical red-shoulder fashion, making as much noise as possible.

As far as migrant songbirds, I heard a White-eyed Vireo down in the Wetlands and saw a Common Yellowthroat. As of this writing there were still hummingbirds coming to the feeders in Catch the Wind, but nothing yet from the west (see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Explore the Wild Journal, August 16-31).

On August 23 I saw a Northern Waterthrush walking on plant debris in the water among the fading Lotus plants in the Wetlands. The small, olive-brown-backed warbler with dark streaks on its undersides bounced along, bobbing its rear end up and down, looking for insects to eat. Northern Waterthrushes don’t nest in our area, but much farther north. Some warblers and other passerines are migrating at this time. Some have been on the move since July. Keep an eye out for possible migrants, especially after the passage of a cold front. Of course, I’ll be reporting anything that I see.

Our resident Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will be leaving us soon if they’re not gone by the time this is posted. However, now is the time to keep an eye out for western species of hummingbirds. Several have already been reported elsewhere this season within the state. The one that you’re most likely to see is a Rufous Hummingbird.

It can be difficult to distinguish between immature Ruby-throated and Rufous Hummingbirds. It’s certainly possible of course, but no need to get into that here. If an adult Rufous shows up you’ll probably notice the difference right away due to the reddish brown (rufous) feathers on the back, sides, and tail. We may be seeing migrating Ruby-throats into October, but after that any hummingbird you see at the feeders in Catch the Wind is very likely to be something other than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Great-crested Flycatchers have been very vocal lately. I most often hear them between the Lemur House and Catch the Wind. I saw a family of House Wrens out for a forage in the low shrubs along the path in that same area. I hadn’t seen or heard a House Wren in over a month. Juvenal plumaged Eastern Bluebirds and Catbirds have also been seen. This is a good time to sit by the Bird Feeders to see what fledglings show up; many parents bring their young to this “free” food source at this time of year.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird activity has picked up. Young hummers that were previously still in the nest have now fledged and are taking advantage of the several hummingbird feeders at the Bird Feeder Exhibit. The vast majority of hummers at the feeders will be young male and female hummers, all without the ruby throat of the adult males. Adult females will probably look a bit ragged this time of year due to molt, and of course, the adult males will have iridescent, red feathers on their chins and throats.