THE FALL hen migration is underneath approach, and which means the solid of characters we’re seeing and listening to within the backyard is altering rapidly, as we are saying goodbye for now to some species, and preserve an in depth eye out for any southbound vacationers who might cease in for a brief go to.
I like to observe for indicators of each—and may’t think about a day that doesn’t contain watching birds not less than just a little. That’s why I used to be completely happy to study a enjoyable new guide about bird-watching fundamentals by the editors of “BWD Journal” that ventures into associated matters, too….like make your backyard enticing to extra birds.
I set out a long time in the past to make a backyard for the birds, and it’s laborious to recollect a day since that hasn’t concerned a point of engagement with each components of the image—vegetation and birds. Together with tons and plenty and plenty of hen watching.
At present’s friends are Jessica Vaughan and Julie Zickefoose—each of whom are editors at “BWD Journal” (previously “Chook Watchers Digest”), and are actually, together with their colleague Daybreak Hewitt, additionally the authors of a brand new version of the guide “Chook Looking ahead to Dummies” (affiliate hyperlink).
We talked about bird-feeding greatest practices, and likewise what to zero in on to establish birds. (Though generally all bets are virtually off, like with complicated fall warblers, such because the one above in a grey birch at Julie’s, who seems to be a Cape Could. “How do you even begin to establish a hen like this?” she quips.)
Plus: Remark within the field close to the underside of the web page for an opportunity to win a replica of the brand new guide.
Learn alongside as you hearken to the Sept. 8, 2025 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant beneath. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
hen watching, with julie and jessica
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Margaret Roach: Hiya, hiya. And also you’re out in Ohio, visiting one another?
Julie Zickefoose [above]: We’re, yeah. This can be a fresh-air retreat for Jessica, who lives in Columbus, since we get her down right here and simply fill her up with whippoorwills and cicadas for some time.
Margaret: So that is the second version of a guide with virtually 30 years underneath its belt.
Julie: Sure. And to say that it wanted to be up to date is an understatement of the yr. It dated to 1997, Margaret. [Laughter.]
Margaret: Oh my. Effectively, and in order that’s some time again. And who was the creator then?
Julie: Invoice Thompson III, my late husband. However I had written a few third of the guide for him. Something that handled gardening, conduct, drawing birds, feeding birds, something like that that needed to do with the yard interplay with birds I wrote. So I had fairly a hand within the guide to start with, after which it was humbling to learn my phrases and notice how fully outdated they have been in each respect. [Laughter.]
Margaret: Proper. So by the way in which, I’ll say to each of you, I like that BWD—it’s the acronym, I suppose; properly, it’s the identify of the journal, which was “Chook Watchers Digest.” “Chook Looking ahead to Dummies” is BWD. After which within the guide, Jessica, I feel you defined that it has one other which means of three type of adjectives that birds recall to mind. Have you learnt what I’m speaking about?
Jessica Vaughan [above]: I do: Birds, surprise and delight. Sure. We toyed round with that as a tagline once we relaunched the journal and we convey it out once in a while. And it’s humorous you talked about that the guide has the identical initials as a result of once you stated that we each checked out one another like, “Oh, it does?” [Laughter.] It had by no means occurred to us. It actually hadn’t.
Margaret: Effectively, good factor I learn it and informed you; good factor. Yeah, magnificence, surprise and delight. And actually, I imply, for me, that’s what nature is about, however particularly birds and actually the companionship that they supply for me residing in a rural place alone, each the regulars I’m on a first-name foundation with that I type of depend on seeing annually in their very own season, after which the surprising guests. It’s actually an integral half for me of the backyard in my life.
And so though I felt like I had some expertise—I’m type of extra like possibly an intermediate-level particular person, and the guide is for “dummies”—it was fantastic as a result of it jogged my memory that we have to sharpen our expertise and keep in mind sure issues as we watch the birds, particularly to emphasise the “watching,” proper, not simply ticking issues off on a listing?
Jessica: Completely. We actually don’t really feel that this guide is for dummies [laughter]. That’s the model, however there’s one thing for each birder at each stage we predict. And that’s the great thing about it, you can begin at chapter one, or you may go straight to the gardening chapter. So it’s actually designed to provide just a little one thing new to everybody who needs to advance in some regard of their hen watching.
Margaret: So I imply, it covers all the things from binoculars and use them, and the fundamentals of taxonomy, and I imply so many alternative topics. In order I stated within the introduction, the migration is underneath approach. The autumn migration in some methods might be delicate in your personal yard, not less than I really feel like it may be in my very own yard.
