Oh, wow, Sophie! Another stellar post! I happily stumbled across this while wading through a pile of unopened emails, and, like your flocks of yellow-rumps, it was a very welcome and beautiful surprise!! Migration is such a miracle of nature, and each year, it astounds me that these tiny beating hearts clothed in feathers so steadfastly travel the skies, braving predators, inclement weather, exhaustion, glass windows, and myriad other dangers in their quest to move to and from breeding and wintering locales. What a wonder! And I won't ever look at a "Butterbutt" (though admittedly inelegant, I do love the nickname) again without also thinking of fireflies, which I grew up treasuring in Nebraska's mid- summer nights. Thank you for a most welcome reprieve in my morning!!
Thank you for your kind words, Diane! The wonders of bird migration never cease to amaze me. I've always loved fireflies, so when the yellow flash of those lovely butterbutts brought them to my mind, I just had to share the experience! I'm so glad that image resonated with you.
As always this brought me to such a nice space, a good way to start the day and month! And I always learn something new too. I heard these warblers in the woods this summer but couldn’t see them.
Thank you for the kind words, Joe! These warblers are hard to see in the woods at the best of times and I felt like numbers were really low this year. I heard fewer than I've ever heard before. Hopefully they'll have a successful winter and we'll have better luck seeing them next year!
Warbler fireflies!! 💛 I love these little birds and look forward to seeing them on my Vermont hikes every Spring! I never cease to be amazed by these migrating birds as they flock up in the late summer and move as one down to warmer climes! And I am always hopeful for their safe passage and return. 🥰🐦
These are the first warlers I hear in the forest in the spring, and the last ones that I see late in the fall frantically feeding before they fly south. And while I have always thought that them to be fairly common, I'm seeing fewer and fewer of them. Having a flock stop by my yard this week was a gift!
Seeing a flock of yellow-rumps around our homes is indeed a gift. I'm worried about these beautiful feathered fireflies. I heard so few of them in the forest this summer. So I'm glad we've had a chance to enjoy them during migration season.
Oh, wow, Sophie! Another stellar post! I happily stumbled across this while wading through a pile of unopened emails, and, like your flocks of yellow-rumps, it was a very welcome and beautiful surprise!! Migration is such a miracle of nature, and each year, it astounds me that these tiny beating hearts clothed in feathers so steadfastly travel the skies, braving predators, inclement weather, exhaustion, glass windows, and myriad other dangers in their quest to move to and from breeding and wintering locales. What a wonder! And I won't ever look at a "Butterbutt" (though admittedly inelegant, I do love the nickname) again without also thinking of fireflies, which I grew up treasuring in Nebraska's mid- summer nights. Thank you for a most welcome reprieve in my morning!!
Thank you for your kind words, Diane! The wonders of bird migration never cease to amaze me. I've always loved fireflies, so when the yellow flash of those lovely butterbutts brought them to my mind, I just had to share the experience! I'm so glad that image resonated with you.
Lovely essay, Sophie!
Thank you, Brandon!
Butterbutts....amazing! As always, Sophie, a delight!
Thank you, Russell! And thank you so much for taking time to read about fall fireflies (aka butterbutts!).
As always this brought me to such a nice space, a good way to start the day and month! And I always learn something new too. I heard these warblers in the woods this summer but couldn’t see them.
Thank you for the kind words, Joe! These warblers are hard to see in the woods at the best of times and I felt like numbers were really low this year. I heard fewer than I've ever heard before. Hopefully they'll have a successful winter and we'll have better luck seeing them next year!
Warbler fireflies!! 💛 I love these little birds and look forward to seeing them on my Vermont hikes every Spring! I never cease to be amazed by these migrating birds as they flock up in the late summer and move as one down to warmer climes! And I am always hopeful for their safe passage and return. 🥰🐦
Every year, their journeys south and their return to our areas in the spring seem all the more incredible to me!
These are the first warlers I hear in the forest in the spring, and the last ones that I see late in the fall frantically feeding before they fly south. And while I have always thought that them to be fairly common, I'm seeing fewer and fewer of them. Having a flock stop by my yard this week was a gift!
Seeing a flock of yellow-rumps around our homes is indeed a gift. I'm worried about these beautiful feathered fireflies. I heard so few of them in the forest this summer. So I'm glad we've had a chance to enjoy them during migration season.