September Nature Happenings

• Eastern Monarch Butterflies continue their migration south from Ontario. This is also the month for the Monarch's final egg lying. If you want to attract more butterflies to your yard and help them along their life cycle, consider avoiding the use of pesticides and instead planting butterfly-attracting plants like milkweed, bee balm, spicebush, parsley, and dill.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds continue to migrate through the area. Do not take down your hummingbird feeders yet! Keeping those feeders out can help fuel the migrants who are moving through. Most hummingbirds will depart by the end of the month.
• Using their antlers, male Moose start to fight for females.
• Little and Big Brown Bat mating seasons complete.
• Blackbird (grackles, cowbirds and redwings) flocks can number in the thousands. After this month, they will not be as prevalent in the area or at feeders, many of them migrating southward for the winter.
• September is a major month for fall migration for many Neotropical migrants - those birds heading to South and Central America for the winter. Many of these birds, especially warblers, looked very bright and colorful in the springtime, but are now more drab and nondescript.

• Broad-winged Hawk migration peaks mid- to late-month. Keep your eye out for large groups of them, called "kettles". Fun fact: Michigan holds the world record for most Broad-winged Hawks seen in a single day - totaling 543,533 birds!!

• Migrating Brown Creepers, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets appear near the end of the month.
• Robins are in large flocks, feeding on crab apples. Did you know some robins stay in this area all year long? During the winter, they stick together in larger groups, feeding mostly on berries.