Gary Eduardo Perless

The feeling of fall is in the air.

Even here in the land of evergreens, leaves of maples and alders begin to glow with warm yellows of autumn, especially when brightened by the golden rays of sunrise or sunset. Crisp, sunny days, and the return of the rains signal the transition from summer to fall, welcoming home the runs of chum and coho salmon.

Autumn begins officially on Sept. 22, the Autumn Equinox. On this day, the length of day and night come into balance, reminding us to seek balance in our lives.

I’ve been making the efforting to catch more sunrises and sunsets these days, savoring the magical transition from night to day, and day to night. One recent evening at Chinese Gardens, I lingered long after dusk, enchanted by the colors of a magical, hour-long North Beach sunset. A flock of honking geese anxiously navigated the darkening sky, en route to a safe resting place for the night, while great blue herons waded with zen-like concentration in the shallows, nearly invisible against the leaden color of the water.

Suddenly, out of the brambles that border the lagoon, a family of otters emerged, hungry for dinner. In the very last rays of daylight, I witnessed their marvelous, synchronized sprint, shooting beachward across the big meadow like torpedos in perfect formation. What a sight to behold! Young and old, they knew the “Beach Cafe” was now open, serving an all-the-fish-you-can-eat, self-serve buffet.

As night fell over the Salish Sea, I watched in delight as this family of otters fished joyfully for their dinner, all the while keeping in close contact with each other, giving nuzzles and pats to each other as needed. As the stars came out, I was enveloped in feelings of reverence, humility, and gratitude for having  witnessed wild creatures completely uninhibited, doing what they’ve done since time immemorial. Wow.

The Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the September equinox, will bathe us in moonlight on the evening of Sept. 20, coinciding with the ancient Jewish festival of Sukkot. Lasting a week, this joyous holiday dates back to ancient times, and brings people together in celebration of the harvest.

As the summer season turns to autumn, migratory birds of a feather flock together — there is safety in numbers, companionship for the long journey southward. Not all birds migrate, but quite a few species do move south in the fall. Biologists distinguish between the year-round “resident” species, like this red-breasted nuthatch, and the migratory species such as the goldfinch and the black-headed grosbeak, both of which breed here in summer and head south to the warmer locations each winter.

The fall migration spans several months, connecting distant parts of our continent by living rivers of moving birds. Many birds migrate at night, navigating using stars and moon and the Earth’s magnetic field. Each group’s arrival depends on the length of the journey and the speed of travel, with migrants arriving as early as late June, and the later species arriving through mid-December.

One of our most majestic and specialized “summer birds” is the osprey, a fish-eating eagle, found worldwide, that comes here in the breeding season. With eagle-eye vision and a wingspan of nearly 5 feet, this graceful, powerful raptor patrols over salt or fresh water, seeming to hover when it locates its prey, diving feet-first to catch unwary fish near the surface. They have specialized feet for grabbing and holding fish, and four out of five dives are successful.

Ospreys are always found near water, either salt or fresh, and their nests consist of a large pile of sticks on a dead tree top. They don’t mind nesting on a man-made platform, as is the case with the Osprey pair who have returned every spring for 15 years to raise a brood on the PUD tower in Cowlitz County. (Check out the informative OspreyCam web page to watch the nest, and see a visual timeline of their annual cycle, arriving in March and leaving in August.) 

After the young fledge, ospreys migrate to warmer latitudes like Mexico and Central America. In North America, there are resident (year round) populations in Florida and the Caribbean: Sounds nice.

I’ve been watching an osprey nest in a broken tree top on Marrowstone Island. Coaxing the young fledglings to try out their wings, the parent birds will perch with a fish on a tree branch some 10 yards away from the nest. Ospreys are very vocal with each other, calling excitedly with a sort of screechy whistle.

Bald eagles will try to steal an osprey’s catch, harassing it in an effort to make the osprey drop the fish. Not likely, with those fish grips and powerful talons. In fact, their claws lock on so tightly that there are reports of an osprey being pulled under by a large fish!

Autumn is a magical time of year, and I hope you’ll be inspired to get out and enjoy the wonders of the season. John Muir wrote, “...let the storms blow their energy into you, while cares fall off like autumn leaves.” I hope some of you will join me on a bird walk this autumn. Feel free to reach out to me by email: gperless@gmail.com

Helpful links: September Equinox: 10 Facts About the First Day of Fall: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/facts-about-september-equinox.html Osprey Cam: https://www.cowlitzpud.org/about/osprey-cam/.

(Gary Eduardo Perless is education director with Admiralty Audubon Society. Find out how to join one of his bird walks by looking at the Events page at admiraltyaudubon.org.)