A changing of seasons, a changing of times. Leaves shifting from emerald green to shining crimson and saffron, bright clusters of aster and goldenrod commanding your attention from the roadside, crisp notes of apple and cinnamon in the air — even the wind appears to have changed its tune. These are some of the things that come to mind when I look at the autumnal landscapes of my home state, Maine. As a Mainer and naturalist who takes great interest in the shifts of life that occur throughout our four distinct seasons, I set out to see what aspects of our fall months attracted Bates’ students from out of state and how it differed from their hometown. One busy Friday, I set out into the Quad to hear from the students themselves by asking them — “What parts of Maine’s fall season are you drawn to the most?”
The first student I came across was Ingrid Lam ‘26, who immediately jumped on the question after we had arrived back from the Birding Club’s first walk in the field.
“Bird migrations, for sure! I also love watching the transition of colors on campus, where the whole tree canopy starts from green and fades to yellow and onward,” She said smiling, “We don’t get that in Oregon as much.”
I decided to ask Ingrid’s fellow bird enthusiasts the same question, curious to see if their responses would share the same sentiment.
“You get a lot of birds spending time in Canada and South America who are beginning to make these huge migrations. It’s amazing to see the life that passes through here on their way to someplace else…their life is this one big journey and we get to see many of them make one of their stops here in Maine on their 1,000 mile migrations before the winter,” says Paul Schmitz ‘26.
“The best aspect of fall here at Bates is that it’s Birthday Season!” Kai Harris ‘26 jokes, as his birthday is just around the corner in October. “Aside from birds and birthdays, the campus vibe here during Halloween is a lot of fun as well.”
Thomas Carnegie ‘27, was also enthusiastic about the incoming wildlife during Maine’s fall season.
“Fall at Bates is way different from fall in Texas. Back home it’s not very seasonal, and it’s always refreshing to break away from summer into nice weather and pretty trees,” Carnegie says. “This year I’m looking forward to the migration season along the coast. It’s always really fun to challenge myself in identifying all the species that are coming through to escape winter. I especially look out for a lot of the shorebirds that we don’t normally see throughout the rest of the year.”
It warmed my heart to see that the birding culture at Bates is alive and well.
The damp earthen smell of yesterday’s rain fills the air and a cool breeze begins to lift the early morning’s mist. My stomach grumbles, yearning for the Common’s pancakes and my fresh bottle of Maine maple syrup. Thus, Questions on the Quad continues in Commons.
I first accost my AESOP leaders, Shenny Waugh ‘26 and Gemma DeCarolis ‘26 on this week’s seasonal inquiries.
“I look forward to spending lots of time outside and admiring the foliage; we don’t really get an extended fall season in my hometown, it’s usually just hot and then really cold over the course of a few weeks,” Waugh says.
DeCarolis has a similar response. “I look forward to the changing colors and the bite in the air. At home in Southern California we don’t really have an official fall, or one that results in such a bold change of color and temperature.”
BOC leader Bryce Kanowsky ‘28 followed suit with his response:“I look forward to spending time on the Quad when the leaves are changing, the fall is a lot more vibrant here than it is at home in Idaho.”
As biased as I may be, it begins to appear that Maine boasts an immaculate palette of picturesque seasons that just don’t compare to other places in North America. I completed my series of interviews with two of my classmates and good friends who sit beside my hot plate of buttermilk pancakes with its mountain of blueberries and I in the Mezzanine.
Greyson Casey ‘29 and Ana Camacho ‘29 also have a common consensus: “I’m excited to see the leaves change!”
Camacho shares that it’s still 100 degrees back in her hometown of Houston, Texas.
“The pretty colors of the leaves, the nip in the air, it reminds me of my time at boarding school in Western Massachusetts. We don’t have anything like that in Chicago,” Casey says.
My plate now empty and my stomach and heart full, I find the anticipation of my peers to be infectious as we make our way back out into the sunny afternoon. Strolling along the cobblestones of Alumni Walk, I admire the yellowing leaves of the birches and the warblers that chirp from their branches. The sky is yet to be heavy with snow, and the summer sun has begun to sink lower to the horizon- the autumn months feel full of promise and good times to come.
