• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

  • Subscribe!
  • Home
  • Topics β–Ύ
    • Arts & Music
    • Astronomy
    • Books & Libraries
    • Dewey Decimals
    • Friday Bird Families
    • Geography
    • Great Stars
    • Holidays & History
    • The Homeschool Year
    • Language & Literature
    • Lunar Society Bulletins
    • Natural History
    • Photo Contests
    • Poems-of-the-Week
    • Quick Freshes
    • Research & News
    • States & Countries
    • Weekly World Heritage
  • Calendars
  • Books
  • About Us β–Ύ
    • Our Mascots
  • Lunar Society
  • Friends
  • Shop!
You are here: Home > Homeschool Natural History > This Post

πŸ¦… NATURE NOTES: The Beginning of Fall Migration

19 August 2022 by Horace the Otter 🦦

It may still feel like summer, but the signs of approaching autumn are all around. Have your students seen them? They vary from region to region, but if you keep your eyes open they’re unmistakable. In my part of the world, one of the first signs of fall is the passage of Common Nighthawks high overhead, hawking their way to the south. I’ve seen four in the sky this week, and since they haven’t been here since May, those four are enough to tell me that their fall migration has begun.

Nighthawks are not hawksΒ β€” they belong to the goatsucker family along with Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-will’s-widows. (Turn page 84 in your homeschool bird guide for a gallery of goatsuckers.) Although they are not hawks, they do hawkΒ β€” hunt for insects in flight. Their insectivorous habit tends to make them early migrants, because if they get caught in a cold snap that kills off their flying food supply, they themselves might starve.

Common Nighthawks are daytime (or evening) migrants, and they often travel in loose flocks, so they’re a conspicuous sign of fall for people who keep their eyes on the sky. Many smaller songbirds, however, migrate at night, and their direct movements are generally invisible to the ordinary observer. Those movements aren’t invisible to radar, however, and as the fall migration season gets underway, every homeschool naturalist should begin exploring the BirdCast website sponsored by Cornell University:

  • ➒ BirdCast Nightly Migration Forecasts (birdcast.info)

BirdCast is a bird-migration forecasting and monitoring project that documents the nightly migratory movements of millions birds across the United States hour by hour. It includes both forecasts, just like weather forecastsΒ β€” how heavy is the nightly migration expected to be over the next three days?Β β€” as well as real-time radar reports, beginning at sunset on the east coast and continuing through the night across the country, tracking the actual volume of bird traffic in the air.

Sample real-time radar image of migrating birds across the United States at 9:15Β p.m. ET on 19 August 2021. The red line is the line of sunset, moving from east to west across the country. Birds are up and moving in the East at this hour, and will begin filling the skies in the West as the night goes on. Visit the BirdCast website for current forecasts and migration tracking during the fall and spring. (Image:Β birdcast.info.)

BirdCast is linked in the sidebar on the River Houses website, and we refer to it often during the fall and spring migration seasons. Point your students to it and let them explore. And don’t forget to keep your eyes on the sky.Β πŸ‘“

What signs of fall have you begun to see in your homeschool this month? 😊

❑ Homeschool birds: We think bird study is one of the best subjects you can take up in a homeschool environment. It’s suitable for all ages, it can be solitary or social, it can be as elementary or as advanced as you wish, and birds can be found just about anywhere at any season of the year. Why not track your own homeschool bird observations using the free eBird website sponsored by Cornell University. It’s a great way to learn more about what’s in your local area and about how bird populations change from season to season. 🐦

❑ Books in the running brooks: Our recommended homeschool reference library includes an excellent bird guide that would serve your homeschool well. Many other similar guides are also availableΒ β€” find one that’s a good fit for your family and take it with you on all your outings, whether far afield or just out to the backyard.Β πŸ¦‰

❑ Nature notes: This is one of our regular Homeschool Natural History posts. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year.Β πŸ—ž

❑ Become a Friend! If you enjoy the educational materials we distribute each week, please support our work and the noble cause of homeschooling by becoming a Friend of the River Houses! Your support keeps us going and growing! 😊

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related Posts:

  • πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • 🌎 🐦 NATURE NOTES: Watching Bird Migration with BirdCast🌎 🐦 NATURE NOTES: Watching Bird Migration with BirdCast
  • 🌳 HOMESCHOOL NATURE NOTES: Happy Arbor Day!🌳 HOMESCHOOL NATURE NOTES: Happy Arbor Day!
  • 🌍 πŸ‡¬πŸ‡³ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: Mount Nimba Nature Reserve in Guinea🌍 πŸ‡¬πŸ‡³ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: Mount Nimba Nature Reserve in Guinea

Filed Under: Homeschool Natural History

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

It’s free! Your name and email address are never shared with any third parties.

