October Winds

[PGBird]

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Good morning, fellow birders! Our birding walk yesterday morning at
Lakeshore Reservation in Perry discovered the answer to the question,
what do birds do when it's really windy? Since only 7 species were
seen (perhaps only that many birds), they must hunker down. I've been
away for a week so I've missed all the interesting accidentals --
vermillion flycatcher -- but migration isn't over yet. The group
yesterday found a golden-crowned kinglet and I heard lots of kinglet
noise in Niagara over the weekend, so they are on the way!! And we
still have all the waterfowl to come!! Generally, Veterans Park in
Mentor is a good park for waterfowl as the weather begins to turn
colder and offers good closeup looks at many varieties of ducks.

There are 3 upcoming opportunities to enjoy the waterfowl migration
with Lake Metroparks. The information about each of them is available
by going to
http://www.lakemetroparks.com/programs/activities/documents/Bird_Watching_Events_Oct-Dec09.pdf
for a printable list of trips and walks. The Gulls and Ducks of
Niagara Trip registration is open -- this is an overnight trip the
first weekend of December. The quantity of birds that spend the
winter in that area is amazing -- hope you will consider joining Dan
and I for this trip.

The foliage is starting to shine and there are lots of monarch
butterflies drifting south -- how long do you suppose it takes to make
that trip at a leisurely pace? So enjoy the good days of fall and
don't let the rain stuff get you down. See you out there.

Mary Huey
Interpretive Natualist
Lake Metroparks
mh...@lakemetroparks.com