Some of the most exciting birds to visit feeders will begin to show up soon – Purple Finches, Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, White-winged Crossbills, Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and Redpolls. It is always interesting to learn what the professionals who study fall and winter movements of these northern species share in their annual Finch Forecast, and wouldn't it be exciting to have some of the grosbeaks or crossbills stopover in your yard and visit your feeding station! Three other species whose movements are often linked to northern finches are also discussed: Blue Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Bohemian Waxwings.

Some of the best and longest-standing Birding Festivals take place during November! Although the number of birding festivals winds down as the holidays approach, some of the best birding fests will draw birders to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, the Chilkat Valley in Alaska, and the Central Valley of California. Similarly, migration concentrations of cranes and swans will bring birders and community members to birding festivals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and northern California to celebrate birds and birding, shared with participants that range from every age to every level of interest in birds. 

To underline how impressive and important the Veracruz River of Raptors migration monitoring effort is, more than 375,000 birds of prey were counted there last Thursday (October 8). And now, you can learn all about this renowned hawk counting site, located along the Gulf of Mexico north of the city of Veracruz. Next Wednesday, October 21st at 12 Noon EDT, the Hawk Migration Association is hosting a live online presentation by 3 biologists associated with the world's largest raptor migration count site in Veracruz, Mexico, where an average of 4½ million raptors, hundreds of thousands of waterbirds, and countless other landbirds are counted as they funnel through this geographic region. 

Celebrating its 60th year, members of the Raptor Research Foundation will convene October 26 to 30 in Duluth, Minnesota, with a variety of activities planned that include workshops to learn about the latest techniques and technology for studying birds of prey. In addition to the primary program, participants will also spend time at the famed Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory to experience raptor migration counts and banding. The Raptor Research Foundation is dedicated to the accumulation and dissemination of scientific knowledge about raptors, and members that include interested birders help to resolve raptor conservation issues on an international scale.

Last week's colorful autumn birding drive into the Northwoods of Minnesota convinced me to return with gusto last Wednesday. The woodland trees were even more colorful 6 days later as I emphasized time at the 2 best locations from the previous week – Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge and Itasca State Park. Dark-eyed Juncos were the highlight of Tamarack, lots of them, but confined to 1 flock at 1 location. It was interesting that while the almost 30 juncos foraged on the ground, they were joined by 2 Northern Flickers, a species that was scattered throughout the region, as were American Robins and Ring-billed Gulls. 

Zeiss binoculars are famous for their premium optics, and Zeiss Conquest HDX 8x42 Binoculars feature carefully selected high-definition (HD) glass to provide the basis for the especially well-balanced optical system. The premium optics provide more than 90 percent light transmission with maximized edge-to-edge resolution, and exceptional color fidelity – all so important when birding. The Zeiss T* multi-coating and phase-corrected roof prisms also ensure clear true-to-life views of the birds you seek, plus the Conquest HDX focuses quickly and precisely in the field – and they are On Sale in a big way now! 

Built for explorers, but made for everyday use, The North Face provides a variety of stylish outdoor clothing for active birders. Take a look at The North Face quality that's evident in their fall jackets and fleece, warm coats, shoes and boots, hoodies and vests, backpacks, coolers, and other outdoor gear on your wish list. The North Face USA Outlet is built for birders who want discounted e-commerce shopping, outdoor styles, product-focused browsing, and sale-ready values in one destination. And you can always shop the latest arrivals for the season, on-line or at The North Face stores. 

The 3D Zero-Waste Bird Food is an elite blend of shelled black oil sunflower seeds and a light mix of shelled peanuts ensures no waste and a clean feeding station with no messy clean-up time needed. Using the premium Zero-Waste Bird Food simply feeds more birds per pound and you don't pay for shells, "filler seeds," or cracked corn – every ingredient is avian edible! You can also be assured you will get the same shell-less premium ingredients every time without any compromise, which is a real value to all birders. The 3D Zero-waste Bird Food ensures you can add it to a bird feeder positioned just about anywhere outdoors, including decks, porches, and patios – even balconies. 

American Avocets must be considered among the most elegant and graceful of all shorebirds, topped off with their long, thin bill that has a uniquely upturned curve, especially in female avocets. And during the nesting season, they are among the most colorful shorebirds too, with their standout alternate plumage that catches everyone’s eyes when their bright cinnamon-colored head, neck, and breast sets off their pied black-and-white body plumage and long pale-blue legs and feet. But months after the nesting populations left the region, a recent upsurge in stopover avocets has assembled at a few chosen wetlands. Some appear as lone birds, others in small flocks, and in some cases, especially large gatherings of feeding American Avocets concentrate. 

