Officially summer is at an end, and fall has begun. Meteorological fall starts on September first in the Northern Hemisphere and March first in the Southern Hemisphere. The birds already knew that, because they have been on the move since late August. The fall equinox officially announcing another fall arrived on September 22 when the sun as perpendicular to the equator.
The predominate focus of fall is maturity and not death. Autumn is a time of summing up; it brings sweetness to the apple and ripeness to grain. Autumn is a time of harvest; this is time of maturity toward which the spring bed, leaf, and blossom reached.
Hickory nuts and acorns are ripe to the delight of squirrels, bears, blue jays, and other mammals storing food for winter.
Late September is important to bears, and especially the pregnant females. Research shows that a pregnant female black bear can consume as many as 200,000 berries in a 24 hour period, and as much as 60-70 pounds of food daily. If she hasn’t gained enough weight by mid-November, her pregnancy will terminate, and she will not be able to contribute to the continuation of her species. So the bear feeding frenzy continues through late fall when food becomes scarce, and bears are forced to den.
The fall fogs are a unique bled of mood and weather. You feel the fall fogs on your face and in your hair, and in your mind. It creeps in softly and silently and blows away much like smoke. The birds are serious about their fall migration now. They are restless and gregarious. Although they are always busy, they are no longer full of song.
Hawks are moving through the Valley, riding the thermals above the ridges. If you watch, you will catch them putting on an aerial show that you won’t soon forget.
Most songbirds are through with the fall molt, and have their winter feathers now. Swallows are congregating in large numbers prior to migrating south, and the monarch butterfly migration peaked around mid-September, but there are still a few flitting through the Valley.
Most of the male hummingbirds have already left for the season. The females with this year’s offspring are beginning their journey now. Keep out the feeders for awhile longer so migrating hummers can sip and rest as they pass through.
Flickers are more easily spotted now with their undulating flight pattern.
Now is the time to tempt wrens and bluebirds, and others to the feeders with a treat of mealworms. Mealworms are the larvae of a beetle. The larvae stage of the beetle typically lasts for about 10 weeks, and is a real treat for the insect eaters.
Late September with the chill of its nights lingering into the daytime hours brings new vigor to the season. The fires in the insect world burn low now. Bugs and beetles are nearing the end of their time. However, black field crickets are everywhere. Grasshoppers still leap at you as walk through a field. They are out to warm themselves in the warmest part of the day.
The change in the insect world is most noticeable in the evening. A month ago the tree crickets and katydids made the night vibrate with they sounds. They still rasp, but at a much slower rate. The slowdown will continue as the chill of the season deepens. The first serious frost will silence most of the insects for the season. Then will come the long, deep quiet until another spring. The quiet will become so intense that you can hear a snowflake falling in the night. Listen.
Keep out plenty of fresh water for drinking and bathing.
Owl photographs are by Tony Dills
