The fall bird migration is starting to wind down in most places, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many birds to observe. If you know where to look, you may find a wider variety of species than you would have guessed would be present. Come along and see!
Cattle Egrets, ubiquitous in fields and pastures across the southeastern U.S. during the summer months, have mostly made their way south to the Gulf Coast, Florida, Mexico, and Central America. However, you can still find some stragglers here and there, mainly around large bodies of water. In the photo below, a small flock of Cattle Egrets congregate in a shrubby cypress tree at Bluff Lake. In a month or so, they will most likely have departed for warmer territories where insects are abundant.
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| Cattle Egrets roosting at Noxubee National Wildife Refuge |
Anhingas, the long-necked “snakebirds” of southern swamps, seem to be increasingly common on inland bodies of water during the winter months. This may be due to climate change, but, regardless of the cause, checking for these birds in the field right now is well worth the effort. Watch for their long, snake-like necks that they hold above the water as they swim, or scan the trees for perched birds that are busy airing out their wet wings. These seemingly odd habits stem from the fact that Anhingas lack the oily plumage that provides ducks and geese with waterproofing and improved buoyancy. Instead of bobbing on the surface, they dive for fish under the water.
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| Anhinga at Noxubee NWR |
Another species that you can still find in some numbers on lakes and ponds is the Common Gallinule, a close relative of the abundant American Coot. Gallinules tend to be slightly more secretive and retiring than coots, generally staying close to the shorelines or swimming among floating vegetation. Their vividly-colored bills and the white streaks of feathers across their flanks make them easy to identify. You can also listen for their loud, squawking calls carrying across the marsh.
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| Common Gallinules swimming at Noxubee NWR |
Some birds that are usually common year-round, such as Eastern Phoebes, may still come as pleasant surprises in the field. The ice storm of February 2021 killed many of the flying insects that phoebes, warblers, and certain other insectivorous bird species rely on for food, so some of these birds starved to death. Phoebe numbers, in particular, seemed remarkably low this spring and summer. Recently, though, I’ve noticed phoebes returning to areas from which they had apparently disappeared—an encouraging example of nature’s resilience.
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| Eastern Phoebe perched in cypress tree |
These are all just my observations, though. If you’re a birder, the most rewarding thing to do is to make your own discoveries in the field. You never know what you might find!
