Birders are once again stirring to life. The summer doldrums are over and fall migration is in full swing. While it’s true that some migrants may be found headed north, south, east or west across North America during any month of the year, the northward spring advance and southern autumn retreat are the most notable and prolific migrations.

Birders around WNC are often roused from their winter torpor as early as the end of March by the ringing song of the Louisiana waterthrush. The pace heats up and becomes fast and furious from the end of April until around mid-May then trickles on until about the first of June.

From June through July and into the first of August, we are left with seasonal nesters and year-round residents. Fortunately for WNC birders, we have a large number of warblers and other neotropical nesters to brighten up our summers.

For those with access to proper habitat — mudflats and/or shallow standing water — early to mid-August could produce early southbound shorebirds. The sod farm and adjacent fields along Hooper Lane off N.C. 281 in Henderson County used to be a reliable spot for migrating shorebirds. Recent changes in agricultural uses have apparently changed migration patterns in that area, and Hooper Lane is more hit or miss now.

By the end of August, the few shorebirds are overshadowed by the multitude of migrating neotropical passerines and growing number of migrant raptors. Yesterday, while I was home for lunch, I noticed a lot of activity in our holly tree. The holly is near the corner of the deck where we feed and provides good cover for birds. There is a bird bath next to the tree.

I retrieved my binoculars from the car and studied the holly. There must have been at least 30 birds either in the tree or flitting to and from it. Besides the regular resident chickadees, titmice and northern cardinals, there were nine species of migrants: rose breasted grosbeak, golden-winged warbler, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, northern parula, Canada warbler, worm-eating warbler and ruby-throated hummingbird.

Numbers of birds and species during fall migration easily match those of spring but the birding is a bit different. There will be many immature specimen plus many of the adults will be in fall plumage rather than their spring finery. Birding by ear will be left to distinguishing chip notes and call notes as songs will be virtually nonexistent. Still, the sheer numbers make it an exciting venture.

For many birders fall migration means raptors. Places like Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania and Cape May in New Jersey see tens of thousands of raptors (birds of prey) each fall between the end of August and December. A couple of sites closer to home provide area birders a feel for what hawk watches are all about.

Mt. Pisgah Hawk Watch at Mills River Overlook, milepost 404.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, recorded 1,899 migrants last year, while South Carolina’s Caesars Head State Park, located on U.S. 276 just south of Brevard, recorded 9,488 birds.

Broad-winged hawks make up the bulk of raptor migration in the east. These hawks, unlike many that simply move farther south in North America during winter months, are true neotropical migrants, wintering in central and South America. They made up 1,674 of the migrants at Mount Pisgah and 8,170 at Caesars Head. Over 2,000 broad-wings were reported from Caesars Head on two different days during last year’s watch.

A couple of features, generally, make hawk watching unique in the birding world. One is the fact that most hawks don’t get airborne before mid-morning or so. Since the larger raptors depend on thermals (rising currents of warm air) they must wait till the air heats up. This appeals to wannabe birders who don’t realize 7 o’clock comes twice in the same day.

The second feature is that hawk watchers remain stationary waiting for the birds to pass by. Along with binoculars and field guides, lawn chairs and picnic baskets become integral parts of a hawk watcher’s gear.

There is an extraordinary site along the Blue Ridge Parkway that combines exceptional fall passerine birding with the comforts of hawk watching. Dwayne and Lori Martin of Claremont, N.C., discovered the site a few years ago and have been monitoring it every autumn since.

At Ridge Junction Overlook, at the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park, birders wait and watch as waves of migrating songbirds come down the pass from Mt. Mitchell, then up and over the Parkway and on to points south. The birds pause momentarily at the edge of the Parkway.

The Martin’s and Jerry Fedde of Hickory spent about three hours at Ridge Junction on Aug. 26. They recorded over 225 birds, representing 30 different species. The list included 77 ruby-throated hummingbirds, 31 blue-gray gnatcathers and 26 black-throated green warblers.

Dwayne and Lori will be at the overlook almost every weekend from now through October recording migrants. Anyone interested in observing this phenomenon is welcome. Birders who wish to help tally are especially welcomed.

While hawk watching accouterments like lawn chairs and picnic baskets come in handy, some “hawkers” may be put off by the early hours. The Martins say the most activity occurs between 7-9 a.m., but some birds may be observed almost any time during the day.

Whether you’re a seasoned birder or an interested novice, this is a truly unique birding opportunity.

(Don Hendershot can be reached at don@smokymountainnews.com)

 

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