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Outdoor Almanac Autumn 2009
The Outdoor Almanac is excerpted from Mass Audubon's Sanctuary magazine, which is sent to members four times a year.  | September | October | November | December |
September 22
Autumnal equinox. Days and nights are of equal length. First light frosts may occur about this date.  September 24
Look for ripening wild grapes along old stone walls. Wild cherries, elderberries, and dogwood berries are ripe. Watch the thickets for feeding migratory birds.
Back to top October 2
Green darner dragonflies migrate about this time. Watch for them over sunny meadows.  October 4
Full moon. The Hunter's Moon.
October 5
First juncos arrive from the north. October 6
Phoebes are still around. October 9
Watch for squirrel middens on stumps and rocks. October 12
Look inside goldenrod flowers for yellow crab spiders. October 17
First heavy frosts may occur about this time. Watch for dropping hazelnuts. October 18
New moon. October 21
Yellow-rumped warblers migrate.Watch for them in small trees and shrubs and listen for the check call. October 24
Once the leaves are off the trees, look for oriole nests at the ends of willow and elm branches.  October 29
Watch for large congregations of migrating blackbirds around this time.
Back to top November 2
Full moon. The Beaver Moon. November 6
Mushrooms are still coming up: look for the yellow caps of Pholiota growing on logs, and the vase-shaped clusters of oyster mushrooms on tree trunks. November 9
Flowers of the wood aster are still blooming in protected areas. November 11
Peak migration date for snow buntings. November 13
Watch for pine siskins. November 15
Late-migrating raptors such as rough-legged and red-tailed hawks are moving. November 16
New moon. November 18
Crickets collect under old boards and loose stones. November 20
Fields and meadows are sere and brown by this date. Lawns are still green.  November 22
Watch for red dragonflies over sunny meadows on warm days.
 November 24
Milkweed pods are still bursting; watch the fields for drifts of seeds.
November 27
Watch for small flocks of migrating sparrows. November 30
Watch for robins in wild cherries, dogwood, sumac, and viburnum. Back to top December 2
Full moon. The Cold Moon.  December 5
Witch hazel blooms, the last flowering shrub to blossom. Look for the small yellow flowers in damp woodlands.
December 9
Overwintering thrushes such as robins and bluebirds begin feeding on Virginia creeper berries around this time.  December 13
Hibernating mammals have disappeared by this date. Chipmunks, skunks, opossums, and raccoons may still be abroad.
December 16
New moon. December 19
Look for mullein stalks in old fields and on roadsides; check inside the woolly leaves for sheltering insects. December 21
Winter solstice; longest night of the year. Many festivals of light take place at this time throughout the world. Back to top
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