The Gray Catbird spends its winter on the southern Atlantic Coast of Florida and the Gulf Coast into Mexico. Most have already have left the Lehigh Valley area.
The Tree Swallow prefers the South Carolina southern coast, along the Gulf Coast to Texas.
The House Wren travels to the coast of Georgia, southern Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has one of the longest travels. It flies 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to reach its wintering grounds in central Mexico. You still may see a few juveniles who are busy fattening up on insects and nectar for their first migration. But they're almost all gone.
The Chipping Sparrow migrates to Florida and the Gulf Coast into Mexico.
The Chimney Swift is another long-distance migrator. It flies to South America, either across the Gulf of Mexico or along the Texas coast and then heading south.
The Purple Martin deserves the title of the longest distance migrator of any backyard bird in the Lehigh Valley area. It flies over the Gulf of Mexico and winters as far south as Argentina. It's no wonder that they've left our area already!
The Baltimore Oriole heads to the Georgia coast and Florida.
The Brown-headed Cowbird chooses the Florida peninsula.
The Broad-winged Hawk heads to the southern tip of Florida and Central and South America. Most of these hawks already have passed through our area by following the Blue Ridge.
The Sharp-shinned Hawk winters in the southeast United States into Central America. Their migration remains in progress. You might wish to watch them as they pass above Bake Oven Knob, a rocky summit about two miles north of Germansville in Lehigh County.
Several species of warblers that visit backyard bird feeders in the summer migrate south for the winter. The Yellow-rumped Warbler, one of the more common of these species in our area, leaves for Florida. The Yellow-throated and Pine warblers have similar wintering grounds in the Sunshine State.
Not all birds migrate
Many backyard birds stay the winter. These include cardinals, chickadees, titmice, many sparrows, House Finches and goldfinches, Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds and Cooper's Hawks.
Red-headed, Red-bellied, Hairy, Downy and Pileated woodpeckers remain all winter. (It's a good idea to offer them suet to complement the nuts they have stashed in tree bark.)
It's a common misconception that all robins fly south for the winter. The vast majority do migrate but some stick around. It all depends on the food supply. If a robin can find enough berries or fruit—its main winter diet—it will remain here.
And of course, two common English immigrants to North America stay the winter in the Lehigh Valley. European Starlings may seem less numerous in the winter but House Sparrows are ever present. They congregate in small flocks, aggressively seeking space at the feeder.
New arrivals
Remember, too, that our backyards will be graced by many arrivals from Canada. Their idea of winter vacation is spending time in the Lehigh Valley! White-throated Sparrows already have been seen.
There are scattered reports of arriving Juncos—the "snowbirds," nicknamed because their backs remind one of the gray skies of winter and their bellies resemble the winter snow. Let's hope their early October arrival doesn't forecast a cold, snowy winter ahead!
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