Awash in sunlight, my living room is a comforting place to start the day. I like watching robins gobble up berries from a chokeberry shrub outside my window. On one particularly chilly morning, my thoughts drifted to chipmunks. These little foragers love chokeberries too, and yet they vanish in winter. Where did the chipmunks go?
We’ve all taken cover under a tree for the shade but trees do even more to affect temperatures. Trees “transpire”. They absorb rainwater through their roots and then release it as vapor via the pores on their leaves, cooling the air. Areas with trees can be up to 10 degrees cooler than city streets.
In the fall, Brookdale Park is a terrific place to spot migrating raptors of all types. Hawks, falcons, eagles and vultures begin their southerly migration in early September. Many of them are following the nearby Watchung Ridge. And these birds passing through need to refuel often during their long journey. That’s why you’ll see so many of these birds here in the park through much of autumn.
