Somehow, summer has passed and birds are starting to migrate to winter homes. It is still hot, mind you, but birds are attuned to their annual timetable that drives many species hundreds and thousands of miles across continents and oceans. For those of us along the shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico, it can be a fun time to spot birds that we may have missed when they came by last spring. 

Want to join a project that is educational, fun, and contributes to celebrating nature? It is as easy as using the free iNaturalist app to record what you see at some of your favorite nature trails, or better yet, new trails that you can enjoy. You will be helping grow knowledge of biodiversity along the Pascagoula River Basin as part of the Discover Nature on the Singing River Project.

There are certain sounds that seem to follow us through our entire lives. For me, one of those is the sound of cicadas.

As August begins to give way to September, a familiar splash of yellow starts appearing along Mississippi roadsides, fields and fence rows.…