Fall Shuffle - Bears, turkeys, deer and squirrels participate in the "fall shuffle" as they roam beyond their normal territories, diligently searching for food.
Slow Migration - For many species, fall migration is slower than spring migration. Flocks will linger in a given location if the food source is still abundant.
Harvest Moon - the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, which occurred (in the northern hemisphere) on September 23rd.
Autumn - (also known as fall in North America) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter. In the northern hemisphere, the start of autumn occurs at the Autumnal Equinox on September 23, when the Sun is directly over the Earth's equator.
Around this time, deciduous trees shed their leaves. The leaves of the trees change their color prior to falling. Such colored leaves have come to be colloquially called "fall foliage". In the temperate zones, autumn is the season during which most crops are harvested. It is also the season during which days get shorter and cooler, the nights get longer, and precipitation gradually increases (in some parts of the world).
The word 'autumn' is derived from the French word automne, and became popular in usage for the season since the 16th century. The North American name for the season, 'fall', probably derived as a contraction of the phrase "fall of the leaves", and since became used interchangeably.
Half Light - The period of time immediately preceding twilight when the sun begins to disappear over the horizon at sunset, and when the sun begins to appear over the horizon at sunrise. Sunlight is scattered in the upper atmosphere and illuminates the lower atmosphere and the surface of the Earth is between light and dark. During half light, the brightest stars, some planets and the moon are visible with the naked eye.
Speed of Darkness - The advance of darkness is most rapid near the autumnal equinox, when three minutes of daylight are lost each day, about twelve times the rate of change that takes place near the solstices.
Dragonfly - (Odanata Epiprocta) an insect characterized by large multi-faceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges and other small insects like flies, bees and butterflies.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often in or on floating or emergent plants. Some species when laying eggs will submerge themselves completely just to lay their eggs in a suitable place. Most of the life of the dragonfly is spent in the larval form, beneath the water surface, using internal gills to breathe. The larvae may live as long as five years for large dragonflies, or two months to three years in smaller species. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant at night, and when it does the breathing pattern changes inside the larva's body. Then the skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, waits for the sun to rise, pumps up its wings and flies off. 
Northern Pygmy Owl - (Glaucidium gnoma) a small sparrow-sized owl that measures about 7 inches long as an adult. It has a small round head and a long, finely barred tail. Its plumage is varying shades of brown with buff or white streaks. They live in open pine forest or mixed aspen and oak woods from southeastern Alaska throughout most of the western US and Canada. This small owl hunts mainly by sight alone, eating small rodents, frogs and birds.
Cloud Beams - Blue-gray shafts of sunlight, commonly seen on summer days when the air is hazy and stagnant. They occur when cloud shadows near the horizon break the Sun's light into rays and beams.
Niagara Falls - (French: les Chutes du Niagara) is a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. Niagara Falls is comprised of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet of water fall over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.
The Falls are renowned both for their beauty, and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s. 
Maid of the Mist - a boat tour of Niagara Falls. (The actual boats used are each named Maid of the Mist, followed by a different Roman numeral) The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls. The tour is available starting from either the Canadian or U.S. side of the river, returning to the starting point in each case. All passengers wear a blue Maid of the Mist poncho.
