You are browsing the archives of November.

I know of no other day of the year when a larger percentage of Americans are likely to be eating the same foods, unless Halloween candy or Independence Day barbecue counts. Too many of us focus on the turkey, but bird watchers know that Meleagris gallopavo means so much more than a meal, no matter how [...]

We’re heading into the third weekend of November, which every year (so far) is followed by the fourth weekend of November. If you live in the United States, the fourth weekend of November is the only time of year your relatives might be interested in your ornithological information about Meleagris gallopavo, so be sure to [...]

How highly do you value a three-day weekend? For me, time of year exerts a significant impact on the worth of extra days off. Plus I work all the time, so I don’t really get a weekend! But this is about you, right? Does a three-day weekend in late fall mean as much to you [...]

November has arrived, which means many of us in the United States are trying to figure out where we’ll be taking our turkey dinners towards the end of the month. Congrats to my neighbors to the north for already getting Thanksgiving out of the way and not making the holiday all about Meleagris gallopavo. If [...]

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day most Americans have eating (and maybe football) on our minds. But once we push away from that table, perchance to slip into tryptophan-induced slumber, we can turn our thoughts back to birding! How will you be spending this splendid weekend and will you be birding? We’ll be kicking around [...]

Mid-November… what a waste! Around here, this weekend is good for Thanksgiving prep and not much else. November in Rochester feels like a gray cloud, a miasma that dulls the senses until extreme cold brings sobering clarity and boreal rarities. For now, we wait… What is this mid-November weekend like where you live and will [...]

Another weekend lies ahead, one unencumbered by the holiday madness that pervades much of the late autumn months. If you could see out my window, you’d be admiring azure skies most uncommon in western New York this time of year. I aim to enjoy my weekend. How about you? How will you be spending this [...]

As the leaves in upstate New York complete their progression through all of the hues of flame and rust that attend autumn, I begin turning green with envy. Perhaps you do to. After all, while those of us with the traveling bug can be rightfully jealous of the journeys of others any time of year, [...]

Time to talk turkey. The fourth Thursday of November is when we in the United States observe Thanksgiving. However, anybody can take a moment today to consider the veritable cornucopia of blessings we enjoy in this day and age. For example, I’m thankful to be able to share the photos that follow, but let’s first [...]

American Thanksgiving is drawing nigh, which means that most of us in the States should embark on some aggressive pre-emptive aerobic action to burn those calories we’ll undoubtedly be consuming next Thursday. How will you be burning calories this weekend? Will you be birding? If so, be advised that lifting binoculars hardly qualified as weight [...]

November bears a strong resemblance to March in these parts, attired in the same shapeless, threadbare dress. Each of these months lacks distinction except that March heralds a steady upswing of hope while November descends into dreary despair, and I’m not just talking about the approaching holiday season! Perspective no doubt varies by your latitude. [...]

Here in the Unites States, we set aside the fourth Thursday in November to give thanks for the blessings we tend to take for granted every other day of the year. We also eat well and enjoy lots of football, for which I am quite grateful. On Thanksgiving, we tend to obsess about a particular [...]

Has the insanity of the holiday season hit you yet? Thanksgiving hasn’t arrived yet, or at least the American version hasn’t, yet I’m already being barraged with nonsense about gifts and gatherings. Not that I’m a Scrooge — well, not too much of one — but really, can’t we all focus on what we’re cooking [...]

Here we are in the thick of autumn, a fallow period for many birders. Unless you’re close enough to the equator to still be experiencing serious bird movement, you’re confronted with the same old same old. Or not! As one set of species moves out, another comes in. Take a moment, catch your breath, and [...]

The second weekend of November is here and, provided you have recovered from celebrating or weeping over the elections in the United States, we here at 10,000 Birds assume you will be birding.  Though the full fury of winter is nowhere near, here in the northern hemisphere things are starting to get a bit chilly.  [...]

Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I spent the weekend visiting family in Potter County, PA, an extremely rural part of the state colorfully referred to as “God’s Country.” Having seen so many sides of Potter County over the last 20 years, I can attest to its tremendous beauty. Right about now, in early November, the foliage [...]

Migration is on the wane, if not ended altogether, yet the next season’s birds are not yet completely in place. What are you supposed to do this weekend?!? Well, if you live in a country enlightened (or twisted) enough to celebrate Halloween, you can put a big dent in the kids’ candy. Otherwise, you’ll just [...]

Sara and I, collectively known as the Core Team, enjoyed some great New York City birding in November 2003. We spotted our first Hermit Thrushes in Central Park, our first Ruby-crowned Kinglets at Jamaica Bay WR, our first Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pelham Bay Park, and our first American Pipits and Tundra Swans in Croton Point [...]