But now, the avocet crowd is back to basic plumage, that notably lacks the showy cinnamon-colored plumage of spring and summer; replaced by white plumage on the underside and white accented with a gray shadow on the dorsal side. While a bit less colorful, they are still very striking birds and no less elegant for the change. Avocets have always been among my favorite birds to observe, even during simple feeding activities, while wading, picking at tiny aquatic “bugs;” or sweeping their long bills back and forth to locate invertebrate morsels. At times their searches extend to swimming food searches, utilizing their partially webbed feet to navigate deeper waters beyond the reach of their long legs. 

During a recent birding drive to Hecla Marsh and Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a highlight during my return home was finding a large concentration of American Avocets that numbered 80 or more at Erickson Marsh, a few miles west of the refuge. It was an exciting find, but the day’s sunlight was nearing an end, and the birds were all fairly distant – but I’d be back for a focused avocet photo effort. With a beautiful period of late afternoon sunlight at hand a couple days later, I returned to the marsh that I suspect is rather saline considering the lack of vegetation along the shores – just the kind of wetland where avocets and other shorebirds and ducks find tiny shrimp and similar small crustaceans in abundance. 

When I arrived, the avocets were still on hand in similar numbers, and this time they were scattered on both sides of the road, which was a big plus for the potential of photo success. With the sun’s arc farther to the south these days, the presence of a few American Avocets foraging along the shallows on the north side of the road was a best case scenario. And the avocets were in no way concerned with the stealthy but obvious approach of my mobile blind well off the side of the road. The light was right and I steadied my camera lens on the slightly raised window of my car as 1 to 4 avocets were in constant motion before me, wading and swimming within 20 feet of the shore. I repositioned my car as needed to keep in photo range of the avocets, and used a wider than usual f-11 aperture to accommodate more than one bird within the range of focus, which also provided an amply fast 1/1000 shutter speed to stop feeding motions. 

Occasionally, a few distant avocets would take flight, even crossing above the road; but all at a considerable distance from my position. At one point I repositioned with an interest in photographing avocets in flight, but that option didn’t materialize – until my next avocet photo trip. Last Friday afternoon, in spite of a wind factor, I headed for Erickson Marsh again, and even before I could assess for birds along the shore, I saw a number of avocets flying and immediately decided to try to get into position in case the flight activity continued. As I pulled into a safe position to park with the “usual” flight path before me, I noticed the low, slow flight of a Northern Harrier as it winged toward 2 resting flocks of avocets to the north. 

Thinking this could be a good opportunity, both of the flocks of avocets took flight as the hawk approached. The first flock showed promise as the birds were initially pointed in my direction, but they turned to the east, rising into the blue sky background. The second flock of avocets was right behind the first, but they continued flying in my direction and I began focusing on the group and following their movement as they approached and elevated into the blue sky. Thinking this could be a perfect flight photo scenario, I began photographing as a number of the avocets approached, and as they passed before me and leveled off, I hoped for the best as the south wind seemed to slow their progress. 

In the midst of the group was an obviously colorful American Avocet, and after some initial photos I characteristically focused on the unique individual for the next couple photos – and in another 2 seconds, the avocets had passed. Woo-weee! That was exciting, and I imagined there could be a couple keepers among that group of flight photos. I checked for other birds in flight, saw none, so referred to my camera’s playback screen. The miniature photo replay made me confident there could be a couple winners in that group of flight photos. The avocets remained active, taking flight periodically, individually and in small groups, and I had a couple photo ops thereafter; but they didn’t show the promise of the first series of flight photos. I spent some additional time waiting for some action among a group of a dozen avocets at rest and preening, hoping for a bird to stretch its wings high above its back in avocet fashion, or do a wing flap at the end of a preening session, but didn’t have much luck with that. 

Back in my office, I was excited to review the new flight photographs, and was thrilled with the results! The lighting on the avocets was perfect, and the birds provided a couple exceptional photographs as they winged before me that afternoon! As for the fully colored American Avocet whose hormones were obviously out of balance for October, I couldn’t be happier to have it add a very special accent to the images it appeared in! Its alternate plumage couldn’t have been brighter or more colorful if it was May. I had seen a colorful avocet among the many viewed during the previous photo period, but always at a far distance. During the second photo session I documented it in an exceptional way, in flight among other avocets in basic plumage.

One point of note: Because I arrived during a flurry of flight activity, I didn’t have a moment to double-check or revise my camera settings. As a result, I took the flight photos using my usual preset f-8 aperture setting. In hindsight, if time permitted, I would have adjusted the aperture to f-11 to have a wider area in focus to accommodate several birds as they flew in close formation. But as it stands, all the birds are in focus in most of the photographs, and everything worked out fine digitally. I doubt my time photographing at the avocet gathering is done, especially considering that each time I visit the marsh the avian activities and positions of the birds and flocks are different, which makes the photographic potential especially interesting. Then too, there are other shorebirds, ducks, gulls, and other birds on hand at this avian concentration site. Good Luck in all your October birding activities, at home and in the field; and take advantage of the fall colors and weather that makes nature all the more enchanting. 

               Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

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