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October 11, 2007
The last Wood Thrush of the season?
Finally, fall has arrived in Chattanooga! On Monday I was in Memphis where it was a record high 95 degrees. Crazy! Today the skies were blue, the air was nearly crisp, and the expected low tonight is 45. As the sun was sinking low, I put on a hooded sweatshirt and headed outside to do a little evening birding at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden.
American Robins were everywhere. In the air. In the trees. In the grass. I also caught sight of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We have been inundated with them lately, and that's a nice situation to have. The males are not quite as gaudy in their alternate plumage, and I actually find the females more striking. Though drab at first appearance, I caught sight of a female Grosbeak preening under her wing. Beautiful shades of yellow were revealed as she primped and preened for me. Wow!
As I walked along the gravel roads, squirrels were scurrying everywhere, looking for and storing food. Eastern Bluebirds were in the fields and on the fence posts, and an Eastern Wood PeWee sallied forth from a barbed wire fence catching gnats in the soft evening light.
At about the mid-point of my hike I encountered a lone Swainson's Thrush in the woods. Sitting quiet and still, I was able to ID this beautiful migrant in the low light of the forest understory. Just a few weeks ago, the area was "covered up" in Swainson's Thrushes. This was the first one I've seen recently. Most of them have already pushed through Chattanooga on their way to the tropics.
I stepped out of the woods onto a gravel road and found myself surrounded by Robins. A pair of Northern Flickers flushed from the grass, and as I watched them fly, my eyes locked onto a bird on the gravel road about 50' in front of me. It was a Wood Thrush. With the light fading, the Thrush would soon be taking off for it's evening migration. By morning it would probably be somewhere in Alabama. Within a few weeks, the bird will find itself in Costa Rica or somewhere in the tropics where it will remain until April. It's a perilous journey, and there's a good chance the bird won't make it back to breed here next year. Would this be the last Wood Thrush for me in 2007? I hope not. They are one of my favorite birds. Especially when the males are singing during the spring & summer.
I moved slowly off the road into a meadow and flushed a group of sparrows. Sparrows and fall Warblers confuse the heck out of me, and I couldn't identify any of the small birds flitting around in the meadow in the low light.
I worked my way over to Lookout Creek. There' across the creek stood a pair of White-tailed Deer silently watching me. Does, both of them. As I raised my binoculars for a closer look, they ran off into the dense undergrowth.
Continuing along, I encountered a Muskrat gliding quietly along in the creek, only to disappear underwater. A hundred feet downstream stood a Great Blue Heron on a log. Stock still and awaiting a meal, the large bird paid me no attention.
With the sun slipping away I headed home to feed the cats and dog and myself. It was a nice day to be outside. Thank goodness fall is finally here.
Birding | By Jeffrey Hunter | 08:12 PM
