Late September Treasures......

- Chamber of Commerce weather in Tennessee currently.....good rain on Monday....followed by brilliant blue skies......70s/50s with low humidity.......nothing like Tennessee in the fall.

- First sighting in almost a year....a female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak was on my feeder yesterday afternoon. Hopefully the more colorful male(s) will pay a visit soon.

- As birders know, many species are very active this time of year. If you are considering taking up the hobby of appreciating and studying these natural wonders ...it is a great time to get started. Obtain a feeder or two at your local hardware store/Wal-Mart, grab your binoculars and field guide and prepare to be entertained. Black oil sunflower seed seems to work best, as they seem to be the preference of a wide variety of birds, and don't forget the suet cakes..... for the many species of area woodpeckers. Just this week I have observed the (woodpeckers) Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Red-Bellied, Red-Headed, and the Common Flicker. All of the woodpeckers mentioned are quite colorful, even striking in the case of the Red-Headed and Pileated.

PHOTOS....Top to Bottom......

- Top two photos......This young Bobcat was crossing the road recently in one of our 'future development' areas. One of our crew had seen what was probably the mother a few days prior in the same area. These two photos courtesy of Carl and Jennifer Smith. Thank you for sharing such great shots of one of nature's most secretive and solitary animals.

- Next two photos....I was caught by surprise on this one....a flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds came into my back yard and literally took over my feeding stations. This was a unique, but welcome, sight. I had never experienced this species on my feeders. They were back and forth....for two days...and counting. They would feed, then flee to the tops of the tall trees, only to return when any disturbance abated. The one on top of the feeder on the right side of the photo is a female, while the 'blacker' ones with the colorful shoulder epaulets are males. The brightly colored epaulets can be fully displayed, or partially, as some of the photos reveal.

- The stoic and lonely figure of the Great Blue Heron. One of our most common large birds, they are never found very far from water. They feed on frogs and fish primarily. In years gone by I would drive over to Watts Bar Dam on Highway 68 (driving west to east)...just across the dam is a recreation area. Huge TVA transmission towers run along the edge of Watts Bar Lake here, and a few of them are in/near the recreation area. Dozens of the Great Blue Herons use the towers for nest sites. The rookery was alive with action last time I was there ( a few years ago)...adult birds coming and going with food...young birds squawking for nourishment and attention. On one tower, there must have been 20+ nests. I wonder........

Adjustment Often Necessary......

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.....

To front only the essential facts of life.....

And see if I could not learn what it had to teach....

And not, when I came to die,

Discover that I had not lived"

Thoreau

- Economy a bit distracting, even depressing? World problems creating alarm? Concerned that America now is not America back when? Social issues allowed to enter your core and effect daily activities? Back to basics and a few things we can count on......

- September moon is currently 81% illuminated....Waxing Gibbous

- At our latitude, today, September 18, the 'day' will be 12 hours and 17 minutes....visible light is 13 hours and 8 minutes

- Tomorrow's 'visible light' will be 2 minutes and 12 seconds less

- If your location has a latitude north of Dunlap, you will lose a bit more 'light' per day

- If your location has a latitude south of Dunlap, you will lose a bit less 'light' per day

- Normal high/low temperature for today is 82/62.....77/57 on the Cumberland Plateau

- Early morning and late afternoon hikes can be invigorating this time of year....warm but the humidity has been very low recently....with levels most days staying in the 25%-40% range....

Autumn is near.....Photos......Top to bottom....

- Taken off Picnic Rock (within our residential developments) yesterday afternoon.....hikes are even more uplifting if the destination is similar to the rock from which this photo was taken.....

- Signs of change.....the Blackgums are beginning to show their customary red/burgundy coloration as the chlorphyll begins to fade and eventually die....

- The Tuliptree also showing signs of change....typically this species is the first to show yellow pigmentation in the fall....

- A female Red-Headed Woodpecker on the trunk of a Northern Red Oak....

- A Killdeer walking along the shoreline of a mountain lake....

- Another whitetail fawn....spots are still evident on this one, but they will not last much longer.....