You are browsing the archives of September.

Autumn has now fallen on the Northern Hemisphere, while the season of rejuvenation has sprung all over south of the equator. Grab your bins! We are now in a time of change, a moment of flux during which millions of creatures are on the move. If you haven’t already immersed yourself in the great spectacle [...]

All of us who identify ourselves as birders are thrillingly familiar with the sense of discovery, accomplishment, and even adventure that goes hand in glove with the personal quest to observe and understand avifauna. Alas, we’re also intimately acquainted with darker emotions; the lust in our hearts alone (for lifers and optics, naturally) exacts a [...]

At last, my world is back on its usual academic year axis, spinning on a schedule I expect to enjoy as days wane then wax. How about yours? Is everything back to normal or is the very concept of normalcy alien to you? Whether you keep a schedule or not, the birds in your life [...]

Labor and the rights of the American working class may have fallen into disrepute lately, but the Labor Day Weekend maintains nearly unanimous support. I’m still unabashedly in favor of this three-day sendoff to the season of sun and sand, though I’d like it more if it didn’t mark the official end of summer. Plus, [...]

Fall is fully upon the Northern Hemisphere, which means that birds are well and truly on the move. How about you? How are you going to spend this weekend and will you be birding? Share your plans in the comments below. I’m headed down to NYC for what promises to be a fun and festive outdoor wedding. [...]

Is September more than half over already? That means that fall migration should be getting hot as the temperatures get cold, at least on the upper half of the world. How are you going to spend this weekend and will you be birding? Share your plans in the comments below. I hope to take in some of [...]

Welcome to September! Those of us with children (or who are children) are back into the steady flow of school. We’re also getting into fall migration, the fabulous time of year when we wish that we too were winging towards warmer climes… or is that just me? How are you going to spend this weekend and [...]

So there it is… August is gone. With it go those lazy days of summer, at least here in North America. Most of our students have either returned to school or resume after the coming three-day weekend. Monday marks the unofficial final day of summer. How are you going to spend this weekend and will [...]

Fall has well and truly fallen. Round these parts, the imperative is to get out there as much as possible before the first snowfall. True, Rochester doesn’t have it quite as bad as Nunavut, but now that autumn is here, I can’t help but note that winter isn’t far off either. So what will you [...]

Temperatures may have dipped in your area but believe it or not, this weekend is technically the last of summer, at least in my hemisphere. Whether you’re slipping into autumn or spring, it behooves you to make the most of a weekend that will only be as wonderful as you want it to be. What [...]

Is summer over yet? The solstice has not yet arrived but it sure feels like fall around here. The birds seem to think so too considering how many begin fall migration before September even begins! What will you be doing this weekend and will you be watching birds? Please share your plans in the comments [...]

Here in the United States, we’re about to celebrate our Labor Day Weekend. This three-day weekend marks our cultural transition from summer to school days. Consequently, we always try to make these three days count! How are you spending the two- or three-day weekend ahead? Will you be birding? Please share your plans in the [...]

Autumn is now upon us, isn’t it? Crossing the 42nd latitude yesterday, I saw quite a bit of color in rolling, wooded hills. The first weekend of fall (or spring, depending on your perspective) can be a feast for the eyes. So what are you looking at this weekend and are birds on this itinerary? [...]

Is it summer yet? Oh, technically it’s still summer you say (or winter, depending on your hemisphere!) That’s right, this is the last official weekend of the summer of 2008. It’s also a time when migratory birds are pouring from the poles to the equatorial regions (or vice versa, depending on your heimsphere!) So where [...]

I don’t know how the weather is treating you in your neck of the proverbial woods but it’s getting chilly around here. Warm nights turning cool is a signal that birds are on the move, so you might want to be too. Not only will the activity warm you up but you might find yourself [...]

September has arrived and with it, a flood of fall migrants. OK, maybe those are spring migrants on your side of the world. What matters is that creatures are on the move, which gives us all plenty to look at this weekend. Not that you have to restrict yourself to aerial organisms. After all, this [...]