September 10-16, 2023

When I started this newsletter, I suspected there would be weeks when not much was going to happen—and it feels like this has been one of those weeks. I noticed very little notable activity myself, and judging from photos on Facebook other folks weren't seeing much either.

It's true that there has been some activity: an occasional warbler flitting through branches and a handful of swallows flying high overhead, plus a growing group of Canada geese hanging out in the Valley.

At the end of the week, I even spotted a red-necked grebe and an unidentified tern at Big Twin Lake. But both were tiny specks in the distance so I didn't get any photos, which is unfortunate because these are rare visitors.

In terms of the newsletter, I'm going to take a much-needed break this week. I'll be keeping an eye on the Facebook group and if there are any noteworthy observations or insights I might do a short newsletter next week, but I apologize in advance because it might be two weeks before I produce another newsletter with the deeper coverage we all look forward to.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and support—keep your eyes open and please share what you see.

Enjoy the changing seasons,

David Lukas