As kids are heading indoors and settling in for the cold weather, many young birds are preparing for the journey of a lifetime.

Hatched in the spring, these fliers—and their parents—are getting ready to soar to warmer climes as far as thousands of miles away in search of food and favorable habitat. It's a chance for children to observe behavior that's different from spring migration. Plus, better weather tends to make better bird-watching—no February blizzards or crazy March thunderstorms!

"Fall migration can be even more exciting to observe than spring because the sheer numbers of birds are so great," says Andrew Farnsworth, a senior research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "It's an incredible opportunity to experience