September Rain

As summer comes to an end it sheds a tear as yet another sign that fall has arrived.


While April brought spring showers September brings fall rains. They give the landscape a final drink and feed the blooms of the few flowering plants remaining before our thoughts turn to winter.


Signs that cold weather is on the way are all around now. The first small patches of colors in the trees grow almost daily. Ferns in the fields and woods around the pond have turned golden brownand large groups of Canadian Geese either beginning to move south or strengthening their wings in preparation for their annual journey have passed over the pond on several occasions.


While there are always songbirds around the pond today their where many more than usual.


Perhaps it was the rain or perhaps they too are preparing to migrate. Whatever the reason, they seemed to be having a lot of fun chasing each other around from tree to tree or arguing over the prime perches. Having fun until the young Great Gray Heron showed up anyway.


Unlike last week the young heron came in without its parental escort. It spent about fifteen minutes hunting near the pond’s inlet stream before taking off and circling its way to the treetops and then departing.


It came back about thirty minutes later and perched on a dead branch that surprised me when it didn’t break under his weight. He went into his standard grooming routine and I was beginning to think about sneaking out of my blind to head for home when something caught his attention.

From the way he cowered down at first I thought one of the eagles must have gone over the pond. I was very surprised when one of the adults appeared from my left and made a beeline for the tree in which the younger bird was perched. When the adult was to close to be able to change his direction the younger bird dived off his perch and quickly departed the pond. Apparently its time for juvenile heron to make its own way in the world and dad has been busy letting him know it.


Dad hung around long enough to groom himself a little before taking off to chase junior again when he circled the pond just before sunset.

If I had to bet I’d say that posts in the near future will be full of colors and hopefully photos of new birds as they stop by to visit the pond on their way south.

Get outside and enjoy!

Kevin