While we often think of the fall migration as the phenomenon of warblers and other small birds heading for the warm environs of Central and South America, we also reap the benefit of the movement south with the advent of birds from the north setting up winter quarters here in SE New York. Yesterday, I found several of our seasonal guests as I cruised along the Hudson. The first seen above are a dozen or so Great cormorants. We generally see Double-crested cormorants here along the river during the warmer months, but the Greats don't generally appear until the temperatures begin to fall as can be seen on the range map to the left.
My next visitor who has come home for the holidays is the Black-capped chickadee. While it's true that this little guy is seen throughout the year here in the Hudson Highlands, it is winter when he arrives in the greatest numbers and is most visible at our feeders.
Finally, another bird which remains on these grounds throughout the year is the Carolina wren. While as the name implies these birds are most common in the southeast, their range has been slowly creeping northward and remains so as long as the winters do not become too severe. The wrens generally pair up with a single mate and remain on their territory throughout their lives. Hence, I can officially call this visitor to our feeder this morning as one of "Our wrens", and a most welcome member of our extended family it is to be sure.
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