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Jim Robey: Dawn of autumn is a great time to be outside
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
"Spectacular!"
"That's the only way I can describe it," said Tim Daniels of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
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"Hundreds of butterflies were fluttering over my head one fall evening before sunset. Waves of black and orange piled onto tree branches to rest overnight."
Daniels was writing for Wild Ohio, published by the division.
It was "Monarch Madness," Daniels wrote.
The observer of nature said he did not see this at an exotic, tropical location. "I witnessed this event at Killdeer Plains in Wyandot County."
Killdeer is a state wildlife area in western Ohio about 30 miles southeast of Findlay. Although Killdeer is an excellent area to find ducks, geese, shorebirds and other wildlife, no one has to go that far to observe monarchs.
Get outdoors, visit any of the MetroParks, state parks or even city parks and you probably will see monarchs.
The monarch migration in Ohio peaks in early to mid-September and continues into October. These butterflies are migrating to Mexico.
Many interesting things can be seen in the outdoors as the days grow shorter. It's my favorite time for camping because at night one can sit around the campfire and listen to the nocturnal chorus of insects.
Cicadas generally lead the song, but other insects get in the act. I love the night sounds, although others have told me they find it very annoying.
Birds that passed through Ohio during the spring migration on their way to nesting areas farther north now can be seen again as they travel south.
Entire flocks of blackbirds, nighthawks and chimney swifts are on the move. Waterfowl hunters anxiously await the fall flights of ducks and hope they arrive on or soon after Oct. 20, opening day of the duck season.
Killdeer Plains probably was named after the killdeer. It's an interesting bird, about eight inches in length. The killdeer has long wings, a short bill, brown face and white collar.
A mature killdeer can be identified by its two black breast bands. An immature killdeer has one. If acquainted with this bird, you probably have seen them pull the old broken-wing trick.
A killdeer will scamper away from its nest, acting as if the poor old bird can't fly. The purpose is to divert attention from the nesting area.
After you have fallen for the trick, the killdeer flies away while singing its name: kill-deer, kill-deer.
Killdeer are plentiful in this part of Ohio. Lots of them can be observed in the grassy floodplain of the Miami River.
I've observed killdeers close to the ponds at Jamaica Run Golf Course south of Ohio 725, near Germantown. Killdeers are seen at many golf courses because they like grasslands where they can feed on insects.
Killdeers will be heading south soon. According to Birds of Ohio, the bible for birding in this area, the average departure date for killdeers is Nov. 20 and their return can be expected around Feb. 22.
Contact Jim Robey at Dayton Daily News, 1611 S. Main St., Dayton, O
H
45409.
