Nature Happenings - September
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Western Meadowlarks migrate.
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Asters are the last plants to bloom.
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Monarch Butterfly migration peaks.
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In early September, Elk are visible in the autumn rut around Jasper National Park and Waterton National Park.
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Bats are busy feeding, building fat for hibernation and migration.
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Blackbird (grackles, cowbirds and redwings) flocks can number in the thousands.
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Shorebird migration ends.
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Fall migration peaks for warblers and others.
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Autumn colours begin — Sumac, dogwood and Virginia Creeper.
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Most hummingbirds depart by the end of month.
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Robins begin to join together in large flocks.
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Bears are feeding in preparation for hibernation.
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Switch feeders to high-fat, winter foods.
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Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks are visible flying south for migration.
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Whitefish in Lake Athabasca and in the Athabasca River begin swimming upstream to spawn.
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Bull trout begin spawning in lakes and streams just east of the Rocky Mountains.
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Semi-palmated sandpipers stop on mudflats of central Alberta during their migration from the Arctic to South America.
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September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox.
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Moose begin the rut towards the end of September.
- Full Moon, also known as the Harvest Moon, is September 18/2024