She saw flocks of Canada geese flying overhead.
Then she noticed fewer warblers in the backyard.
And my mom knew it was time to purchase a ticket on her flight south, planning a mid-October departure from Illinois for Florida.
You can’t tell from the temperatures on AMI, but you can tell from the calendar and an uptick in the number of songbirds that the fall migration is underway.
The leaders of nonprofit groups on the island sensed the change, as they’re ramping up programs and events to cater to seasonal residents just beginning to flock to the island.
And birders sensed the change, finding more blue-gray gnatcatchers populating Leffis Key this month than last.
And who hasn’t noticed the European starlings crowding the branches at the top of the Norfolk pines?
Still, we’re weeks from peak migration and the big arrival of orioles, grosbeaks and wood warblers, wrens, vireos, thrushes, buntings, hawks, eagles.
One of the best resources for tracking migrations in the fall and spring is BirdCast, powered by the Cornel Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University and University of Massachusetts-Amherst at birdcast.info.
The site contains migration maps and analysis, providing visitors forecasts for nocturnal migration three hours after sunset and updating them through the night, about every six hours.
The color-coded maps show migration intensity — high, medium, low and none — while the forecasts provide estimates of the number of birds on the move.
On Sept. 9, BirdCast predicted over half a billion birds would be flying during the three hours after sunset.
Another big migratory push occurred Sept. 13 and again Sept. 21.
Some of the birds traveling south will fly over Florida or stop in Florida while in route to even warmer regions.
For others, Florida will be their winter destination.
Leffis Key, located at Coquina Bayside and a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail, is good birding spot at any time of year but in the late fall or early winter, the county preserve is a birder’s paradise.
On a summer day, dozens of species might be observed at Leffis Key. On a day in late fall, the species count might be 100 — or more.
Other birding spots to chirp about include Neal and Perico preserves on Perico Island and Robinson Preserve in west Bradenton.
Happy fall, orioles.
Hello, white pelicans.
Welcome back, Mom.
And happy fall, islanders.