Fall is upon us, and bird migration is in full swing. One of my go-to apps for identifying species is Merlin Bird ID—a must for newbies (like me) who want to spot and name the birds passing through.

Just last night, an estimated 4.3 million birds crossed the skies, according to BirdCast, with peak migration—about 2.5 million birds—around 10:30 p.m. If you don’t know, BirdCast is a website that gives you real-time predictions on when birds migrate, where they’re headed, and how far they’ll travel. Check it out.

Here are some of the most common birds migrating over New Hampshire right now:

🐦 Eastern Wood-Pewee

🐦 Northern Parula

🐦 Common Nighthawk

🐦 Blackpoll Warbler

Here’s what’s inside today’s newsletter:

🐦 Your guide to birding in NH

📅 Can’t-miss events for your calendar

This newsletter is free as a winter snowstorm (but way easier to handle). Subscribe and share here.

The Audubon Society’s 2020 State of the Birds report lists nearly 278 bird species in New Hampshire—193 native and 85 introduced.

Here are some top bird-watching spots in New Hampshire.

And, here are some useful tools for tracking bird migration from home:

BirdCast – As mentioned above, it provides a real-time dashboard from Cornell Lab showing how many birds passed over your area overnight, their direction, speed, altitude, and likely species.

Motus Wildlife Tracking System – Birds Canada project tracking tagged birds worldwide; shows which migrants are passing places like the Massabesic Audubon Center each day.

National Audubon Society’s Bird Migration Explorer – Interactive map of migration routes for 450 species, showing paths, obstacles, and details of their journeys.

Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory – On-site hawk-watching station at Miller State Park, where experts track and help identify thousands of migrating raptors.

National Audubon Society’s Canada Goose Field Guide – Online guide with migration maps, descriptions, and recordings of Canada goose calls and behavior.

By Colin Booth

Former US Sen. John E. Sununu has for years argued that the US Postal Service (USPS) should be shut down and privatized—a stance that has resurfaced as he mulls a run for the state’s open US Senate seat. Meanwhile, New Hampshire communities have experienced slower mail and service reductions this year.

A June report by Manatt Health warns that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would slash Medicaid reimbursements to rural hospitals, cutting 21 cents from every dollar they currently receive. Such a reduction could seriously strain small hospitals that already operate on razor-thin margins, threatening essential services and even forcing some facilities to scale back or close altogether.

So, this week’s question is…

Is rural New Hampshire being left behind when it comes to health care access?

🎡 Granite State Fair
Rochester, Sept. 17-21
Rides, live entertainment, arena shows, midway games, agricultural exhibits, and classic fair food. Spotlight events include a circus, school bus derby, demolition derby, and car soccer.
More info

🎶 New Hampshire Highland Games
Lincoln, Sept. 19-21
Scottish festival at Loon Mountain featuring traditional music, athletics, and culture.
More info

🎄 Fall FEASTival at Santa’s Village
Jefferson, Sept. 21 and 28
A fall celebration with park-favorite foods included in admission—pizza, burgers, cookies, ice cream, hot chocolate, and more. Food service ends at 3:30 p.m.
More info

🍁 LebFest
Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 20
Annual family-centered community event with 80+ booths featuring games, crafts, raffles, local vendors, live music, and food. Includes a Mac & Cheese competition where local restaurants showcase recipes for sampling and voting.
More info

🎨 Fall Arts and Crafts Fair
Tilton, Saturday, Sept. 20-21
Craft fair at Tanger Outlets with over 90 exhibitors. Friendly, leashed pets welcome. Rain or shine. Free admission and parking.
More info

🐾 Pets and the Afterlife
Bedford, Sunday, Sept. 21
Lecture with author Rob Gutro benefiting the Animal Rescue League of NH on how pets communicate after death. Book signing to follow.
More info

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage with stories by Mrinali Dhembla and Colin Booth. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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