Ducks, raptors, songbirds,
and shorebirds are all beginning to make their way south in the great autumn
migration. Leaving at different times, stopping at different locations, and
utilizing different habitats migration is a complex yet reassuringly static
process. “Rafts“ of ducks like teal and widgeon use open ponds while swallows
migrating by day congregate in large “flights”. Warblers, vireos and thrush migrate
at night and spend the early morning and pre-dusk picking flies, berries,
worms, and bugs off the trees. “Flings” of shorebirds like yellowlegs and Semipalmated
sandpipers work the mud edge of ponds and raptors soar leisurely overhead on
clear blue afternoons.
One location that finds all these various migratory
journeys overlapping is located just 30 minutes northwest of Boston Concord
River Monson Rd
2 comments:
Fall is my favorite time of the year even though the approaching winter may seem daunting. I do feel a sense of sadness when I see our hummingbirds and warblers leaving for the season. The goldfinches turning their brownish colors and the thrush singing their last songs for the year give me a sadness in my heart, but I look forward to viewing their remarkable flight in places like The Great Meadow or Allen's Pond in Westport, MA. It's sad to see them go, but I embrace them each spring when they return.
It's always sad to see these seasonal birds go, but I welcome them back with open arms in the spring. Fall is my favorite time of the year, despite the daunting approach of winter, but it is also a great time to see some of these birds in migration. I like to visit Allen's Pond in Westport, MA for the fall migrations as well. I wish that our hummingbirds, thrush, and red-winged blackbirds could stick around all year, but then it wouldn't be exciting when you see them for the first time in the spring.
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