However I used to be reminded studying the guide of a number of the fundamentals of hen identification. There’s lots about construct your expertise, so to talk, and possibly we are able to speak about that. And sure, we are able to activate the Merlin app. And you’ve got an anecdote about that, Julie, within the guide, too, about your resistance to utilizing that for a very long time and so forth. However I feel it’s nice to additionally be taught the old school option to ID birds. Sure?
Jessica: Completely.
Julie: Yeah. We actually emphasize that to be taught it old-school, to really chase down the hen till you see that tune popping out of that beak, is de facto the way in which to cement vocalizations in your head. And it’s extra enjoyable. It’s all very properly and good to have your cellphone inform you what’s singing on the market, however isn’t it rather more fascinating to type of select a tune and monitor it down after which truly discover the hen? That’s birding. That’s what we wish individuals to do.
So we do spend loads of time speaking concerning the old-school methods of doing issues as a result of we don’t suppose that these apps have changed ear-birding or truly chasing birds down till you may see them
Jessica: At the moment of yr, the birds aren’t as vocal. So Merlin isn’t going that can assist you discover warblers proper now, however the warblers are coming by. So studying hen conduct and people expertise are what are going that can assist you at different occasions of the yr that they’re not singing.
Margaret: And I feel that conduct—and there’s lots about that within the guide—I feel that’s the place loads of the actually good watching is available in.
Julie: Completely.
Margaret: Watching their strikes, the variations amongst them the place you see a specific kind of hen habitat-wise, attending to know them, sure? Not simply, “Oh, that’s the little indigo-colored hen.” Have you learnt what I imply? The place, and what does it do? And anyway, I like all that. The conduct is the thrilling half.
Julie: Yeah, I feel when you sight a hen, your job has simply begun. You shouldn’t simply say, “Oh yeah, yellow-rumped warbler. Subsequent!” However for those who simply keep on it so long as it allows you to, it could do one thing actually fascinating that possibly no one’s ever seen one do earlier than. That’s the place I get enthusiastic about hen watching, as a result of I like to stick with them and see what they’re as much as.
Margaret: Effectively, and I feel within the guide you all write one thing that’s actually necessary. It took me a very long time after I was a starting birder to actually keep in mind this. My impulse was if I’d see a hen, I’d run to get my discipline information. [Laughter.] And you already know what occurred after I obtained again with the sector information: The hen wasn’t there.
So that you say, “Take a look at the hen, not the sector information.” And you then say one thing else, type of a corollary factor: “Discuss to your self.” And people have been two actually good issues, to say out loud what I used to be seeing. To vocalize it, so it obtained caught in my head in order that after I did go get the guide, I knew what had struck me.
Julie: Proper. Precisely. Precisely. You’re attempting to take a psychological {photograph} of this factor to carry in your mind till you may get to that guide. And the longer you keep on the hen, the extra you’re going to note about it. So actually your time is greatest spent with that hen. It might solely provide you with 20 seconds, you may as properly spend these with it.
Margaret: Which issues, Jessica—are there issues that you simply, once you’re out hen watching, are there issues that you simply all the time search for, telltale points of a hen? Or do you might have type of what you prioritize?
Jessica: As a starting birder I’d say I all the time wished to establish it. It was simply necessary to know what I used to be taking a look at. And the extra skilled it has turn out to be much less necessary to place a reputation to that hen than to spend time with it and revel in it.
And I’m at a stage now the place most of what I see after I’m out birding, I’m going to know what it’s. However I went birding yesterday and I noticed loads of warbler butts, and I don’t know who they belong to [laughter], and that’s O.Ok. I nonetheless loved discovering these warbler butts as a result of it was laborious to even see so excessive up and warbler neck is an actual phenomenon. And so I feel a youthful model of me birding would’ve been annoyed by that. However I had no downside. I used to be nonetheless eBirding and I had no downside checking “warbler sp.” [Laughter.] I do know that hurts some individuals.
Margaret: So we must always clarify what “warbler sp.” is on eBird, as a result of eBird.org is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology type of database, so to talk, that we might take part in and we are able to register our sightings. And “warbler sp.” is warbler species, once you don’t know which one it’s, nevertheless it was a warbler. [Top of page, a Cape May warbler in fall.]
Jessica: I do know that’s painful to lots of people like Julie, however I do know that after I return and have a look at that record, I’ll be like, “Oh yeah, we had a complete handful of flitter flaring exercise up there.” And I’ll keep in mind it was September 1st, and possibly subsequent September 1st, I’ll have the same expertise. And there’s dots being linked on a regular basis.
