"September was a thirty-days long goodbye to summer, to the season that left everybody both happy and weary of the warm, humid weather and the exhausting but thrilling adventures."
― Lea Malot
Yesterday was amazing at the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor and Marshall Park near Lake Mendota ― perfect weather and fantastic birding. To be sure, one could have put on a fall migration clinic with warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and thrushes ... and I suppose I sort of did that for my birding posse. I was especially pleased to get excellent binocular views of Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrushes at close range. A combined 18 warbler species is exceptional for this time of year, checklist at the bottom of this post.
Opportunities to share space with an abundance of flora and fauna are decreasing as October and November loom, bringing death and decay. However, at the present there's still so much to see that most people wouldn't give even a first glance to. Well, they'd certainly notice the first blossoms and birds of spring. What separates those who notice returning American Robins, or maybe the first Cabbage White Butterfly, or Dandelions, but then fail to consider or visit the myriad forms that inhabit forests and prairies throughout spring, summer, and fall?
I'm on vacation. The past few days have been spent admiring these very things, for they will not return for many months ― maybe April, perhaps May. There are things and events during winter that entice the photo-naturalist, but there's more preparation and endurance involved. The winter could bring a boreal owl invasion, but that's not necessarily a good thing for owls. The true naturalist strives for indifference by not making value judgements on such things ― take the good with the bad without too much sentimentalisms or anthropomorphisms. Be honest. Be sincere. Be dedicated.
These are all common wildflowers for this time of year, and I know them ... do you? If not, why not? What would it take to get you outdoors and engage with nature in the sense that Mary Oliver watched goldfinches and how E.O. Wilson studies ants? Maybe these little things really are everything. On our deathbeds how we will yearn for just one more woodland walk.
I didn't think I'd see a Black-throated Blue Warbler yesterday, but finding two of them was a big birding bonus for the day. Below, this will likely be the last Buffalo Treehopper I see until next summer. There were two of them sharing the same stem of Cup Plant that was still very green and lush. When their host plants are gone, they will likely die. When a hard frost comes, only their eggs will endure.
Emerson said that nature is beautiful because it's alive, moving, reproductive. Season to season, in nature we observe growth, development, and regeneration in living forms. Contrast this with the static and deteriorating things we're responsible for rendering into the world. Though there's often no indication of it on this blog, in many ways I'm very city: apartment, automobile, employment, guitars, HDTV, Macbook Pro, Netflix, etc. Kind of materialistic, even. But compared to my other interests and pursuits, I recognize a more organic sense of myself when in nature. It's instinctual for me and has been my entire life. The smallest insect to a panoramic starlit sky ― whatever I can visit and perhaps photograph. I chalk up this sentiment to something residually genetic, but for many people it gets eradicated through living; no growth, no development, and no regeneration.
You may recall the Big Flood of 2018, right? The creek corridor was flooded like I had never seen before and the damage was incredible ― a veritable rearrangement of habitat. Enter the silver lining! Sand was carried downstream and settled in the back part of conservancy property. After birding this morning, decided to see if there were any tiger beetles patrolling the sandy areas. Sure enough, dozens of Bronzed Tiger Beetles were actively pursuing prey .... so, I photographed them.
Middleton, Wisconsin
Sep 15, 2021 7:45 AM - 1:45 PM
59 species
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandhill Crane
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
All images © 2021 Mike McDowell