Things Will Change

As Taylor Swift said, “Things will change, can you feel it now?” (“Changes”) One of my favorite things about aligning with the rhythm of nature is noticing the subtle shifts that happen before the bigger shifts that everyone notices. Just as the weather turns really hot, in what feels truly like mid-summer, the first fall migrants begin to trickle through.

I’ve said so many times that spring migration is an all-out sprint, but fall migration is long and languid. Does it seem odd to talk about fall migration now? Does it seem “early”?

I’ve come to understand that it isn’t early, and it also isn’t late. Birds begin to move this time of year. The purple martins have disappeared from our area now, leaving right on schedule at the end of July.

I last saw my male hummingbird with the full ruby throat about a week ago. A female (I think) and at least one young male have taken his place at my feeders. This time of year it’s really hard to tell the difference unless the young male has started to get his little throat rubies.

I feel a little bad that I didn’t get to uncover the flowers before my little prince left, but I am glad I saved them from the beetles so the women and children could enjoy them!

I had one salvia plant that had never grown or bloomed since I planted it in the pots in April. Mostly because I was too lazy to do anything else about it, partly because it never looked completely dead, I kept watering it. To my surprise, it has sprouted new flowers this week! Just in time for the hummingbird migration.

We had big storms on Wednesday night, and a cold front that came in with them. A “cold front” in July just means it’s bearable for a couple of days, but it can bring birds with it. This one brought terns! I’ve seen Caspian terns, Forster’s terns, and black terns the last few days. They didn’t really come close enough for good photos, but I was so excited to see and hear them!

There are plenty of young birds out exploring the world now too, and I can’t always tell which might be migrants and which were raised locally. We could say the same about humans, couldn’t we? They belong here regardless.

There have been plenty of “grassland” birds around, even varieties I didn’t see much of in the spring or early summer. I’m always excited to see mockingbirds, scissor-tailed flycatchers, and a multitude of meadowlarks!

“Baby birds” come in all sizes. I’ve said for years that the mamma Cooper’s hawks send their youngsters out with instructions to follow the crows around and learn how to navigate the world. I hope to see some crow-hawk interactions soon!

This time of year is also prime time for butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, and dew drop art. Abundance overflows, just as it does at the farmers market.

This is also when the summer feathers start to fall to make way for the winter plumage. If you’ve been here long, you know that feathers are one of my favorite things to photograph!

Every season has it’s gifts, every season has it’s challenges. The heat of August will soon give way to the coolness of fall. In the meantime, there are so many gems to be discovered!

What treasures are showing up for you this time of year?

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