August Nature Happenings

• Loon chicks begin to dive for their own food.

• Gray Jays (aka Whiskey Jacks) are common at campsites where they are fearless.

• Bats begin mating in mid-August.

• American Widgeon and Surf Scoters arrive this month.

• Black-headed Grosbeaks, the earliest fall transient, depart, followed by the Bullock’s Oriole.

• Goldfinches nesting.

• Steller's Jays and squirrels fight over green hazelnuts.

• Douglas Squirrels drop fir cones to stash for winter.

• Rufous Hummingbirds depart the lowlands and begin their migration to Mexico.

• Yellow-bellied Marmots and Beldings Ground Squirrels begin their long winter hibernation.

• Flocks of Vaux’s Swifts migrate through. Watch them dive into chimneys to roost in the evening.

• Keep hummingbird feeders full. Rufous Hummingbirds will almost double their weight before migrating.

• Perseids Meteor shower is mid-month.

Homepage Black-headed Grosbeak photo by Monica Fitzpatrick.