white is a color too

The winds shifted from northeast to southwest overnight and this morning's puffy clouds eventually cleared to blue sky and then clouded over again. Unlike yesterday morning, I didn't find any good-sized feeding flocks -- only one small group of Tufted Titmice with acorn-snaring Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays -- but for the second day in a row I did see a smallish accipiter being chased by crows and jays. That would be a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

What is striking is what is not around as much as what is still here: an almost complete scarcity of Catbirds and Goldfinches, two of the most common birds here a week or two ago. On the other hand, flocks of migrating Robins continued to appear through yesterday but shut down this morning in the face of the wind shifts.

Although there has not been much cold weather, the leaves are turning and flying in the wind (an extra challenge for anyone looking for birds not leaves as flying objects). The Tupelos, whose leaves turn early and colorfully red, are being quickly stripped of their leaves. Coming in to replace them in the color department are Poison Ivy, Virginia Creeper, High-bush Blueberry and whatever Red Maples have survived recent hurricanes. Other trees like Sassafras and the local Walnuts add to the color but mostly in yellows. Except for the Red Oaks, the other oaks go straight to brown. Unlike New England, we don't have Sugar Maples (the big source of color at this time of year) but we do have introduced Norway Maples which can add some flashiness to the scene. The Seaside Goldenrod is about finished but the local Blue Asters (species?) are at their height and so is the Baccharis or Groundsel, a striking bush of the wetlands edge that has spread extensively into higher areas and whose female flower-heads with their showy feathery plumes are in full display right now -- big bursts of white all around the perimeter of the marsh and into the uplands. White is a fall color too.

Eric Salzman