Outdoor Almanac

This November, look for bird nests in bare branches, sea turtles stranded on the coast, turkeys along forest edges, and more. 

What will you discover this November? Visit a nearby wildlife sanctuary or join a program to make the most of your month.

NOVEMBER

2 

When most leaves are gone, look around in shrubs and trees for the bird nests that were hidden during spring and summer. Take photos to help identify the species that built each nest, but don’t collect any, as it is illegal to possess bird nests or feathers without a permit. 

5 

American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, and Yellow-rumped Warblers forage for poison-ivy, winterberry, viburnum, and other fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and vines. 

10 

Pitcher plants, sphagnum moss, and sundews in bogs have turned yellow, orange, and deep maroon, making fall a beautiful season to visit a bog.    

11 

Raccoons are becoming dormant, often holing up in tree cavities in groups when the temperatures are cold enough. However, you may see their tracks, along with those of Striped Skunks, during milder weather throughout the winter. 

12 

As daylight shortens and water temperatures drop, sea turtles along our coasts are making their way south to sub-tropical and tropical waters.  

14 

Normally solitary animals, porcupines only come together in the late fall for mating, which usually involves fierce and loud battles among the males vying for a female’s attention. 

16 

Both fall field-cricket adults and spring field-cricket nymphs collect under old boards, loose stones, or in your house.  

17-18 

The Leonids, one of the most active meteor showers, peak just before dawn. This shower is known for fireballs (larger explosions of light and color) and Earth-grazers (meteors that streak close to the horizon and have long, colorful tails). 

20 

Keep an eye out for newly arrived Purple Sandpipers. They are perfectly camouflaged on windswept boulders in Gloucester, Scituate, Westport, and other areas with rocky shorelines. 

22 

Once most of the trees are bare, look for the distinctive golden-yellow glow of hickories, which keep their leaves a few weeks longer than most species.  

23 

Snowy Owls may have arrived and will stay here through April. If you happen to see one, view from a respectful distance so as not to disturb or stress the owl.  

24 

Full Moon 

26 

Watch for wintering Snow Buntings and Horned Larks in fields and open areas as they search for seeds on withered, golden grasses. 

28 

Look along forest edges for Wild Turkeys or their tracks and signs. Turkeys can crack acorns in half with their beaks, leaving the split shells behind.  

29 

Early snowfalls bring an opportunity to see tracks of squirrels, rabbits, foxes, and skunks, and even fishers or coyotes.  

30 

Bright-red partridgeberry fruit are easy to spot along their trailing stems lying on the forest floor.