As I shared in my hummingbird article last week, it’s almost time for birds to migrate. Generally beginning in late September and early October we may also begin to see a few of the birds come to our feeders that we saw in early spring. These birds won’t hang around for very long. If they do land in your backyard, it’s for a bite of food and a cool sip of water, then back to the skies again. It’s just a pit stop on their way further south. Spotting these same birds is rare.
We often have them come to our yards, but we don’t take note of them. That’s because many birds when they stop during the spring, they have their spring/summer feathers and they stand out. The American Goldfinch comes to my mind because there’s no missing their bright yellow feathers. They have on their “courting” clothes in the spring, but by fall they have done their courting and their feathers become drab.
This change in feather colors is a way to camouflage birds and make them blend into the fall and winter scenery. As trees begin to drop their leaves there’s less and less foliage to hide them from predators.
The Goldfinch begins to change colors in mid-September and by the beginning of October they’re gray or dull olive green in color. Since this is such a small bird when the showy yellow feathers leave, it doesn’t call any attention to itself. During the winter it looks very ordinary and finch-like.
The Indigo Bunting is another bird that during the spring wears “courting” feathers. It displays his “sexy” vibrant blue feathers to attract a mate in the breeding season. But, during this time of year the indigo blue feathers shed from his body and he becomes tannish-brown like the female. The female remains brown all year, so during the winter months it’s almost impossible to determine the sex of this bird.
The Belted Kingfisher is in our area, but generally is never seen at our feeders. It is because his diet is generally found around water. He eats fish, lizards, crustaceans and small mammals. This bird may choose to fly further south to Mexico or South America for the winter. This bird’s feathers remain the same year round. Their colored feathers are not as bright and showy as the Goldfinch or the Indigo Bunting, but it still is very eye-catching. It’s one of those rare birds that the female bird actually has more colorful markings than the males.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is the bird that often gets new bird watchers excited. They’re a beautiful bird that sports a red bib on their otherwise white chest. His head and back feathers are a beautiful jet black. Normally we only see this bird in spring and early summer as he returns from his winter vacation in Mexico or Central America. This bird I have seen at my feeders briefly on its flight back to Mexico. If my feeders are well stocked in October, since he knows my location, he has stopped just long enough to eat, drink and then continue his flight. I’ve never seen it become drab in its appearance, but in an article on owlcation.com they mention that “During the overwintering period, both sexes appear as drab versions of their summer selves.”
I have seen the Purple Finch in the dead of winter come to my feeders and its feathers are the same year round. I love the color of their feathers which are crimson. It is a crisper brighter red than the House Finch. I have a photo of a Purple Finch that came during the bad winter of 2020 and I laugh when I think of how it looked like a round ball because it had puffed his feathers out so much trying to stay warm.
No matter what season it is, I love looking at, listening to and caring for the birds as I “Look at the birds of the air…” Matthew 6:26.
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