Look for the silhouettes of migrating birds as they pass in front of the full moon on October 7. The first two hours after the moon rises are the best. Use binoculars or a spotting scope and watch from a prominent vantage point / Witch hazel is in flower, and the seed capsules from last year’s flowers are popping open / The berries of common juniper take two or three years to mature. Now they are being eaten by grouse, songbirds, and moose

Paper wasp nests become visible after the leaves fall. These large structures are begun by a single female (the queen) and enlarged over the summer by her many offspring / Beavers are submerging branches next to their lodge, to be eaten throughout the winter / Bears are especially active in the fall, eating everything they can find to store enough fat to last for the next five months / Almost all broad-winged hawks have cleared out and will return in April

Oct. 21: a new moon means the best possible viewing of the Orionids meteor shower / Last woodcocks head south as the ground freezes and worms become unavailable / In the right light, tamarack leaves appear to be emitting a clear, golden light from their needles / Fox sparrows are migrating through our area. Their two-footed scratching sends leaves and dirt flying / Most deciduous leaves are gone, but lilacs are still green and blueberry bushes are bright red

Yellow-rumped warblers are among the last warblers to leave. They will winter in the southeastern states / Apple trees may not have colorful leaves, but they certainly have colorful fruit; look for fox, deer, and porcupine harvesting the bright red and yellow apples / Now that the leaves are down, owls are easier to find. Look for them in groves of pine or hemlock / Red squirrels are the ones who stuffed those mushrooms into the crotches of tree branches