It鈥檚 autumn! Kids are back in school while we prepare our yards and freezers for winter and plan to vacate south. Okanagan wildlife tend to migrate, estivate or spawn.

Some people think that hummingbirds catch rides on the backs of geese for their migratory trip down south. Truth is; hummingbirds are well on their way to Mexico when the geese are just taking their 鈥減ractice flights鈥� for migration to the coast or just into the warmer US.

Physics gives hummingbirds an advantage with a smaller, light body weight. They just need to refuel all along the way to maintain their energy. That鈥檚 why all hummingbird feeders should always be taken down by mid August. If the 鈥渉ummers鈥� stay too late, they could succumb to freezing.

Big Canada geese, on the other hand, store fat for their trip. That鈥檚 why they鈥檝e adopted the energy efficient 鈥淰鈥� flight formation.

Our great blue herons (which nest on 24th Street) have already dispersed to various open-water lakes for the winter. Some have migrated to the coast to winter on good fishing grounds.

Most birds migrate at night following the stars (like sailors) along migratory pathways (usually air currents of least resistance). Some of our birds migrate all the way down to South America.

I love sitting back on mosquito-less, moonlit September and October nights with binoculars in hand to spot flocks passing in the night sky. If you鈥檙e in a quiet spot; listen. You might even see bats migrating to their winter colonies further south. Their 鈥渇lutter鈥� of wings distinguishes them from birds.

Don鈥檛 go to the Allan Brooks Nature Centre looking for the yellow-bellied marmots, now. These large rodents, like the Columbian ground squirrels on Silver Star, have gone underground for an early rest to 鈥渆stivate鈥� while they鈥檙e still fat from summer鈥檚 seed bounty. They emerge with young in April.

Snakes, frogs and other reptiles and amphibians are moving towards their wintering grounds now, too.

Watch for late emerging mourning cloak and tortoiseshell butterflies in the fall. They鈥檒l overwinter here tucked behind bark or in tree grooves. The large yellow and black butterflies are non-migrating swallowtails, often mistaken for the orange and black migrating monarchs.

Don鈥檛 miss watching the kokanee spawn on Coldstream Creek in early October. The best spawning beds for viewing are in Creekside and Coldstream Parks (behind Coldstream School). I鈥檝e seen a sharp decline in spawning numbers. Get out there with your children and friends to enjoy this miraculous phenomena before it dies out (or can we save the kokanee?). Walk gently by the creek, and please leave your pets at home!

Fall鈥檚 a marvellous time to observe nature. Thankfully Vernon has many opportunities to enjoy it:

* Check www.ribbonsofgreen.ca for the best list of local trails;

* Join North Okanagan Naturalist Club鈥檚 Saturday morning nature hikes 鈥� www.nonc.ca;

* Join the Vernon Outdoors Club for fall hikes and cycles. www.vernonoutdoorsclub.org;

* Swan Lake Park hosts many migrating waterfowl. Watch from the observation tower;

* Lumby鈥檚 Salmon Trail and 91大黄鸭鈥檚 Mission Creek Greenway are spectacular when the cottonwoods turn golden.

Roseanne Van Ee enthusiastically shares her knowledge of the outdoors to help readers experience and enjoy nature. Follow her on Facebook.