A Swainson's thrush is shown. (Scot Stewart photo)

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” — Lauren DeStefano, “Wither”

Just a few days until Autumn will arrive, but it seems to already be here. The autumn equinox officially occurs next Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9:30 here in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the time of year when conditions seem to gyrate radically through highs and lows in temperatures and rainfall, with fog, frost, and in some years even snow to liven things up even more. With huge volumes of forest fire smoke from the Pacific, a steady stream of hurricanes and tropical storms pounding in from the Atlantic to the south, pushing disturbances north, and the unknowns coming from both, forecasting Upper Peninsula in the near future should become even more challenging that it already is!

And how Nature reacts to all of this! The long day of rain last Saturday softened the soil perfectly to entice a number of snapping turtle clutches to hatch early Sunday morning. Barely two inches long, young turtles were found near both the Chocolay and Dead Rivers in Marquette and at a more remote site north of Ishpeming. Individual branches and entire small sugar maple trees have turned bright red to kick off the color season across the area. With the extended days bright sunshine this past summer, colors should be good through the next few weeks.

With migration in full swing, the brief visits of birds heading south from Canada, and wanderers from the west have been tantalizing. Shorebirds are winding down as evidenced by the smaller numbers of smaller sandpipers and plovers. Some of the larger shorebirds have made a small splash this past week. American golden-plovers and black-bellied plovers, regular migrants seen at Whitefish Point, have been seen in Marquette too. Last Friday a single American golden-plover was seen on the Lower Harbor breakwall and four more were found feeding at the north end of the practice fields near the Dome. Later, a young peregrine falcon was attracted to the area by the birds feeding in the field. More plovers were seen, with a possible black-bellied on Monday at the mouth of the Dead River. Sanderlings, some of the lightest colored fall sandpipers, have been seen at both the Dead River and on the Lower Harbor Breakwall, with nine present there last Tuesday.

Mountain ash berry crops were extremely good this fall allowing flocks of robins and thrushes to linger for day at some trees, fattening up with gray catbirds, purple finches, European starlings and cedar waxwings. The robins are likely summer residents of Canada. A combination of black oil sunflower seeds, a bird bath, suet cakes and the mountain ash trees attracted a large crowd of birds over a week-long period in Marquette this past week.

The flock of up to seven robins and later of five Swainson’s thrushes seemed to encourage others, like the catbird, a female scarlet tanager, cardinals and others to join in, knowing there were many sets of eyes to watch for danger. At one point, a merlin did make a pass through the neighborhood, stopping to survey the area from atop a large spruce tree.

Small flocks of Canada geese are also on the move joining the end of the red-necked grebe and common loon migration, both at Whitefish Point, and for the geese, over Marquette too. Dabbling duck flights also seems to be slowing, with small numbers of northern pintails, American wigeons and green-winged teals passing.

American crows seem to be everywhere. Families of four or five have been seen waddling through yards and fields foraging for grasshoppers and other insects in large numbers this fall. Crows are great observant birds, ready in a second to announce to the neighborhood the presence of just about any predator. Recently a group of five came streaming inland from Lake Superior, an edge in they cawing calls. Within seconds they were in pursuit of an adult bald eagle heading south. The rough grating calls are usually a good sign something special is in the area, an eagle, owl, fox or other notable. A gathering group, especially one with dive-bombing aerialists is a clinch for something good for outdoor enthusiasts and bad for the crows.

Eagles continue to be seen across Marquette, especially near Lake Superior.

Last Tuesday a super vagrant, a western kingbird, was found with some European starlings at the MSU Experimental Farm in Chatham. For some reason, this farm has been a great place to see the likes of flycatchers like vermillion and scissor-tails in the fall. Usually there for just a day, they are species that send birders scrambling to see them before they go. Robin-sized, western kingbirds, with their yellow breasts, are a bit flashier than the local eastern kingbirds, with their gray, black and white markings.

Birders have been noting the departure of local hummingbirds, now to a great degree gone. A few yards, especially those with plenty of flowers like monarda still in bloom, seem to be better at either keeping some around, or attracting migrants from farther north. About two weeks ago, an apparent albino, or extreme leucistic hummingbird was seen in Harvey, with a nearly all gray hummer – for just a day.

Feeding with a female, the two unusual birds may have been her offspring. Although gone, there is plenty more to look forward to in this grand finale!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Scot Stewart is a teacher at Bothwell Middle School in Marquette and a freelance photographer.