Migration, are you ready?

[Tapeman]

I'm getting set up for shooting the flocks of Canadain Geese that fly over my house, hoping for perfect light and sky. A cornfield across the street from me has thousands of birds come through.

Are you seeing migrations?

[canonloader]

I am seeing many more hummingbirds here in the last week or two. All summer, it's only been two in my yard as the bull male has chased all the others away. Now there are so many, he can't keep up with it.

I also think I saw a new white Crowned Sparrow today in my yard. They went through this spring to upper Canada. If that's what it was, then they are already coming south.

Nothing much on water birds though. No big flocks of the usual hawks I always see in fall yet.

Interesting thread though. It would be good to know what others are seeing. :)

[nwyman]

I've heard small flocks of geese flying overhead for the last two mornings. (ther is a pond in the cornfield across from my property).

Haven't seen bunches yet, and we do have resident populations, but I usually don't actually hear geese until migration has started.

Our hummingbirds were very plentiful last weekend, but have dwindled considerably in the past few days.

Don't know if this has any meaning, but the wood thrushes have stopped singing in the mornings.

[stevefossimages]

The only true migration I know of this early in our part of the country is shorebirds, the majority of which nest north of here and begin showing up on their southward migration in July -- and peak this month.

Hummers are abundant because the young have fledged and taken to flight a couple weeks ago. They disappear to the south in September.

Most of the fairly large groups of geese we see in Minnesota in summer are giant Canada geese, which were nearly extirpated from their nesting grounds in the lower 48 states but have made a, well, giant comeback.

This is a great time of year for numbers of birds because, aside from goldfinches, which typically don't nest until the thistles bloom, most of our resident nesters have young already raised and flying, and that greatly adds to the bountiful numbers of birds we're looking at. Young birds also are great subjects upon which to build avian photography skills, because they tend to be a bit less wary than the adults and can offer slightly less challenge to capture.

I love this time of year! :D

[rw2]

Not yet. The season for hunting them hear opens in 2 weeks that should get them going!

[Back288]

I hope you don't mind me posting these in your thread, I'll take 'em down if you want. This is part of what flew over this morning while I was getting some shots at the feeders. Cloudy and dark at the time but PS pulled out a little detail. I think they have to work on the V formation a bit more though:D

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/Back288/IMG_2325sc.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/Back288/IMG_2324sc.jpg