A great egret is shown. (Scot Stewart photo)

“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen — that stillness becomes a radiance.” — Morgan Freeman

August starts Sunday! Some are beginning to ask where the summer went. Still a whole month of it left, really, but for those who felt it just got away from them there’s hope. With that month of “real” summer there’s a tremendous amount of life to watch, smell, hear and experience before September and the start of autumn are upon the land. Now, more than ever though is the time to slow down as the speed of the season increases.

It is a more subtle time. The nuances of bird song have become much more refined, mostly short calls to check on family members and some practice phrases by young birds beginning to learn their songs. Insects like field crickets and northern dog-day cicadas are filling in some of the audio background though. Some of the swamp roses are still blooming — welcoming the goldenrods and asters joining in the floral palette as they add their respective golden yellows and lavender blues to the summer canvas.

The lack of rain and frequent high temperatures have restricted the degree of development of fungi and slime molds on the forest floor. There has not been the expression of the beauty of their colors so far, this summer and little opportunity to experience the rich aromas of the rich soil aromas of summer either Drought and heat have limited the time many plants have been in bloom and how big blooms have been open. This may have some impact on how much food they will be able to provide for pollinators like bees and bumblebees, and even more importantly, hummingbirds. It will take a stillness of summer breezes to find the gentler fragrances of the woods until more rain comes.

It is a time when birds families start to move. A truly unexpected group arrived in Marquette last week as a group of five great egrets arrived on the Dead River near the mouth. While the great egret population is growing along the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Wisconsin border in the U.P., they are still rare in the northern U.P. Occasionally b great egrets and their small cousins, cattle egrets appear singly close to Lake Superior, remain in the area for a day or two, then disappear.

This quintet stayed for at least three days foraging along the Dead River and in the new ditch carrying water from the creek paralleling Presque Isle Ave. toward the Dead River between Schneider Mill Court and Lambros Beach Park. Because of the large number of wetland areas across the U.P., it is often difficult to follow even large birds like egrets so it is hard to know how quickly they may have returned to a location like Lake Michigan or the Menominee River.

Some quiet still time at the mouth of the AuTrain, Dead, or Tahquamenon River the Marquette Lower Harbor breakwall, or a sprawling Lake Superior beach may lead to some quality time enjoying an onshore breeze and some winded shorebirds looking to rest and feed after a long flight over the lake. Warm days will put large numbers of beach goers out there so the best birding may be early in the morning, especially on days when the wind is from the south. As these birds arrive after fighting the wind while coursing across the water, they can provide a beautifully graceful addition to the beach scene. Whitefish Point in Chippewa County continues to be the best place to catch these beauties. Seven piping plovers were seen there recently with lesser yellowlegs, Baird’s, least and spotted sandpipers. On July 26, 149 red-necked grebes were also observed flying in off the lake and around the point. Grebes and loons rarely stop on their migrating passes around the point.

Another Great Lakes bird that can surprise birders and beach goers during summer is the Caspian tern. Named for the Caspian Sea where they are relatively common, they are elegant fishing birds, known for their bright red-orange bills and their huge splashes as the dive into still waters to catch their prey. In the past 15 years they were known to nest at five sites in northern Lake Michigan between Mackinac County and the Lower Peninsula and one at the eastern tip of Chippewa County in Lake Huron. Islands in Lake Michigan close to Delta County and areas in Seney National Wildlife Refuge were also thought to be other possible nesting areas. They are seen during the summer with some regularity at Seney NWR.

They show up with some regularity at Whitefish Point during the summer, resting on the beach close to the public boat launch with gulls. Caspian terns also stop at the mouth of the Dead River in Marquette several times each summer, mostly to rest and preen. Because of their gaudy bills, they can often be singled out from Lakeshore Blvd. They are rugged birds and have been known to live as long as 32 years in the wild.

With comfortable weather hitting the area for the next few days, and still lots of sun, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the remains of the season. Asters and goldenrods will be filled with buzzing, colorful, pollinating wasps, flies and beetles. Add the same for milkweed with the addition of great fragrance bouquets and hummingbirds. A few, still moments besides these will provide an amazing array of senses pleasing elements. Then there are the beaches and breakwalls. Make the most of summer!

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