birds of August (and a couple of insects)

A small flock at the head of the marsh produced the season's first Northern Waterthrush, a bird which spent most of its time loudly chipping and chasing a other warblers: a Yellow Warbler and a tail-wagging yellow-breasted warbler that, in bad light, looked like an Eastern Palm Warbler but was probably a Prairie. Also involved in the action was a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, also trying to chase everything else in sight. I can't imagine how the Waterthrush and the Hummingbird were nvolved in the bird wave which consisted of Chickadees, Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers and warblers; perhaps they were resisting the invasion of their feeding territory.

I have an interesting note from Nick Hamblet who suggests that the late cicada that I am hearing is a Northern Dusk-singing Cicada (not a Robust Conehead which he thinks sings only from leaf litter and only at night). A common call that sounds like a ringing phone is probably a tree cricket. According to John Himmelman, the Narrow-winged Tree Cricket, which sounds like a ringing phone, sings from late afternoon into the night but I also hear this insect (whatever it is) in the early morning.

The Screech Owl was back early this morning perched right outside the bedroom window and delivering a series of a series of descending whinnys each one slightly lower than the preceding. Except for a few years when they were breeding in the area, the Screech Owls turn up here in August; along with the Northern Waterthrush and Spotted Sandpiper, their appearance marks the turn of the season towards the fall!

Eric Salzman