• Birds will "dust bathe" to rid their feathers of mites and other parasites. This also helps birds to maintain the optimum amount of oil on their feathers.

House Sparrows Dust Bathing                                                                     Source: Abubiju

• Flocks of nighthawks can be seen late in the month.

• Shorebird migration builds and waterfowl migration starts.

• Monarch Butterfly migration begins.

Monarch Butterfly Migration Patterns             Source: US Forest Service and USGS National Atlas

• Early warblers (Cape May, Tennessee, Magnolia, Blackburnian) migrate through the area.

• Squirrels give birth to their second brood.

• Deer are shedding the velvet off their antlers.

• Broad-winged Hawk migration begins.

Broad-Winged Hawk Migration Map                               Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

• Chimney Swifts can be seen in large flocks over chimneys at dusk.

• American Goldfinches finish nesting late this month.  Goldfinches will lay an average of 4-6 eggs, which the female alone will incubate for 12-14 days.  The eggs are a pale bluish white in a appearance, though occasionally they will also have light brown spots.

American Goldfinch Nest       Source: Sharon Beals, from the collection of the California Academy of Sciences

• Second brood of hummingbirds begin to appear at feeders.

• Perseids Meteor shower is active from July 17th to August 26th, 2020 with peak visibility on August 12th or 13th.