Birds.com: Online Birds Guide with Facts, Articles, Videos, and Photos » migration

Chinquapin Takes on Irene

Editor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:30:09 +0000

Whimbrel birds stand a height of 1.5 feet and are known to be migrating birds, referred to as long haul fliers, as they are able to travel distances of up to three thousand five hundred miles without resting in between and can maintain speeds of fifty miles per hour. Before they migrate they ready themselves by packing on weight, and will weigh approximately double their usual weight before migrating. What is truly amazing is a bird named Chinquapin that took on Hurricane Irene.

Chinquapin is a Whimbrel that was tagged with satellite tracking, enabling researchers and biologists, such as Fletcher Smith (College of William and Mary’s Centre for Conservation Biology), to track Chinquapin’s movements. Whimbrels are shorebirds but move to the high Arctic regions for breeding, with most birds remaining in Brazil during the winter months. To learn more about the migratory patterns of the whimbrels, tracking devices were fitted to a few birds.

Panic erupted as Chinquapin’s device transmitted that he was on a one way collision course with Hurricane Irene. As he entered the hurricane, his tracking device lost signal, leaving researchers expecting the worst and nervously watching their monitors to try and find him. Eventually his transmitter confirmed that he had made it through and was safely resting in the Bahamas. Smith said that it was incredible that some birds are able to increase their energy levels to fly through such horrific conditions. Even though Chinquapin survived, researchers are still no closer to finding out how he managed to survive.

Many birds are either thrown off course, or worst case scenario, killed, while trying to fly through these weather conditions, but it is not the first time for Chinquapin, who made the decision to fly around the 2010 Tropical Storm Colin. Another bird tried flying though the storm and was killed, while Chinquapin’s decision saved his life. Chinquapin is most definitely a very brave and special bird, and researchers will continue their efforts to track Whimbrels to learn more about them and their habits.

Explore the Birds of Vermont Museum

Editor — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:28:56 +0000

Through its displays of superb wood-carvings, representing close to 500 birds from 258 species, the Birds of Vermont Museum offers visitors the opportunity to discover the diverse birdlife of the State of Vermont. The life-like carvings are displayed in settings closely resembling the habitats each species would favor in its natural surroundings. As a non-profit organization, the museum is dedicated to educating the public, while encouraging an appreciation of the environment and the wildlife, particularly of the feathered kind, that depends on the environment remaining intact.

Most of the museum’s birds have been carved by Robert Spear, Jr., a local naturalist and author who founded the museum to pursue his goal of using biologically and anatomically accurate wood carvings to teach both children and adults about the essential role birds play in the ecosystem. The museum’s collection is arranged in four major groups in accordance with their habitat – Wetlands in Spring and Fall; Endangered and Extinct; Special Exhibit; and Nesting Birds and Raptors.

The Wetlands in Spring and Fall category features a loon family, spring and autumn migration scenes, and two wetland dioramas. The Endangered and Extinct category features a range of birds, as well as an Archaeopteryx – a genus of theropod dinosaur controversially believed to have been the oldest known bird. The intricately carved California condor is one of the largest of Bob Spear’s works and took him more than 500 hours to complete. The Special Exhibit located near the Autumn Migration Diorama consists of a Turkey which took the meticulous artist two years to complete. The Nesting Birds and Raptors display is in the main gallery and features all the nesting birds of Vermont in their respective nests displayed in more than 120 glass cases, while raptors in flight hang from the ceiling overhead. A Winter Diorama displays birds that only visit the area during the wintertime, and then only if their food supplies have run out in their northern habitats. The balcony off the main gallery features hawks and their prey, as well as a magnificent Bald Eagle.

The Birds of Vermont Museum is located in a 100-acre nature conservation area, and in addition to viewing the wood-carved birds, visitors can stroll along the various trails and participate in early morning Bird Monitoring walks, and students can sign up as volunteers to assist with various projects. This unique and fascinating museum is an enduring testament to the efforts of a group of people dedicated to sharing nature’s wonders with others.

Astounding Research into Great Snipe Migration

Editor — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:13:13 +0000

There are twenty-five species of wading birds that fall under the Scolopacidae family, and the great snipe is one of them. Generally recognized by their long bills and plumage coloring that allows it to blend in with its surroundings, there is a magnificent talent that the snipe possesses that has been recently been uncovered. This beautiful shore bird is quite small and its stocky body, which they ensure carries enough fat by August, assists them in their migration. But until recently, their migration patterns were a mystery, and the information revealed by a project started in 2009 has uncovered breathtaking details.

Raymond Klaassen, a biologist from the Lund University in Sweden, captured ten great great snipes and managed to tag them to collect information in regard to their migration. Captured and let go on the western coast of Sweden, three birds returned and were recaptured to have their tags removed, revealing the most staggering information. For the first time ever, the migration of great snipes could be put on record, but even for scientists and biologists, the information received from the tags was overwhelming. It seems the great snipe tops all other birds when it comes to migration as it is able to fly an impressive four thousand miles without making any stops to eat, drink or sleep. Not only was the flight astounding, given that the great snipe is able to fly ninety-six hours non-stop, but they also averaged speeds of fifty miles per hour. The flights were compared to wind charts showing that the birds had almost no tail winds during their migrations, meaning that they are able to make the flights and maintain high speeds on their own.

