When stopping anywhere this time of year, it is hard not to be struck by the pace of change all around us. Tastes, smells, colors and sounds seem as full as our senses can hold, a dazzling world of often beautiful changes.

One of these changes is in the birds residing here. Most of us understand that birds shift their behavior and sometimes migrate with the seasons. What may not be so obvious is which birds are migrating to and from our valley, and why.

Many things are happening that effect birds in autumn. To begin with, as the earth continues around the sun and until winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is pointing further away from the sun, and the days and the nights especially are getting cooler. This in turn has several effects. Most plants either loose their leaves or otherwise slow down their growth. Fruits and seeds have either fallen to the ground or are soon about to. Insects, a major food source of food for many birds, are in rapid decline all over as their food decreases and temperatures drop. To the north and in mountain areas, these conditions become so severe that only the most hearty, well-adapted birds remain and most migrate south or move to low-lying areas such as our valley. While insect populations also decline here, some species remain active, and some native plants such as madrone and manzanita produce their fruits late in the year. This relative abundance attracts some birds while the lack of food compared to summer months sends others off to find better habitat. This is an interesting fact, that some birds such as the flycatchers and swallows find our area ideal for nesting and feeding in summer, and would probably starve in winter, while others like the American Robin, Turdis migratorius, find winter here quite acceptable and may come long distances to prove the point.

One species, The Golden-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla, was mentioned by two local bird experts, David Leland, an amateur birder, and John Peterson, biologist at Bouverie Preserve. Once you hear its call, you may begin to mark the arrival of fall as they do, with its plaintive song. The Golden-crowned Sparrow signals its arrival here with a clear, descending, three-note call, something like, "oh, poor me". Like most members of its family, Fringillidea, this sparrow dines on insects, seeds and small berries and it can find enough food here in winter. It spends its summers in the north and in the mountains. It is a larger sparrow with a yellowish cap between black bands on its head and a gray chest.

A late October arrival is the Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum, which seems to time its arrival to the ripening of madrone berries. While reclusive in the summer, Cedar Waxwings winter in this area and will flock and make themselves quite visible as they feed on late berries. Larger than a sparrow, it can be recognized by dark , bandit-like eye bands, a yellow tail band, and a swept back crest of head feathers. Other fall arrivals include the Hermit Thrush, the Varied Thrush, the "Red Breasted" Sapsucker, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Meadowlark.

Meanwhile, in the wetlands even more dramatic changes are occurring. These areas are often quiet in the summer, and then support thousands of winter visitors, including several species of geese and ducks and numerous shorebirds. One is the rather interesting Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, a very large bird of the sandpiper family with a downcurved beak that appears as long as its body. There is a long list of other migrants. For a great display, look or walk out at our local marsh areas including Hudeman Slough and the Viansa wetlands.

For more information on these and other local birds, several informative guidebooks are available at local bookstores, and some are for loan at the library or from the Sonoma Ecology Center. The Madrone Audubon Society has information and programs as well; contact Jeff Hotzman, chapter president, at 823-8290.