Julie: And that is such a enjoyable time of yr, too, as a result of it’s been a doldrum-y summer time. It’s been scorching and humid and gross, and I haven’t wished to be on the market birding. However now that it’s cooled down, it’s gotten drier air, and the birds are beginning to come by, I’m doing a every day eBird record once more, and I’ve actually missed that in the course of the summer time. So all the time this morning I woke as much as the decision of a red-breasted nuthatch proper exterior my window, and I used to be like, “Sure, they’re right here.”
So it’s simply enjoyable. It will get you kick-started. It’s very nice to have the ability to make just a little every day record after which you may look again at it. It’s fantastic.
Margaret: And the wonderful thing about utilizing one thing like eBird is that you simply’re then sharing your record, and so scientists and so forth are additionally attending to see it, so it has that group side as properly.
However yeah, I cherished one other type of command within the guide. It stated: first impressions, leverage them to see what strikes you most a few hen within the first glimpse you get of it. And over time, I attempted to determine what issues ought to I search for? And I wouldn’t have thought to start with of studying to hen just a little bit that taking a look at its invoice, its beak, that that was necessary as an illustration, or have you learnt what I imply? Particulars like that. I wouldn’t take into consideration that, but generally one thing so small as that may say one thing about that animal.
Julie: Oh sure. And that’s probably the most frequent stuff you see on the Identification Group Fb pages the place individuals say, “I consider this can be a yellow warbler.” After which individuals will swoop in and say, “Not with that conical beak it’s not.” [Laughter.] As a result of they’re simply occurring native shade and discipline marks, they usually aren’t excited about general construction. And it’s so necessary to actually… truthfully, beak form is without doubt one of the first issues it is best to have a look at.
Margaret: Which is, once more, counterintuitive to a starting birder fully. And I neglect, and I’ve to remind myself to only look and see, as a result of it tells us one thing about, properly, about their household and what they will handle to eat, so to talk. You already know what I imply? They’re not constructed, as an illustration, cracking nuts [laughter].
Julie: Proper, proper. Yeah. The beak will get you proper into household. So I actually form zero in on the pinnacle, to begin with, simply a lot data there.
Margaret: So the beak, and across the eye, if there’s an eye fixed ring or something definitive like that; what else?
Julie: Eye ring, eye line, after which sort of transfer on again on the hen: Does it have wing bars? Does it have lengthy wings, does it have brief wings? Does it have an extended tail? What shade are the legs? And it’s so humorous as a result of when individuals come to you with, “Oh, I noticed this hen.” What shade was it? “Effectively, it was grayish.” And also you’re like, “Effectively, was the grey on the highest of the…” “I don’t know. It was simply grayish.”
It turns into fairly apparent fairly rapidly that they haven’t taken the sort of cautious have a look at it that it is advisable impact an ID.
Margaret: After which extra within the spring, I really feel like—once more, that conduct factor that you simply guys have been mentioning earlier, I really feel like within the spring and summer time—I can take discover of the conduct, not less than extra dramatic examples of hen conduct. Within the fall, I don’t know precisely—besides the so-called feeder birds, I suppose how I’d confer with them, who present up, I suppose I do know their conduct properly—however I don’t essentially know what the migratory birds, what conduct to count on of them. So I don’t know their alerts that approach.
Whereas in spring and summer time, the guests, if I’ve a Louisiana waterthrush, it’s going to be doing that bobbing dance transfer [laughter] over by the—truly, normally by the water backyard. Or like an American redstart will probably be fanning his tail. And I don’t know, he simply seems like a butterfly to me generally when he does that. Have you learnt what I imply? [Above springtime birding with bluets in bloom; photo by Julie Zickefoose.]
Julie: Yeah. You’re fortunate to dwell round redstarts. They’re pretty.
Margaret: Oh, they nest within the backyard, each single yr they nest within the backyard, normally the identical tree in actual fact, which is completely wacky.
Julie: You’ve truly seen the little nest?
Margaret: Oh, positive. It’s proper close to one of many upstairs rooms, proper close to a window of one of many upstairs rooms, in a dogwood tree [laughter].
Julie: Wow. Good.
Margaret: Yeah, it’s humorous. I imply, look, loads of it’s luck, proper? However these forms of issues, I don’t really feel like I do know as properly within the fall concerning the conduct stuff.
So once more, we talked about how the guide tells us extra about be a hen watcher. It tells us about a number of different issues. Once more, taxonomy and varied issues. You speak about gardening for the birds, and Julie, you and I’ve had different conversations about this on the present and achieved tales about it and so forth.
