The southward migration begins in July and continues all the way into January. But it is not the same birds migrating the whole time.

I had hoped to be able to report about seabirds being seen close to the Vineyard after the windy and wet weather we had between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5.

Bioaccumulation occurs when a substance becomes concentrated inside the body of a living thing. It happened with DDT.

All year long we talk about September as a great time for birds. This is because of migration and the probability of unusual birds showing up.

On some lucky days, especially after northwest winds, it seems that songbirds are all over the place. But identifying them can be a problem.

Songbirds are on the wing moving south for the season. Their migration will pick up in intensity over the next few weeks, and the sightings will be reported in this column.