One of the recaptured tagged birds completed a migration of three thousand eight hundred miles, while the other two had migrations of two thousand eight hundred miles and four thousand two hundred miles. The first trip took eighty-four hours, while the others took forty-eight hours and eighty-four hours. Klaassen commented that the reason why the great snipes do not stop on their flights is unknown, but it is suspected that this is the unique migration strategy of the great snipe. Even though there are other birds that are also able to travel vast distances, it is the speed the great snipes are able to travel at that has astonished researchers, as their wings are not the most aerodynamic of the bird kingdom. But it seems the fat they store before a migration gives them enough energy to maintain speed and cover large distances. According to this new information and studies, the great snipe can officially be called the king of bird migrations.

Conservation Crossing Borders

Editor — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:25:06 +0000

Climate change is an issue that has been discussed the world over and is of great concern. As climates begin to shift and weather patterns begin to change, so does nature. Wildlife are forced to adapt to conditions they are not used to, over and above the fact that their habitats are being encroached on. The first wildlife to have shown signs of adapting are birds. Migratory bird patterns have diversified and as the need grows, birds are moving to areas that are best suited to their survival, causing a cry out for cross border conservation efforts.

A team of researchers decided to conduct a study concentrating on the birds of Africa. The team consisted of Dr. Stephen Willis (School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences of the Durham University), as well as Professor Brian Huntley from the same department. They considered where the birds are located at present and how they would move due to climate change. Eight hundred and three Important Bird Areas (IBAs) were looked at.

Monitoring the birds will be the first way to detect signs of the effects of climate change, as they would be the first to move. The researchers have therefore written a guideline to governments on how to deal with the reshuffling of wildlife should this occur as predicted. According to their studies, at least one third of the Important Bird Areas will experience a noticeable change, as shrinking habitats will force birds to find more suitable areas for food supply. During their research project, the researchers were also able to identify areas that are not currently under protection but could become potential habitats for the birds.

Dr. Stephen Willis commented: “The bird map of Africa is set to change dramatically and we need conservation policies that see the bigger picture.” He went on to say: “There are large areas of Africa lacking protected status and many of these areas are predicted to be critically important for bird conservation in the future. We need to be ready to protect remnant populations of birds while also preparing for new colonists.” As co-author of the guideline paper he stressed the importance of cross border conservation, “We need to improve monitoring, communication and co-operation to make protected areas work across borders. Conservationists and policy makers will have to work together in new ways as networks become increasingly important in protecting species.”

2011 Spring Banding Session

Editor — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:48:11 +0000

Taking place at Fort Mogan State Historical Park, along the Alabama Gulf Coast, banding will begin before dowan and end mid-afternoon. This area is an important stopover for migratory birds returning from South and Central America. Banding is free, with admission to the fort costing $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children of 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.

Date: 2 to 14 April 2011
Venue: Fort Morgan State Historical Park
State: Alabama
Country: United States of America

Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival 2011

Editor — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:10:24 +0000

Taking place on the north coast of California, this annual spring migration festival boasts a number of bird-rich habitats for bird watchers to explore. Amongst the activities offered during the festival are field trips, workshops, lectures and boat excursions. The opening reception for the event at Arcata Coummunity Center will feature an arts exhibition, vendor booths, food and drinks.Keynote speaker for the event will be Scott Weidensaul.

Date: 14 to 20 April 2011
Venue: Arcata Community Center
Town: Arcata
State: California
Country: United States of America

41st Annual Rivers and Wildlife Celebration

Editor — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:56:49 +0000

Presented by Audubon Nebraska, Nebraska Bird Partnership and Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary, the Rivers and Wildlife Celebration sees bird and wildlife enthusiasts gathering to celebrate the migration of waterfowl and 500 000 sandhill cranes through central Nebraska. Visitors to the event can enjoy crane viewing, excursions to wetlands and lakes and The Wild Experience Room. Keynote speakers will be David yarnold, Dr. Richard Beilfuss and Rick Wright.

Date: 17 to 20 March 2011
Venue: Holiday Inn Convention Center
City: Kearney
State: Nebraska
Country: United States of America

Nightingale’s Journey Provides Valuable Migratory Information

Editor — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:22:42 +0000

While being fairly nondescript in appearance, the nightingale is legendary for its amazing singing ability, which can often be heard at night, as well as in daylight hours. The name nightingale literally means ‘night songstress’ revealing the misconception early writers had that it is the female that produces the complex range of trills, whistles and gurgles, when in fact it is the male. It has long puzzled researchers as to where exactly in Africa these migratory birds spent the northern hemisphere’s winter months. Now thanks to technological advances, it has been possible for scientists in Norfolk to track a single nightingale’s 3,000 mile migratory journey, thereby providing invaluable information that will hopefully assist in halting the decline in numbers of this fascinating bird.

