Nature Happenings

• NABA National Butterfly count.*

• Peak of River Bluet (dragonfly) flights

• Bison mating season

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

• Thistle plants begin to seed; goldfinches gather thistledown for nesting material and begin nesting.

• Many species (robins, cardinals, bluebirds, etc.) may be in their second nesting.

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

• Fall migration starts this month with shorebirds returning later in month.

• Katydids and Cicadas are in full chorus by late-month.

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

• Look for hummingbirds feeding on Trumpet Creeper and Jewelweed flowers.

• Many songbirds go into heavy molt.

• Great Blue Herons fledge.

• Delta Aquarids Meteor shower peaks in late-July.

Missouri (Kansas does not have a NABA chapter)
NABA-St. Louis
Yvonne Homeyer - President
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://nabastl.org 

Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly (native to Kansas)

River Bluets Dragonfly & Damselfly

 American Bison

Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird at feeder → Order your hummingbird feeder now!

American Goldfinch gathering nesting material from thistle. 

 Robin Nesting

 Nesting Cardinals

 Bluebird Nesting

Molting Mallard Duck (Molting-shed old feathers, hair, or skin, or an old shell, to make way for a new growth.)

Male Wood Duck with eclipse plumage

Eclipse plumage is temporary or transition plumage. Ducks are peculiar in that they shed all their flight feathers; the long, wing feathers; at once. Ducks are not able to fly during this period.

 Katydid

 Cicada (Don't spray them, birds will eat them!)

 Immature Barred Owl

 Immature Great Horned Owl

 Hummingbird on Trumpet Creeper

 Molting Cardinal

 Molting Finch

 Immature Great Blue Heron

Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower