Fall is in full force, so it's only fitting that we take a break to enjoy the beauty of the season and its natural wonders.

Yes, birds and butterflies are heading south, but the Migrations we focus on today is Dan Rhoads' blog, which is host of the 35th I and the Bird.

IatB is one of my favorite blog carnivals, not just because I love reading about other birders' experiences. But the weekly offering also allows me to vicariously travel -- and observe -- birds and their habitats that I haven't seen in a while or, in most cases, have yet to visit.

This week the I and the Bird world tour includes, in part:

• the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., one of my all-time favorite spots, and a Scarlett Tanager spotted there,
• Napa Valley and its woodpecker residents, and
• a sighting of an Ivorybill in Pennsylvania (well, maybe not).

Even the joys of birding closer to home, at either Dan's backyard or, in my case, at Wild Basin Preserve in suburban Austin, are explored.

So take a break this nice autumn weekend and expand your nature and blogosphere horizons by checking out all the fine journeys in this week's I and the Bird.