In April 2009, scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) captured a male nightingale near Methwold Hythe in Norfolk and fitted it with a geolocator – a tiny device for tracking the bird’s position. This new technology has proven to be vastly superior in providing accurate information as compared to the method of ringing birds which has been used for decades prior to this. The information gathered helps scientist not only to examine threats to the wellbeing of breeding birds in their home territory, but also to evaluate whether migratory destinations of the birds are impacting negatively on their numbers.

Codenamed OAD, the nightingale left its home territory in Norfolk on July 25, 2009, arriving in southern France in mid-August. By September, OAD had arrived in northern Morocco, where it remained for around three weeks. The nightingale continued on to the Western Sahara, where it appeared to stop for a while before continuing to Senegal in November, and from there to Guinea Bissau where it remained until returning to Norfolk in February 2010. Due to the locator failing, the exact route of the return journey is not known, nevertheless it was captured by researchers about 50 yards from the spot where it was initially found in April 2009.

No doubt, the information gleaned from OAD’s epic journey will be of great value to BTO as they continue their work of understanding the pressures faced by birds migrating to Africa.

Bird Migration Influenced by Toxic Molecule

Editor — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:50:16 +0000

As scientists and biologists continue to struggle to discover exactly what causes birds to migrate with such accuracy, it seems new breakthroughs continue to be made. A recent discovery reported in the June Biophysical Journal sheds exciting new light on a still relatively misunderstood process of nature.

The discovery was made by Klaus Schulten (Swanlund Chair in Physics at Illinois) and his collaborator Ilia Solov’yov (Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies). It seems that Solov’yov did not know that the molecule known as superoxide was toxic and was using it in studies of the biomechanical process of the cryptochrome protein found in the eye of a bird. Superoxide is a toxic molecule that is known to damage cells and cause disease. Now it seems it also plays a constructive role in the process that enables birds to ‘visualise’ the Earth’s magnetic field.

It turns out that superoxide is an ideal reaction partner when paired with the cryptochrome protein. In 2000 it was discovered that this protein plays a key role in the development of a bird’s geomagnetic sense, since chemical reactions can take place in the protein in response to magnetic fields. However magnetic fields interact so weakly with molecules that up until now it was virtually impossible to understand how these reactions could take place. It was thought that changes in the electromagnetic field, such as would occur when the bird changed direction while flying, would have an effect on freely tumbling spins of electrons in the birds eye which would essentially serve as a compass that pointed north or south. Researchers then supposed that the cryptochrome recruited a reaction partner with ‘zero-spin’ and it was proposed that oxygen was that partner.

Now it seems researchers had it backwards. It may not be oxygen, but rather its close cousin superoxide, that serves as the reaction partner in this process. Initially the toxicity of the molecule caused Klaus Schulten to dismiss the idea presented by Solov’yov. But then he realized that the toxicity of the molecule was actually crucial to the role it played in the process. Most living organisms, such as birds, have mechanisms for reducing the concentrations of superoxide in the body to prevent it from damaging the organism. The molecule needs to be present – but only in low concentrations. In birds, it is the presence of this molecule that makes the biomechanical compass work effectively.

Shifting Migrations Might Indicate Global Warming

Editor — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:30:35 +0000

Each year thousands of citizens in the US get involved with the annual Christmas bird count. They are not professional birders, but their counts do help biologists and other researchers to get a better idea of the grand scale of things. Over time this count has revealed that almost 60 percent of migratory birds are spending their winters further north than they did forty years ago.

According to studies, the American Robin and White-throated Sparrow are just two of the 305 bird species examined which showed a dramatic northward shift in their annual migratory patterns. While this does not prove global warming in itself, it is consistent with the sort of behavior you’d expect to take place in direct reaction to a steadily warming climate. The concern is not so much for the birds themselves, but for other non-migratory bird species and animals that are left behind to suffer through the heat. Kenn Kaufman, field editor for Audubon Magazine, stressed the interdependence of everything in an ecosystem when he said about the trend: “Everything is connected. Birds are not isolated; it’s an ecosystem. It’s a system and something that happens in one area is going to affect everything else.”

While bird ranges can change for a number of different reasons, such as urban sprawl, supplemented diets and deforestation, researchers have noted that the most likely explanation for why so many different migratory birds over such a broad area are choosing to winter further north is most likely global warming. The shift is not just affecting one or two species from one or two areas – its affecting a large number of species from a large number of areas. The phenomenon is simply too widespread to be attributed entirely to only one localized cause.

So where does the report released by the National Audubon Society leave bird lovers? It refreshes in our minds the need to not contribute to the many factors causing global warming. Not only can we change our own lifestyles and encourage others to do likewise, but if we live in an area where there are non-migratory birds, we can try to be aware of their needs, providing them with food, water and shelter so that they can survive the conditions as best as possible.