MIGRATION

It truly is that time of year and everything, I mean, EVERYTHING is migrating. Hampton Roads, Virginia is a magical place to be during late summer/early fall when you might get really lucky and see some cool and rare birds flying through on their way to wherever it is they overwinter. Not all birds migrate and if you're lucky to be near water, you'll still see Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers, certain ducks and of course, Canada Geese. Some birds also migrate to here and consider this their winter home. It really just depends and over the years, folks have noticed that typical true migrating birds are forming colonies of those who leave and those who stay. 

In the oceans, Cetaceans are migrating as well, to their winter feeding grounds where they will stick to their pods, feed heavily, mate and then move back to warmer waters to calve.  Fall, like Spring is a transitional period for nature and as the leaves fall and the smell in the air changes slightly, the autumn sedum blooms while other plants are dying back, the sunsets come earlier and take on that magical warm glow. Hopefully your fall is bursting with nature and you'll enjoy a smooth transition to the cooler months. Make sure you clean out those nest boxes so that birds can roost in them during inclement weather and happy late harvest to all the gardeners out there!

Happy bird watching and don't forget to look up at the sky or listen to the bird songs. 

The Nature Nerd