Early Signs That Winter is Coming

Western sandpipers in flight (photo from Wikimedia) 19 August 2026 Though the growing season hasn’t ended yet, it is waning fast in Alaska. The Fairbanks area has already lost 5 hours and 45 minutes of sunlight since the June solstice(*) and they’re currently losing nearly 7 minutes of sunlight per day. The National Weather Service in Fairbanks points out they’ll have less than 14 hours of daylight by September 8 (at 13:49). View this post on Instagram A post shared by NWS Fairbanks (@nwsfairbanks) Shorebirds key on day length to determine when to migrate. When their very short breeding season ended they gathered at the shore in July and are now on the move in August Shorebirds assembling at Kinzarof Lagoon, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in July 2008 (photo from Wikimedia) Late August marks the peak departure window for adult arctic-breeding shorebirds leaving Alaska. Species actively migrating out of the state this week include the Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs,…