CHECK YOUR INBOX (or spam folder) to confirm your subscription. Thank you! 😊

Search the River Houses

Recent Posts

  • πŸŒ• HOMESCHOOL “CITIZEN SCIENCE” PROJECTS for June
  • πŸ”­ WATCHERS OF THE SKIES: Homeschool Astronomy for June
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Wagtails and Pipits
  • πŸ–‹ 🌞 WONDERFUL WORDS (and Music!): β€œSumer is i-cumin in”
  • πŸ—“ πŸƒ 🏸 HAPPY HOMESCHOOL JUNE from the River Houses!
  • πŸ—“ πŸ’ͺ HERCULES TERM and the River Houses Homeschool Year
  • πŸ—“ βœ’οΈ WONDERFUL WORDS: Happy Birthday to Walt Whitman
  • 🌍 πŸ‡·πŸ‡Έ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Studenica Monastery in Serbia
  • πŸ—“ NEW CALENDARS & PLANNERS for the 2023–2024 Homeschool Year
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 28 May 2023
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ SUNDAY STATES: North Dakota, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and More
  • πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ πŸ–‹ β€œAFTER A HUNDRED YEARS / Nobody knows the Place”
  • πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ πŸ•Š HOMESCHOOL HISTORY: Memorial Day
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Indigobirds, Old World Sparrows, and Allies
  • πŸŽ“ πŸŽ‰ HOMESCHOOL MUSIC: Let Us Rejoice!

Post Topics

  • 🎡 Homeschool Arts & Music
  • πŸ”­ Homeschool Astronomy
  • πŸ“š Homeschool Books & Libraries
  • πŸ’° Homeschool Collections & Collecting
  • πŸ“… Homeschool Holidays & History
  • πŸ“– Homeschool Language & Literature
  • πŸŒ• Lunar Society Bulletins
  • πŸ—Ί Homeschool Geography
  • πŸ› Homeschool Museums & Monuments
  • 🏞 Homeschool Natural History
  • πŸ—“ Quick Freshes for Homeschool Families
  • πŸ”Ž Homeschool Research & News
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Homeschool States & Countries
  • πŸ—“ Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Astronomy

  • American Meteor Society
    • – Fireball Reporting System
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • Evening Sky Maps
  • Homeschool Astronomy (Sky & Telescope)
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    • – Learning Resources
  • NASA
    • – Asteroid Watch
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Our Solar System
    • – Spot the Station
    • – Webb Space Telescope
  • The Planets Today
    • – Light-Distance to the Planets
  • The Sky This Week (USNO)
  • Space Weather
  • Stellarium Night Sky Charts
  • Time and Date
    • – Eclipses
    • – Meteor Showers
    • – Moon Phases
    • – Seasons
  • Tonight’s Sky (hubblesite.com)
  • Virtual Planisphere

Books & Libraries

  • Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Classic Children’s Books (read.gov)
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Shakespeare’s Plays Online
  • HathiTrust Digital Library
  • In Our Time (BBC Podcasts)
  • New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • Project Gutenberg
  • US Library of Congress
    • – Children’s Book Selections
    • – Educator Resources
    • – LC Blogs
    • – LC Digital Collections
    • – Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
  • US National Archives
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Founders Online
    • – K–5 Resources
    • – Teaching With Documents
  • Vatican Library Digital Collections
  • WorldCat Library Catalog
    • – WorldCat Library Finder
  • World Digital Library

Museums, Parks, & Monuments

  • Art Collections Online
  • British Museum Collections Online
  • Google Arts & Culture Collections
  • Smithsonian Institution
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Smithsonian Museums
    • – Smithsonian Open Access
  • Timeline of Art History
  • US National Park Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – National Memorials
    • – National Monuments
    • – National Parks
    • – Wild & Scenic Rivers Program
  • US National Wildlife Refuges
  • US State Parks
  • Watercolour World

Natural History

  • All About Birds (Cornell University)
    • – Bird Identification Guide
    • – eBird Online
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • BirdCast Daily Migration Maps
  • Time and Date
    • – Seasons
  • UC Museum of Paleontology
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
    • – Education Programs
  • US Geological Survey
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Latest Earthquakes
  • US National Weather Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Nationwide Air Quality
    • – Nationwide River Conditions
    • – Wildfire and Smoke Map
  • Wild & Scenic Rivers Program

Maps & Geography

  • Antipodes Map
  • FlightAware (Planes in the Air)
  • Mapquest World Maps
  • MarineTraffic (Ships at Sea)
  • OpenStreetMap World Maps
  • Printable Blank Maps & Flags
  • Printable Outline Maps (d-maps.com)
  • River Runner
  • USGS Topographic Maps
  • World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
    • – Educator Resources
  • Zoom Earth

Civics & Social Science

  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution Center
  • C-Span Classroom
  • Free Speech Curriculum from FIRE
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • History of the Western World (I)
    • – Western World (II)
  • iCivics.org
  • Learn Liberty
  • Mises Institute Economics
  • MyMoney.gov
    • – Educator Resources
  • Online Library of Liberty
  • US Founding Documents
  • US Government Portal
    • – The Congress
    • – The Supreme Court
    • – The White House
  • US Mint
    • – Coin Activities for Kids
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Postal Museum
    • – Explore the Collections
    • – Activities for Kids
    • – Stamps Teach (from APS)
  • Visual Capitalist
Sign up for our free newsletter and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox every week!

All original content Β© 2017–2023 by The River Houses Β· The River Houses and the River Houses emblem are Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.