One of the most remarkable things about birding in September is the number of strangers that you see. Having spent so much time observing the birds during the summer months, I have a very clear roster in my head of who the “regulars” are. Not only that, I also know where the regulars can be found. Up at the house, there has been a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) who took up residence about three years ago and have been present ever since. There are also multiple pairs of White-breasted Nuthatches (Sittacarolinensis) that visit the same feeders.

Head down to the Thinking Chair and you will find the White-breasted Nuthatches happily visiting the small feeding platform and selecting one delicious morsel after another. They bring their chicks with them and, on one glorious occasion, a very brave individual even landed on my head. What’s interesting is the fact that I have never seen a Red-breasted Nuthatch down in the meadow. Apparently, they are only comfortable in the thick row of coniferous trees that was planted on the east side of the house.

Many bird species are finely tuned to the specific habitats that they require for successful breeding and they will stick to these habitats very closely. The problem is that these breeding habitats are only available in their proper condition for a short time during the northern summer. Once the North Pole starts to turn away from the sun (the result of a stable tilted planetary axis on a planet orbiting a star) the conditions start to change. The levels of light and warmth begin to fade and the birds that have traveled so far to get here are forced to retreat.

So, the number of birds that I see in my yard will steadily drop from a maximum number of 68 in August to a maximum number of only 31 in December and January. Making this even more interesting is the fact that some of the December birds are only around during the winter months, making the roster change even more dramatic than it might seem otherwise. There are more astounding facts to consider, however.

Last week I noticed a new face among the birds at the edge of my meadow. A young Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) was flitting through the leaves in the tops of the trees and I happened to snap a photo at the perfect moment to capture the bird in flight while also showing the details in perfect focus. This is as unusual an event as capturing a bolt of lightning on film, so I was thrilled when I saw the clear image.

This bird did not spend the summer in my yard. Weeks of observations, year after year, have resulted in precisely zero observations of Black-throated Greens from June to August. I really only see them during the fall migration and then for only a short time as the entire population of birds bails out of the north on their way south. Now, here comes the astounding stuff.

An adult Black-throated Green Warbler weighs about 0.3 ounces. This is the approximate weight of two nickels. Even though the use of coins is fading in our culture, it should be easy enough to find two nickels and hold them in the palm of your hand. Now imagine a bird this small embarking on a journey to Central America and even northern Columbia and Venezuela. It is an incredible trip that will take the bird through all sorts of “strange” habitats and the bird has to find enough food along the way to keep its engines running. Thus, even though there is plenty of life still thrumming along in the North, the birds are already bailing out.

I love today’s photo for many reasons. First, the delicacy of this tiny bird is evident if you look at the bird’s wing feathers. They are translucent and you can see how perfectly they overlap with one another to form an aerodynamic surface capable of flight. In one spot you can even see the leaves of the tree through the secondary wing feathers.

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Then there is the upward trajectory of the bird, which conveys a certain optimism. This little creature is about to embark on a journey of more than 2,500 miles, flying at night and then resting and eating during the day. How can any adventure such as this be undertaken without a certain sense of confidence? Even more astounding is the fact that some of the birds that will attempt this journey only hatched out into the world less than five months ago. It is simply flabbergasting!

Soon after seeing this photo I started hearing the melody of a particular song playing in my head. The lyrics that repeated over and over were: “Did you ever have the feeling that you wanted to go, but still had the feeling that you wanted to stay?” It wasn’t until about 30 minutes ago that I looked them up and learned that they were performed by the actor Jimmy Durante in a film from 1942. What? It does capture the conflicting impulses that must race through the minds of these birds, but I think I might need to have my brain scanned for tumors.

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.