The barn swallows departed for South America about Aug. 20. It’s no wonder, they have a very long migration to make it to Argentina. Many of the warblers that bred in the Northeast and Canada started their migration then as well. Some of them also fly well into that continent.

The monarch butterflies were migrating in late August and I still saw 2 flitting by my home on Oct. 18. They need to be through this region before the frosts kill the last of the flowers on which they feed. The robins that graced your yards through early August, moved to the forest areas, and about a week or two ago, even they have moved just a little farther south.

But a few birds are still trekking through or into our Times News region. Bald eagles that nested to our north and are a bit hardier, will wait for a frontal passage and take advantage of strong northwest winds.

You can follow their movements by checking the daily hawk counts of Bake Oven Knob and Hawk Mountain. Bake Oven Knob hawk counters cease their official count the day after Thanksgiving. Hawk Mountain counters remain on the ridge top until about Dec. 15.

You’ll be surprised at the number of raptors still migrating into that month. (Last year nearly 50 bald eagles and 15 golden eagles were still migrating into mid-December.) Golden eagles don’t nest in Pennsylvania but do in Canada.

Bald eagles may find the open waters of the Lehigh River or Beltzville Lake to their liking. Some congregate along the northern Delaware River. Fish are their diet mainstay and they “stay put” if these waters don’t freeze over. (Don’t forget that bald eagles are also carrion eaters.) I saw a pair feeding on a small deer carcass just 2 weeks ago in Lehigh County.

Pine siskins, goldfinch relatives breeding in Canada, are showing up around the area now. They are being joined by purple finches which also breed north of our region. If you’re lucky, your feeders may have them remain locally if they find an ample food supply.

One species, that I will discuss in a future column, is a bird I would sometimes see when sitting in Penn’s Woods in December, the goshawk.

Our largest accipiter fed on birds such as grouse, blue jays or crows, but unfortunately is rarely seen anymore. Their cousins, a bit smaller, the Cooper’s hawks will soon stop their southerly migration. Our feeders offer food as well to the songbirds.

Shortly, begin looking for the huge flocks of snow geese winging their way southward. These tough birds breed on the Arctic Tundra but eventually move southward because of the inability to find enough food.

However, the Lehigh Valley, with a bit milder winter, and the harvested soybean and corn fields, usually prompts them to remain here. They fly in massive flocks a few hundred birds strong. I don’t always see them overhead, but their telltale quacking, rather than the familiar Canada goose honking, gives them away.

Take note at your feeders for the small new arrivals and keep an eye out above you for one of the last migrants, snow geese.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: We are now nearing the end of the white-tailed deer breeding season. How long is their gestation period? A. 135 days; B. 175 days; C. 200 days; D. 245 days.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Great horned owls and bald eagles are frequently warming eggs during February snows.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com