The thrill of bird watching in autumn might suddenly arrive from over the horizon when any number of a wide variety of raptors appears in flights of migration, taking wing a day or two after the arrival of a high pressure system and cold front and driven by a northwesterly wind.

The sight of their soaring numbers to catch a ride on thermals rising up from Earth warmed with the morning sun is easily recognized as the iconic migrating pilgrimage.

The peak performance in numbers and variety of species can include a number of hawk varieties including the Cooper’s hawk, red-tailed, red-shouldered, rough-legged, Northern harriers, and fish hawks like the osprey — the subject of my drawing as seen from the view of nesting towers outside my living room window.

Often the best viewing time is after 8:00 in the morning, seen from a high hill or a prominent point such as my new home right on the shoreline of Buzzards Bay. I will be the first to know when migration begins for the osprey family there on the tall wooden platform where all summer long we have enjoyed watching a fledgling raised by two parents, fed by the mother with food brought by the father.

The most important of all for the fledgling has been learning to fly by imitation and to fend for itself in preparation for a migration journey of up to 2,500 miles or more. When that time comes with the dawn of the first day, as in my illustration, it is my opinion the fledgling will take a cue from the mother as she normally departs before her mate and may not be joined with him until next spring.

Today, technology makes it easier to follow the path of migrating birds because satellite and G.P.S. are gradually replaced by new monitoring and cellular tags that get smaller and lighter every year, thanks to battery improvements and solar powered options. Tracking the first movement of a fledgling may be erratic as they often first experiment and explore the neighborhood with a test of wings in distance and direction to get back home.

Traditional stopping points along the Atlantic Flyway have been tracked to be first along the Connecticut shoreline near Old Lyme, then past the mouth of the Hudson River toward Sandy Point, New Jersey, and ultimately a major build up in numbers at Cape May, New Jersey, similar to other hawk migrations.

After crossing the Chesapeake and further south past the Florida Everglades and Key West, the resolve in direction and distance seems to have wavered and waned in recent years, possibly due to global climate change. Some are now spotted staying for the winter in the wetlands of Cuba, but others still go as far as along the Amazon River in Brazil or even in Venezuela.

Such monitoring of migration movements and patterns may very well shed light on measurement of the variation and environmental health of raptor populations.

For the rest of us who remain satisfied to stay where we are, we are content enough to be rewarded by observing the dramatic daily deciduous transformation.

Looking skyward often reminds me of the prayer “I shall lift mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my help“, and this experience may be amplified with a good pair of binoculars.

Recently across Little Bay in Fairhaven, there appeared in the distance the seasonal vision of hundreds of hawks circling together until boiling up to dissipate into the distance. As in the

nostalgic seasonal refrain “the falling leaves drift past my window”, looking across the water where changing tides measure the transition in time, the end of one planetary cycle in the heavens leads to the beginning of another on Earth, soon to be anticipated and celebrated in keeping with the coming holidays.

By George B. Emmons

If the world can only handle 8 billion people, as most experts believe, what would happen if we had 10 billion?

This question started circulating through the creative spaces of Richard Cutler’s brain during his long career as facilities director at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.

Sounds like a great book, he thought. Too bad he didn’t have time to write it.

Running 113 buildings with scores of people working for him and over $200 million in collective renovations being made, he was a busy guy.

“It was one of those jobs, you either liked it or you don’t. I think when I was there everyone liked it. I had a great time,” Cutler said. “When a hurricane or a big storm would come up the coast, I’d be camped out down at the lab — I still check in when there’s a big storm. I can’t resist.”

When he retired three years ago, he knew that he wanted to write — especially his story about a future where humanity tries to solve a problem.

“In that job I was the only engineer, so I wrote all the technical stuff if we were looking for a grant request and so forth. I was always writing, but not for fun,” he said.

It took two years of writing in short bursts of inspiration, but he saw his vision through with his first book Course Correction, self-published and available on Amazon.

He will be at the Rochester Council on Aging at 2:30 pm on Thursday, October 12 with copies of his book to sell and sign.

He brings his scientific background and a touch of whimsy to the novel, which imagines a future in 2085 where humanity needs a new home off of Earth.

Without giving too much of the plot away, the people of Earth are affected (badly) by the “Death Flu,” leading the characters on a quest into space for answers.

“Here’s the thing about science fiction — you watch these TV shows and movies and everyone’s just shooting lasers. It’s just like the Old West,” he said. “But there’s a lot more to it than that. At the lab, we were always talking about climate change, Zika virus, and I wondered, in this day and age — and in the future — something really nasty could spread.”

The book runs to 235 pages, and Cutler says he’s sold copies as far away as New Zealand since its release this summer.

Cutler lives in Rochester with his wife Ginny, and he’s enjoying his town role on the Zoning Board of Appeals — a second stint on that board. He also has served as a selectman.

Why town government?

“Well, somebody’s got to do it, you know? I’m reasonably good at it, and I like to help out.” he said.

Cutler is also known for his classic Model T collection, which takes up a good chunk of his side yard on a corner lot on the back roads of Rochester.

He was the first to get hooked on the classic cars, and his wife wasn’t far behind. He built one Model T from original parts, working on it an hour every night over eight years until it was up and running.

He spent 10 days with the Model T Club of New England filming a movie with Ben Affleck, “Live By Night,” a period gangster piece that came out in the fall of 2016. This past summer, he put 3,000 miles on his 1914 Model T, driving with his wife all across America.

“When my wife saw that one, she said, ‘We’re not leaving here without that car.’ As she says, ’They’re like potato chips, you can’t only have one.’ But it’s a great opportunity to get out and see the country, places that people normally don’t go.”

And, as he says, “We like to show off,” as heads turn every time he takes any of the cars out on the roads of Rochester.

At 71, he says he’s “slowed down a little,” but, like his classic cars, there’s still plenty left in the gas tank.

By Jonathan Comey