August Nature Happenings

• Day Lillies are in bloom.
• Young loons learn to fly.
• Yellow jackets make paper-like nests.
• Watch for migrating nocturnal Common Nighthawks.
• Turtle eggs are beginning to hatch.
• Hummingbirds are active at feeders and at flowers, sourcing protein from spiders and insects and sipping nectar for sugars.
• Male hummingbirds start their southbound migration this month, averaging 20 miles a day to their wintering grounds in Central America and Mexico. Females head south later, with juveniles sticking around until early October.
• Migration begins. Keep feeders full with fresh food for "stopover" migrants.
• Pinon Jays, normally found exclusively in the pinon/juniper areas, gobble lots of seed at bird feeders.
• Geese, ducks, cranes, etc. usually fly in 'V' formation. The theory is that all, but lead bird, gain lift from wing-tipped vortices produced by lead bird.
• American Goldfinches finish nesting late this month.
• Perseids Meteor shower is mid-month.