Date: 9/24/26 7:14 am From: Galveston Ornithological Society <galornsoc...> Subject: [NFLbirds] And fall at the Island... :)
Dear Friends,
Kudos to Don, as always.
I wanted to offer my annual reminder that bird-producing cool fronts are on the way with the changing calendar. Usually, the best birding day of the year is the first full day a cool front passes. If you’re not sure which day, go both! You will see circum-Gulf migrants like Barn Swallows, flickers and Palm Warblers, all flying east toward the Peninsula (which they follow to Cuba and beyond). SG Island is THE place to see their movements.
You will also see trans-Gulf migrants like several warbler species, like just in the State Park on St. George, foraging and waiting till dusk to bolt across the abyss. Many families of songbirds have species that migrate through in October. You will also see cuckoos, almost like the Senate and House combined. One day MANY years ago I had 220 (!) in one day! The combination of c-G and t-G migrants is a miracle to behold.
It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel after a day in nature. Go ahead, mortgage your house so you can fill up.
Jim in Galveston
From: <nflbirds...> <nflbirds...> On Behalf Of Don Morrow
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2026 8:19 AM
To: NFLbirds <nflbirds...>
Subject: [NFLbirds] Fall at the Refuge
At first it had been deceptively quiet on the levee where I was standing at St. Marks NWR. No frogs were calling and there had been only the low rumbling from a pair of thunderstorms out in the Gulf. A gentle breeze was coming out of the north. A quarter mile above me, where the winds were stronger, my Merlin app had picked up the chip notes of thrushes calling in the night sky. Finally, as the stars faded and the sky lightened, I heard an Eastern Screech Owl’s low tremolo from somewhere out in the marsh, King Rails called and a distant Barred Owl began hooting. Night birds often call just before dawn as if protesting the end of night.
The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone and we are approaching the peak of Fall migration. Ten million birds have already crossed the refuge this month. Half of them did so on two nights. Fall migration proceeds in fits and starts, depending primarily on flight conditions. Stormy weather or headwinds from the south cause birds to hunker down, but when the wind is right and the weather is clear, it’s time to move. The peak nights of Fall migration usually occur roughly from September 29th to October 17th. On just a few nights, millions of birds come through.
This is a good time to be down at St. Marks. Flycatchers, vireos, thrushes and warblers are moving and the refuge is ready. Many plants time their fruiting to the Fall migration period when migrating birds supplement their diets with plant food. Swainson’s Thrushes and Eastern Kingbirds, a type of flycatcher, can be found feeding on the red fruit of sweet bay magnolia. Sand holly berries nourish Red-eyed Vireos. Right now, migrant and local birds can feed on peppervine, wild grape, beautyberry and Virginia creeper. There’s plenty of food to go around.
Shorebirds are continuing to migrate through and my survey totals are breaking one thousand birds. Along with the shorebirds come the birds that hunt them. I had to let forty sandpipers go as unidentified when a marauding Merlin falcon chased them off. Bald Eagles are back for the winter. They won’t bother the shorebirds, but I watched one attack and steal a fish from an unfortunate Osprey.
And it’s not only birds that are migrating. Blazing Star and Goldenrod are blooming, just in time to feed migrating butterflies. Both Cloudless Sulphurs and Gulf Fritillaries are already moving through and Monarchs will show up in time for the refuge’s annual Monarch Festival in November. And over the last few weeks, I’ve had flocks of Black Saddlebags and Green Darners, two species of migratory dragonflies.
Fall is a time of change, movement and wonder. The first cool weather is moving in and there are birds, butterflies and dragonflies to watch. Halloween will mark the refuge’s 95th birthday. You should come down to St. Marks, go to the Nature Store and buy yourself a present.
