By September, the birding summer has run its course and birds will use the time in late summer and early fall to rebuild their reserves. For most birds, the individualistic drive for the success of their own nest and young dissipates and they join into flocks for mutual support and safety.
August: Post-breeding Dispersal
By August, most young birds are living on their own. Adult birds have completed their job of raising young as best they could and are now released from parenting obligations. It is time for migrating birds, both young and old, to focus their energy on completing their annual cycle of life and set out on their return migration to the south.