MV NATURE
NATURE in October story and photos by Matt Perry In the three-month-long Fall season, it is October that most epitomizes Autumn in nature. Seed and vegetable harvests, changing foliage, and bird migration make October an eventful month. Although most of the birds that migrate to the tropics (the long-distance migrants) have departed by the end of September, a great number of other birds don’t begin their journeys until October. These are mostly the short distance migrants that travel 1000 miles or less. In this group are most of the sparrows: species like the White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. Unlike the migrant warblers which give us neck cramps as we bend our heads back and try to observe their ceaseless flitting in the tree canopy, sparrows mostly remain low in the brush near forest edges. Most forage on the ground. Of the sparrows, I think my favorite is the secretive Lincoln’s Sparrow. Lincoln’s Sparrow was originally named Bob’s Finch by legendary naturalist and bird painter, John James Audubon (1785-1851). With the name, Audubon was honoring a friend of his (Bob Lincoln). They had encountered the previ-
ously unnamed species together during one of their specimen collecting forays. Later, the name was changed to the more formal sounding, “Lincoln’s Sparrow.” During the late spring and summer, Lincoln’s sparrow nests in and around boreal bogs and swampland in the Adirondacks and Canada. They are not difficult to find by a determined scout. To most people, the Lincoln’s Sparrow looks like just another little brown sparrow and nothing to write home about, but to the bird connoisseur, they are quite beautiful. Their breast is a buff color which is intersected by dark longitudinal streaks. Overall, their plumage looks neat and crisp, like a pressed designer suit. Their song is a quick series of trills, some with a slight sizzling quality. To my ear, they sound a little like the warble of a house wren, but more refined. One could say they sound like a House Wren that has taken elocution lessons. Try as we might, we never hear their song away from their breeding grounds. Migrant Lincoln’s Sparrows are mostly mute but will produce some light “smack” alarm notes when provoked, and they are
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Witch Hazel flowers
easily provoked. Sometimes just looking at them could be considered a provocation. They respond by dropping into a bramble and secreting away their splendor. A few years ago in October, I found multiple Lincoln’s Sparrows skulking around the periphery of one of the beaver ponds. In my experience, it is rare to have more than one in a single location. On that day, Lincoln’s Sparrows were keeping company with a mixed group of other sparrow species. Their fellow travelers included White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and a couple of Swamp Sparrows. Sorting them out wasn’t so difficult despite all the different age-related plumages represented. As the Lincoln’s Sparrows peeked at me and vocally scolded me from their safe place, my eyes wandered into the foliage above them. It was a Witch Hazel bush in full bloom. It is an odd thing that the native Witch Hazel chooses such an advanced time of year to put out its golden stringy flowers. Even as the foliage of the Witch Hazel turns yellow and brown, its flowers are fresh and new. Of course, by flowering at this time of year, Witch Hazel would have a near-monopoly on late flying polli-
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