Fall bird walks can seem like a series of goodbyes to old friends.

I thought of this when I saw an eastern towhee receive an “infrequent” designation on eBird the other day. Ebird, a massive bird database, often flags birds when they are out of their territory or uncommon in an area.

I was a little surprised by the infrequent flag, as I see eastern towhees in that park quite frequently. Of course, it wasn’t because the bird is uncommon in the park, but rather it is getting late in the season for towhees.

Eastern towhees arrive in spring a little ahead of most songbirds, and there are days at that park when they are the most common bird I see. Many towhees nest at the park, and I see them on nearly every walk from mid-April through August. Even if I don’t actually see them, I at least usually hear their “drink your tea” song or “tow-hee” call coming from the woods or brush.

Now, it’s about time to say goodbye to the towhees until next spring. A few towhees may stick around through the winter, and they very occasionally show up on New England Christmas Bird Count lists, but for the most part, towhees spend their winter months in southeastern U.S. My way-too-large bird photo collection includes a photo of an eastern towhee eating a crabapple with the surrounding leaves and fruits covered in snow. Now that was an infrequent sighting.

That bird walk also yielded sightings of eastern phoebes, common yellowthroats, chipping sparrows, and even a few rose-breasted grosbeaks. Those birds are also on the tail end of their yearly visit to New England and will leave us in the coming weeks.

It’s funny to think of what will happen in the months that will pass before we see them again. By the next time we hear the “tow-hee” call, we will have endured another winter. Whether it will be a mild or wild winter remains to be seen, but we do know it will be largely void of towhees, yellowthroats, catbirds, and grosbeaks.

Thankfully, we do have plenty of birds that will remain with us through those dark and cold months. The recent walk also yielded sightings of chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, blue jays and cardinals. Those birds will fill our short days with joy regardless of the weather. I also saw eastern bluebirds and American robins, which will also be with us throughout the winter. Bluebirds and robins are not always thought of as year-round New England birds, but they will certainly be around this winter.

Not all of our old friends are gone already. In fact, many will be with us into October. By the time November rolls around, however, most of our part-time or passing-through birds will be well south of New England. We will long for the days of their return, not only because we will see them again, but it will mean the New England winter is over.

That is not to say a New England winter is void of birding highlights. Quite the opposite. Winter has its own birding treats we can look forward to, such as waterfowl on our unfrozen waters and eagles perched on river banks. There may also be visits from northern birds such as siskins, redpolls, crossbills, or even snowy owls. But it’s okay to lament, even for a little bit, about the birds that are saying goodbye — or, perhaps more appropriately, until next time.