Young birds fledge. Irrigated pastures attract ibis and long-billed curlews. Elk rut and bugling peaks. The elk rut continues. Songbirds and Cinnamon Teal migrate south.
Valley oaks drop their acorns.
Sandhill Cranes begin returning in mid-October. Waterfowl hunting season opens. Elk still in harems and bachelor herds. November Aleutian Canada Geese arrive mid-month in Stanislaus County. Over 10,000 Sandhill Cranes are in the Grasslands by Thanksgiving.