After which we’ve additionally talked a number of occasions about hen feeding and so forth. And that’s the opposite season that sort of comes up, and that’s how lots of people actually have a relationship with birds is thru hen feeding.
Julie: Oh, completely. Yeah. It’s the one quickest direct line to their hearts.
Margaret: How many individuals on this nation are concerned with birds; is it 90-something million or one thing?
Jessica: Ninety-million is the newest report. Over 90-million individuals.
Margaret: Julie, I do know you feed, do you as properly; I imply, do you feed within the winter? Is there any sort of steerage that you simply supply within the guide about hen feeding?
Julie: Yeah, that was truly one of many large rewrites I needed to do as a result of on the time within the nineties when Invoice wrote this guide, I used to be all about summer time feeding. I used to be doing that, and I used to be truly appalled to see a few of my suggestions, as a result of I’ve backed fully off summer time feeding now for thus many causes. I feel major being that I’m a gardener as properly, and once you unfold the welcome mat for birds in the summertime, you additionally unfold it for squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits and deer, who all benefit from the issues that we put out for birds. So I stop feeding in Could as quickly because it warms up, and I don’t begin once more till about November. That’s simply me. However I additionally suppose that from a illness perspective, it’s smart to not feed in the summertime.
Margaret: Jessica, do you might have a backyard the place you feed birds?
Jessica: I do. I dwell within the suburbs, so a really completely different habitat than Julie, and I do feed year-round, however I do again off in the summertime as properly, as a result of I’ve some native vegetation that I’d moderately them be consuming. And likewise, it’s costly to be a year-round hen feeder [laughter], however I do get pleasure from it.
I’ve loads of woodpeckers the place I dwell, that are my favourite hen. I’ve had every kind of infants this summer time, and that’s my pleasure of the summer time feeding is I’ve had red-bellied and I’ve had downy and bushy and sparkles. In order that’s my summer time pleasure, is feeding the younger woodpeckers.
Julie: So what do you feed them?
Jessica: I’ve a nut cylinder that they love, and I’ve peanuts within the shell. Yeah, it’s a busy place proper now.
Margaret: I don’t feed in summer time, both. I’ve black bear, so I can’t; they’re simply brutal [laughter]. Oh man. So from someday in March to round simply after Thanksgiving, I can’t actually feed.
Jessica: I’ve written about that within the journal.
Margaret: However what about type of the hygiene factor we have been speaking about that, Julie, you have been saying ailments and so forth, and the updates that you simply needed to make to the guide from 30 years in the past. Is there a routine that you simply suggest? I don’t keep in mind if I’ve learn that a part of the guide but. Is there a routine for good hygiene so far as how we preserve our feeders clear and so forth?
Julie: Oh yeah, I can speak about that. Lots of people don’t notice that for those who’re feeding like niger seed, or thistle, you’ve obtained to shake your feeders a couple of times a day or that stuff simply piles up and will get mould. I’m very cautious about that.
And with sunflower seed as properly, each morning earlier than I fill them, I invert the feeders and shake them laborious to be sure that there’s nothing caking or matting or getting moist in there. That’s a quite simple factor that you are able to do that basically helps preserve your feeders from turning into a moldy loss of life lure for birds.
I additionally, within the winter, I’ll rake up the sunflower hulls beneath the feeder repeatedly and get rid of them, normally within the trash in luggage, as a result of that’s nasty stuff, simply stuffed with droppings and all the things else.
And truly right here within the winter, it will get so muddy in Ohio when it rains lots that I typically will go to the farm retailer and get a bale of straw and simply mulch the world underneath the feeder to maintain my ft off all these hulls and droppings, and to maintain from slipping and falling on it [laughter]. After which it’s a easy matter to haul away the soiled mulch and put contemporary down. And that sort of retains the birds from contacting all that nasty stuff, too.
Margaret: Like litter in a pet field.
Julie: Just about.That’s simply one in every of my coping mechanisms as a result of it will get so slick and muddy underneath my feeder when it’s icy that I don’t wish to break my arm doing this.
Margaret: And will we wash the feeder as properly, just like the tube feeders and so forth that we’re washing them?
Julie: You possibly can soak them in a gentle bleach answer, and simply be certain all the things is sweet and never crusted up. And I’m additionally an enormous dome fan. I put plexi domes or acrylic domes [above, at Julie’s] over all of my feeders, as a result of I don’t need droppings falling into the meals. So these in fact should be hosed off repeatedly, simply because their job is to maintain poop out of the meals, so that they get very poopy. As you might be able to inform, I’m feeding massive volumes of birds within the winter, so my issues are exacerbated by nice flocks of goldfinches and issues like that.
