October 2026
/October tends to be my favorite month of the fall birding season, which is generally acknowledged among birders as ranging from Aug–Nov. With transient warblers typically persisting through the first half of the month, and with sparrows and waterfowl rising in both counts and diversity throughout the remainder, October tends to be the second best month for species diversity after May. This month followed that standard formula quite well, with a very exciting first week as I was able to see my first-ever Lark Bunting (a male) just across the North Carolina state line, and then inexplicably found another (this time, a female) at Back Bay NWR barely an hour afterwards! I was also able to enjoy my first cold front morning of the season on 6 Oct, after having to sit one out in late September. A massive cold front, the first of the "classic" types that span from the Arctic down to the gulf states crossed over the region early on 17 Oct, before stalling out over the Atlantic. Eventually, the stalled front spun up into Subtropical Storm Josephine and slid northeast, all the while lashing coastal Virginia with strong northeast winds for nine straight days which finally subsided 26 Oct. During that period, we were able to see some early waterbirds (mid-Oct Common Eider and all three scoter species was fun) riding the winds south along the coast, but those same high winds put a damper on the late stages of passerine migration, likely allowing most birds to steer inland and continue unabated towards their wintering grounds. This was an exciting October, hopefully setting the stage for a fun November, which is known as the best month for finding vagrant species along the East Coast. My favorite local photographs from this month are all included below. Please note that descriptions apply to the photograph above the description and photographs load into full screen when clicked (click the ‘X’ at top right of the image to return from full screen view). Please enjoy!