The migration and the molt continue

What a difference a week makes. Last week I told you about the extreme hummingbird activity that was dominating my backyard. You could hardly step outside without having two or three hummers zip by in front of your face. We had both Rufous and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and they put on quite a show for us.

Well, things are different this week. Much quieter. Last week's wave of hummers has passed on through. This week I've only noticed two of the tiny birds in the backyard - one female and one male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Here's the female sitting on one of her favorite observation perches where she is able to keep an eye on the entire backyard and especially her favorite Hamelia bush and sugar water feeder.

There may be - likely are - other hummers around, but I've only seen these two at the same time and can confirm their presence. Tomorrow, though, may be different as the migration continues and the cast of characters changes daily.

*~*~*~*

Though the hummingbird activity has slowed down, there are still plenty of birds and plenty of action in the yard, but it is mostly the permanent resident birds that dominate the scene.

At the front yard feeder, the House Finches continue to be omnipresent. There are at least a half-dozen that visit the feeder daily.

This old feeder has served the birds - and squirrels! - in my yard for many years and it is showing its age and slowly falling apart. I have ordered a new feeder which should be delivered in a few days and a squirrel baffle! This will be a shock to my little furry friends who have always considered this their feeder. But never fear - I've also purchased a couple of squirrel feeders with which I hope to placate their hurt feelings.

All around the yard, the summer molt is continuing and the birds are looking really scraggly. I haven't yet seen any bald-headed cardinals or jays as we have in some years, but there are several more weeks of molt to go.

Though not bald, this Blue Jay is certainly showing signs of the molt.

The rattiest-looking birds though are the Common Grackles which continue to surprise me by showing up in my yard in big numbers.

This young one looks pretty unkempt with his missing feathers. (No, he's not "singing," he's panting.)

This one might be a tiny bit further along, but he's still missing feathers, too.

The only birds that I see in the yard that are not showing visible signs of the molt are the Mourning and White-winged Doves.

This White-wing was busily preening its feathers...

...making sure...

...that every single one of them is in place.

It's molting time

The usually sleek, every-feather-in-place backyard birds are looking decidedly raggedy these days.  Not only are feathers out of place, they are often missing.  It's not at all unusual to see a bald Northern Cardinal or Blue Jay settling in for a nosh at one of my feeders or for a cooling dip in one of the birdbaths.  And what better time of year to drop a few feathers than when the temperatures are in the triple-digits?

I sometimes get questions from readers concerned that something is wrong with the balding birds that they are seeing around their yards or around town, but, usually, nothing is amiss.  In fact, something is right.  The bird with the dodgy feathers has completed his or her duties as a parent, having flown him/herself ragged while providing food and protection for the next generation.  The old crop of feathers has been completely worn out in the process and it's time for the bird to drop them and grow some new and perfect ones.  Thus, you might see a Northern Cardinal that looks like this today:

   He does look a little shabby and down-at-heel, doesn't he?  But in a few weeks, he'll look like this:

 Sleek and beautiful once again.

And, as for the disheveled Northern Mockingbird that was perched just outside my office window this morning, don't feel sorry for him. 

He may look like this today, with his bare neck showing.

But give him a few weeks and he'll be back in top form again!

I do think it is very clever of Mother Nature to have scheduled the molt for a time when the birds surely need some relief from the heat.  There are few better insulation materials than down and feathers.  They help birds survive in some of the coldest climates on earth, but in August in Texas, it's time to shuck off every feather that you reasonably can.  It's molting time.