2012

Late August in Forests

Slowly, steadily and barely noticeably, birch leaves turn yellow and brown. The same goes for some osiers, hazel-trees, bird-cherries and buckthorns. But this is not the case for all trees. There are currently only few yellow leaves. You may even not notice them when looking at trees and shrubs. However, they are there – underneath. Autumn is closing in and you can feel it in nature.

Migratory birds – varying from species to species – have already left the country or are about to leave for wintering grounds. Various birds – local or those on their way to other countries – can be seen everywhere. The small ones keep calling each other, mostly during early morning hours or evenings. Some of them stick together, while others prefer being on their own. Many insect-eating birds have already flown away – warblers, swifts, wagtails, redstarts, flycatchers, nightingales, blackbirds, butcherbirds, house martin, swallows, titmice, etc. Small insect-eating birds are followed by bird of prey – sparrow-hawks, which can be spotted more often now. Wading birds and ducks have also begun migrating. However, the most noticeable and audible migrating period is still ahead.

Even though cranes have already started to gather and small flocks can be observed and heard in the sky, there are not many of them. Local cranes, in families or small flocks, fly around their hatching areas. Classically sad, but truly crane-like, the old birds call each other, while the young ones whistle squeaky, making their presence known. A small number of white storks can still be found in Latvia, most have already left for Africa. The majority of our black storks have flown away as well. Traveller birds from colder regions are currently the ones mostly seen in Latvia.Meanwhile, pigeons sing wedding songs, raising the second clutch of their fledglings.Most young swans cannot even lift off yet ...

Even though insect-eating birds are about to leave the country or have already left, there are still many insects. Grasshoppers and crickets are the most noticeable (loudest) of them. Singing crickets perform their “musical pieces” during daytime and, especially, late hours (up until midnight). Rejoice! There are now much fewer flying bloodsuckers. However, many insects of various stages are still active, bound together by the lower parts of their abdomens.

There are currently plenty of insects and it is only logical that the time of spiders has not ended yet. The number of their relatives, ticks, including castor bean ticks (larvae, nymphs and adults), has also increased, just like tick activity.

Basically, there are only few invertebrates that have concluded their active summer season.

Most European crayfish are done shedding their shells, indicating that autumn is not far away.

Hazelnuts ripen. However, these seeds are not ripe enough to be of interest to people. Berry pickers can camp bilberry bushes and snack on blueberries. Rowan-trees bear rich fruit.

Red bilberries get their usual colours. Those on the sunny side are ripe, in the shade – green or barely red.

All cranberries are only partially or slightly red.

Picking chanterelles can bring great results as well. There are also plenty of other mushrooms. It seems that this is “the year of the mushroom” with many russulas, boletes, parasol mushrooms and other well-known edible “late” mushrooms – woolly milkcaps or ugly milkcaps. Those interested in picking mushrooms for medical purposes can successfully continue looking for stinkhorns. If lucky, you will be able to feast your eyes on pretty amanitas.

Those capable of noticing not only mushrooms have definitely seen many young amphibians everywhere around. The most noticeable ones are small frogs trying to get away from their native water bodies, where they spent their early days as larvae (tadpoles). Adult amphibians are less noticeable, moving around less. Moreover, most of them move at dusk and during nightfall. All amphibian species remain active. Male tree frogs even get into a hormonal autumn craze, making the same sounds as in their wedding periods at the beginning of spring.

No amphibians have made their way to wintering spots yet. Nearly all species have given birth to their young (born or hatched). The greatest chances of spotting young amphibians are in late August, since this is the time when common lizards and slow worms, born in July, are accompanied by young grass snakes and vipers, born at the end of August. Vipers will continue to give birth to their young at the beginning of September.

Another sign of autumn approaching: the mating period for Latvia’s largest land mammals – elk – has started. The mating period for roe deer has already concluded. Red deer have not gone through it yet. However, red deer stags are already butting small trees and shrubs, pawing the ground. Red deer stags are on a hunger diet during mating season.. Therefore they accumulate energy beforehand. The most impatient ones are about to bellow. Perhaps some of them have already been heard somewhere ...

Elk, roe and red deer does are still nursing. They will continue to do so even when their fawns will be mostly feeding off plants. However, during the mating period, fawns are nursed less, up until September. They will remain close to their moms throughout the winter, until April.

Hedgehogs, badgers and raccoon dogs wander around during late hours or the first part of the night, looking for food and accumulating fat reserves for winter slumber.

By the way, fish have also begun active pre-winter feeding. Even though the coldest season of the year is far away, fish have started to accumulate energy reserves, especially heat-loving carp, crucian carp, tench, rudd, bream, ide and other species.