Nature Happenings

• North American Butterfly Association (NABA) conducts the 4th of July Butterfly count

• The first brood of immature hummingbirds begin to show up at nectar feeders early in the month.

         Female or Juvenile Hummingbird                Photo: Gary Robinette/Audubon Photography Awards

• Except for goldfinches and late bluebirds, bird breeding and nesting season ends this month.

• Thistle plants begin to seed; goldfinches gather thistledown which they will use for nesting material.

         Male American Goldfinch on Thistle                          Photo: Linda Petersen/Project Feederwatch

• Mallards and Wood Ducks molt into "eclipse" plumage and are unable to fly for several weeks.

         Mallard Plumage                                                         Photo: Patterson Clark/Washington Post

• Blackbirds begin to flock and appear at feeders.  During the fall and winter these large flocks will

         take over the sky in spectacular swarms known as murmurations.

         Starling Murmuration                                     Photo: Donald Macauley/Flickr Creative Commons

• Listen for the feeding screeches of young Barred and Great Horned Owls.

• The Delta Aquariids Meteor shower is visible from mid-July thru late-August, peaking in late-July.