Hummingbirds at Shore Side Farm House September

Female hummingbird at the feeder

Hummingbird crowd at the feeders

As beautiful as it is here at Shore Side Farm House, September is not a favorite time of the year for me.  The weather is lovely, we still have colorful flowers, but the wildlife is in transition and boredom sets in. By September the Ospreys have packed themselves up and have moved on to warmer winter quarters...South America I believe. As the Ospreys leave other potential neighbors move in to take over their lair. The eagles often check it out, but none have moved in. The Great Blue Heron also spent some time on the platform investigating the residence of his enemy.  Finally the Kingfisher came back into the neighborhood and is regularly hanging out on the platform to patrol the cove.  Before this year I thought the Kingfisher was a late arrival of a fall transient in our garden. Observing through the summer I discovered that the Kingfishers were here all summer, they just did not want to tangle with the massive Ospreys, so they wait for the Osprey exodus and then move in to take over the platform.

Female  Osprey guarding her brood on the nesting platform

The hummingbirds are fattening up for their trek south.  Their numbers thin in the yard, as the flower bloom decreases. I saw one juvenile today at one of my feeders. We went on vacation for about two weeks and I am not sure just how many hummers are still here. I did see a pretty good size and plump juvenile today...but only one. I put out new clean feeders at several locations in the yard, but it seems that most have moved on, or have at least moved to the neighbors feeders because of my absence. Its my loss to miss their migration departure. Their fascinating behavior captures my interest and attention throughout the day in the summer months. I miss them like crazy when they depart.

I find fall a sad time of year. It may get beautiful, and crisp, but the absence of wildlife and flowers is an empty hole in my existence. I'd like to migrate south with them!