Throughout the warmer months of the year, April through September in the Northern Hemisphere, we birders take note of the fabulous diversity of avian residents and migrants that reside in or visit our neighborhoods and nature preserves. Some species are permanent residents, others are summer residents and many are transient visitors, simply migrating through our area.
For those of us in the Temperate Zone, the summer residents and transient visitors have left for more southern climes by mid October and the first winter residents are beginning to arrive. Having raised their young up north, they, like our permanent residents, tend to gather in mixed flocks, assisting one another in the search for food during these colder, shorter days of the year. Such feeding groups often appear for brief periods of time before moving on to their next source of nutrition.
Augmenting their chance of survival, most of our winter residents sport rather drab plumage, blending in with the seasonal landscape. Then again, accipiters, kestrels and red-shouldered hawks will get their fair share.
