A great horned owl called from our Littleton farm last evening, the nights are getting longer and the morning chill is now reliably present; on the other hand, afternoon highs continue to reach the 80s (F) and the late summer monsoon never materialized.
Down along the South Platte this morning, the mild air was appreciated but summer birding was still the rule; I encountered only twenty species on my two-mile walk and all were permanent or summer residents. Blue-winged and cinnamon teal have yet to move down from the north and migrant shorebirds have been spotty at best. Even migrant warblers, more attuned to the solar cycle than to weather conditions, have been sparse to date.
Of course, the fall equinox is still a few days away but, here along the Colorado Front Range, we generally experience more convincing evidence of autumn by now. It seems that the summer heat will persist into October, just the latest sign that our climate is changing.
Down along the South Platte this morning, the mild air was appreciated but summer birding was still the rule; I encountered only twenty species on my two-mile walk and all were permanent or summer residents. Blue-winged and cinnamon teal have yet to move down from the north and migrant shorebirds have been spotty at best. Even migrant warblers, more attuned to the solar cycle than to weather conditions, have been sparse to date.
Of course, the fall equinox is still a few days away but, here along the Colorado Front Range, we generally experience more convincing evidence of autumn by now. It seems that the summer heat will persist into October, just the latest sign that our climate is changing.
