September is a month of change. It is both Summer and Fall. Butterflies and Dragonflies are abundant, and at the end of the month warbler migration is full on. We can't wait for the sparrows to come back any minute now. The weather can be hot during the day, but it is very pleasantly cool at night. We even had a sprinkle or two of rain this month, which is more like winter.

Birding has been a bit of a challenge. There has been a good variety of vagrant birds lost in migration, but otherwise it has been slow birding. I look forward to next month when, hopefully, all the birds will be back.

One of the places I went to several times was Signal Hill. It has been a local high point for migration, both literally and figuratively. Several rare migrants showed up there, and since it is close to my house, I tried chasing a few. A Magnolia Warbler and a Virginia's Warbler were the targets. At another park, a Tennessee Warbler was far from his home. I found a Blackpoll Warbler and a Lucy's Warbler at La Mirada Creek. All of these warblers chose to be very flitty and were hard to see, much less photograph, while flitting through dense foliage. And, it is a banner year for Red-breasted Nuthatches in our area. While you might see one occasionally at the coast during fall/winter, I seem to be seeing (or at least hearing) them almost everywhere I go.

While at Signal Hill, I discovered that the trees were infested with beetles (adults, larvae, and eggs).
This little eucalyptus leaf beetle, Paropsis atomaria, unfortunately is relatively new to our area. These are native to Australia. In November 2021 one was reported on iNaturalist, and they were documented by the LA Agriculture Commission in 2022. Since then, they seem to have exploded in population, now spreading into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. They join several other leaf beetles whose host is eucalyptus. Of course the eucalyptus trees, that we think of as a symbol of California, are also a native of Australia, and were brought to CA intentionally. How did our new little friend get here? Through the ports? Brought back by someone visiting Australia? We may never know.

Go out and enjoy nature, but remember to dress for summer, fall, and winter all at once. You never know which season you'll get in September and early October.
 

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimMooreNaturalist/

Watch the slideshows or click on the links to look through at your own pace. Links open in a new tab.

Local Stuff:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_sep-2023