Friday, September 21, 2012

Save Some for the Late Guests

As I've birded various areas over the last few weeks I've noticed that most of the fruit on the Hercules Club is gone. So it was interesting to come across this plant/plants today along the Manayunk Canal in Philadelphia.

There is one brown and dead section in the  lower middle. To the right are more or less empty branches with all the fruit gone. And there at upper left are some that are just developing. I guess they will help to feed the migrants who didn't get here in time.

Along with my desire to see exactly what feeds on this plant I've also realized that  it makes  sense to notice when it blooms. This year in particular I've been surprised at how early it blooms - August if I remember correctly. That leaves little fruit for the October migrants. So far the main feeders I've seen have been American Robins and Black-throated Blue Warblers. But other thrushes also feed in it as well as woodpeckers, warblers and vireos. It will be interesting to see if there is anything left for the later migrants as they come along.