The bats are flying!

The bats are flying. Every evening at dusk we see them over the open area in front of the house. There are nine possible species in New York but these are moving too fast to identify beyond the obvious fact that they are bats of a certain medium size and possibly belonging to one or two species.

I expected some bird migration along with last night's cool front but not much materialized. There are still some numbers of American Redstarts around -- males in breeding plumage as well as adult females and juveniles -- along with some of the other warblers of the season (Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Waterthrush) and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. But these birds have all been noted locally in recent days and are probably not new arrivals. A Red-tailed Hawk soaring on a windy morning appeared to be a migrant. Royal Terns still fishing on the creek.

Add to the late summer flower list (now turning into an early fall list): Clematis virginiana or Virgin's Bower, now blooming all over the place (although not particularly on our place). This is the fast-spreading vine with four-lobed white flowers that is a sure sign that fall is approaching.

Eric Salzman