Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I spent the weekend visiting family in Potter County, PA, an extremely rural part of the state colorfully referred to as “God’s Country.” Having seen so many sides of Potter County over the last 20 years, I can attest to its tremendous beauty. Right about now, in early November, the foliage is decidedly post-peak with just wisps of rust and saffron clinging to bare branches. Bird biodiversity is probably at its annual low as summer’s breeders have long departed but winter residents have yet to arrive. Consequently, I had to content myself with chickadees and titmice, House Finches and House Sparrows, and plenty of woodpeckers, waterfowl, and red-tails. The same Blue Jays and Mourning Doves that will persist through what promises to be a bitter winter are loitering around while the last lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers are undoubtedly south-bound in a hurry.
Downy on suet
Harvest tableau
No. 1 The Larch
Do I get extra points if I recognize the Monty Python reference?
November is one of my favorite months of the year to bird, its not too cold, usually not a lot of snow and migrants from the far north are just arriving.
More importantly is that Red-tailed Hawks are no longer hidden by leaves and you suddenly get a grasp on how many of these birds there really are.
You get points from me, Will, for what little that may be worth!