Walker Nature Center
BRANCHING OUT
A LOOK INSIDE
• Calendar 4 • Eastern Garter Snakes 6 • Land Conservation Gifts in Reston 7
Nature Notes The Hawk is Out SEPTEMBER By Pam Findley
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Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrate to Central America. Goldenrods bloom. Eastern Box Turtle young hatch. Oaks produce acorns which provide food for many animals. Sept 18 – Super Harvest Moon and partial lunar eclipse
OCTOBER • • • • •
Songbird migration peaks. Tulip Poplar and hickory trees have yellow leaves. Mantids lay eggs. Brown-eyed Susans are in bloom. Oct 17 – Super Hunter’s Moon, the closest full super moon of 2024
NOVEMBER • • • • •
Deer rut (mating) peaks. Dogwood trees and viburnum shrubs have red leaves. First Dark-eyed Juncos return. Holly berries are red. Nov. 15 – Super Beaver Moon
By Susan Sims
Autumn in Virginia provides residents the opportunity to see one of the largest bird migrations in the eastern United States. Thousands of raptors traveling from northern areas make their way down the Blue Ridge Mountains headed towards warmer climes for the winter.
Hawks are the primary migrating species including Red-shouldered, Red-tailed and Broad-winged Hawks. They're also joined by smaller hawks such as the Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Other birds of prey - eagles, kestrels and falcons - join the flyways during this season as well. Peak timing for raptor observation is midSeptember to mid-October, though they can be spotted anytime from September through November. The warm updrafts from the mountains permit hawks to glide for hundreds of miles in only one wing beat, preserving valuable physical resources for their journeys southward.
Eyes to the Sky
According to Shenandoah National Park, over 25,000 Broad-winged Hawks migrate through the park annually. The Broad-winged Hawk is a small, forest raptor rarely seen in Virginia outside of migration. They have brown heads and chests with barred underbellies. These hawks glide in group formations called kettles. Kettles of up to 100 hawks will circle, catching the warm air and using it as an elevator to rise to higher altitudes while still moving south. They will pass to another warm draft and continue riding it as long as possible until they repeat the process, covering nearly 70 miles daily.
Broad-winged Hawks are complete migrants, meaning they continue their journey until they reach South America. It is interesting to note that Monarch Butterflies and some dragonfly species also follow the ridge during migration season and may provide a good source of food for Broadwinged Hawks. Some species of hawks are only partially migratory and may fly a short way south until the temperature is amenable and remain there for the winter. Two of the more readily identifiable hawks that can be spotted are the Red-shouldered and Redtailed Hawks. Many Northern Virginians are familiar with the Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) as it can be seen sitting in trees in wooded suburbs like Reston and on fence posts along roadsides.
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