October Nature Almanac: Stargazing - An Audio Experience
October 2024
By Dave Sutherland
Enjoy an audio Nature Almanac this month. Stargazers gather in the Boulder countryside at night. They share the delight of gazing through a high-powered telescope at a distant nebula that reminds some viewers of colorful cotton candy dotted with stars. Or they swap instruments to view Saturn in its glory — rings, moons, and all — through special telescopes. Some gather just for the opportunity of an area with little light pollution so they can see the stars, planets, and Milky Way with their own eyes.
Guided by Boulder Naturalist Dave Sutherland, they marvel together at the infinite wonders of a starry sky.
Star gazers use red light for illumination to all the eyes to dilate for "night vision" to allow them to view the stars and the space around them. Photo by Dave Sutherland.
Other October Events
Sandhill cranes stream through on migration, often so high all that can be detected loud trumpeting calls between each other as flocks pass overhead.
Great Horned Owls begin courtship. Listen for duetting owls, males with the deeper “Whoooo’s Awake? Me too!” if put to words.
Black bears fatten up on wild fruits, raid unsecured garbage cans, and climb trees to nap. We recently encountered one sauntering up the Saddle Rock Trail munching on fallen apples.
Western rattlesnakes converge on communal hibernating sites in rocky hillsides and prairie dog colonies.
Bull elk bugle to attract harems along Plain View Road south of Boulder, at Caribou Ranch, and in Golden Gate State Park.
Bottle gentians, gumweed, and asters continue to bloom in the foothills.
Fall colors peak in town. Check out the tree tour of Longmont trees here: Longmont Tree Tour (a GIS map story).