A semipalmated sandpiper flock on a beach. It is important to be aware of sandpiper plovers and other birds on the beach, so you don't make their migration more difficult. (Photo by Nick Lund)
The official first day of fall isn't until the autumnal equinox on Sept. 22, but for much of Maine wildlife, especially its birds, we are moving quickly through the fall season. We see this not only in the changing behaviors of our wildlife, but also the seasonally relevant questions that pepper Maine Audubon's voicemail and inboxes. These are typically rooted in the base question "where are the birds?," so as we approach the season we call "fall," let's take a look at what birds have been up to this "fall."
We should start with our passage migrants, those that nest north of Maine and winter farther south. There are some ducks and many shorebirds that fit in this category of birds that do not nest (or winter) here, but use Maine as a stopover on their migration. Summer residents (of the human variety) will hopefully be familiar with our endangered beach-nesting piping plovers; now is when you can easily see a dozen species of shorebirds on those same beaches, often in flocks by the hundreds, sometimes thousands.
The biggest reason I want to mention these is to highlight the importance of Maine's marshes and beaches as a resting and refueling site for these long-distance migrants. It is rare to visit a beach looking for these birds without also encountering off-leash (or very long-leashed) dogs that chase and flush the birds. Canines aren't the only issue: many kids enjoy chasing birds; runners may be oblivious to the other long-legged beach-lovers (still talking about the shorebirds); and drones are pretty common along the coast, all causing some level of disturbance. For these sandpipers, plovers and kin -- for which every gram of fat they pack on matters in their journey -- our being a little more mindful of the space we share on the beach can really make a difference in their success and survivorship.
While shorebirds have been moving south since July, some of our songbirds have started migrating in the last few weeks. Late summer (from the human perspective) can often feel like a slow time for birds because we don't see or hear them. It almost feels paradoxical because there are actually more than when they seemed abundant. In spring, as the birds arrived, they were singing every morning, claiming their territories and looking for a mate. Once they start nesting, they become quieter, especially when they have young to feed. Being inconspicuous is critical to survival. So now we have quiet adults, plus the young they raised this summer around us, but they are harder to detect.
Many people survey birds by watching what is coming to their bird feeders, but at this time of year, that is a surprisingly unreliable sample. Warm summer days mean peak abundance (for most species) of insects, plus many of the flowering plants we ogled in the spring are now bearing fruit. These protein-rich insects and nutritious fruits are much better food sources than most of what we put out in our bird feeders, so birds will take advantage of this seasonal abundance while they are molting their feathers and getting ready to migrate. This is another paradox in bird watching: sometimes a complete lack of birds at your bird feeders is a good thing.
One other group of birds worth mentioning is the waterfowl that are starting to move. We'll see the peak of ducks and geese passing in October and November, but already they are leaving the lakes and ponds they nested on and showing up closer to the coast, especially in estuaries.
The next couple of months are a fun time to be out birding and see a large diversity of species moving through and using the state. Spring is generally a mad rush to the breeding grounds, but fall offers plenty of opportunities as migration timing is more spread out. We can even see differences in when different ages and sexes within a species move. I strongly encourage everyone to look up Maine Audubon bird walks, like our Thursday mornings at Gilsland Farm, or from our chapters around the state, to take in the fall migration spectacle, be it before Sept. 22 or after.
Have you got a nature or wildlife question of your own? It doesn't have to be about birds! Email questions to [email protected] and visit maineaudubon.org to learn more about birding, native plants, and programs and events focusing on Maine wildlife and habitat. Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox and other naturalists lead free bird walks on Thursday mornings starting at 7 am, at Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth.
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