Margaret: So one thing else that’s arising on this time of the yr and in a while this yr, Jessica, I wished to ask you about it, and also you speak about it within the guide. There’s type of these extra superior to-dos, like ways in which we are able to take part and each be taught and likewise share our data. We talked about eBird earlier than, however there’s every kind of huge days and counts and so forth. If individuals haven’t participated in these, are there ones that you simply do that you simply particularly or that you simply’ve achieved for a very long time?
Jessica: Yeah. You had talked about earlier concerning the guide telling individuals be hen watchers, however I wish to emphasize there’s no fallacious option to be a hen watcher. There’s no proper to be a hen watcher. We’re simply explaining the various methods you is usually a hen watcher.
So sure, some persons are very a lot into eBird and preserving monitor of their lists and being concerned in a technological approach. After which different individuals will crave group and wish to go to occasions. And there’s a Huge Day in October that’s, I don’t know the date off my head-
Julie: Columbus Day weekend, normally.
Jessica: That’s proper, sure. And in order that’s a approach the place you might be in a marked space, one spot, and also you’re ready for the birds to come back to you. And so approach completely different than having a Huge Day the place you exit and are looking for as many birds as you may from the dawn to sundown and beyond-
Julie: And burn as a lot fossil as attainable.
Jessica: And people are enjoyable, too. And a few individuals love these. However there’s some winter festivals arising, and there are, I feel it’s a extra energetic time for native hen golf equipment. My native Audubon could be very energetic within the winter months with audio system and friends, and I get pleasure from going to these. So there’s 1,000,000 methods to seek out group or not and occasions to get entangled in or not. And there’s simply no fallacious option to hen, proper?
Margaret: I imply, I like the Christmas Chook Rely and the Nice Yard Chook Rely and issues like that. I imply, these are simply feels good and it’s type of a ritual.
Jessica: The Christmas Chook Rely is certainly one in every of my favorites as a result of additionally I do know it’s giving again to science in a really large approach for over, I can’t keep in mind, it’s over 100 years, nevertheless it’s such a longstanding custom. And I do know there are loads of annual ones that folks sit up for yearly, they usually have large celebrations and potlucks and issues, and so it’s a enjoyable factor to get entangled with.
Julie: Is that also overseen by the Nationwide Audubon Society?
Jessica: I consider so, sure.
Margaret: There was one factor within the guide I simply wish to ask you a fast sort of one-word reply sort of query to shut out, which is: You speak about a spark hen, sort of a hen that sparked your curiosity. Possibly it was your first hen ever that you simply keep in mind or no matter, however what’s every of your’s, Julie and Jessica? What’s your spark hen?
Jessica: Effectively, it’s sort of humorous. I obtained my spark hen proper right here the place I’m immediately at Julie’s home, as a result of after I was in faculty at Marietta Faculty, I interned at “Chook Watchers Digest,” and I used to deal with sit for Invoice and Julie after they would go on birding journeys. And so I used to be right here after I was winter, I do know that. And I used to be within the kitchen and I regarded out and I noticed a hen the scale of a crow hanging off of some sort of sumac. It was sumac, and it was consuming the berries. And I used to be like, what on this planet is that? As a result of it was so massive and I might see crimson on it, and I knew it wasn’t a crow. And in order that’s the primary hen that despatched me working into their large wall of books in the lounge to discover a discipline information [laughter]. And I needed to know what this hen was, and it was a pileated woodpecker. In order that’s my spark hen. That’s the hen I all the time get enthusiastic about, and certainly why I like the woodpeckers essentially the most. [Above, photo of male pileated woodpecker by Joshlaymon from Wikipedia.]
Margaret: Julie, actual fast, yours is…?
Julie: Oh, blue-winged warbler. Eight years outdated, heard it bathing, crawled, noticed it, cherished it.
Margaret: Mine’s the brown creeper proper exterior my window in an enormous white cedar tree, an outdated white cedar tree.
So thanks each, Julie and Jessica, and I hope I’ll speak to each of you once more quickly.
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MY WEEKLY public-radio present, rated a “top-5 backyard podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper within the UK, started its sixteenth yr in March 2025. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station within the nation. Hear domestically within the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Jap, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Sept. 8, 2025 present utilizing the participant close to the highest of this transcript. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
