Avian Migration
Whether you’re an avid bird-watcher or a person who avoids parking under trees so that you don’t have to wash the droppings off of your car for the nth time this week, you’re bound to have noticed that bird populations seem to ebb and flow with the seasons. You might be wondering, “where do they go?” Some might even notice that a few of these birds are only around during certain parts of the year, such as the famed Swallow-tailed Kite in the southeastern U.S. Then, you might be wondering, “why don’t they stick around?” As the seasons change, so do the food sources and the climate. Birds don’t have the luxury of bringing out-of-season foods back to their home or adjusting their thermostat with the changing temperature like we humans do, so they resort to travel. Each species’ resource needs will dictate where they go during migration and how far they need to travel for it.
Fall Migration
We are actually right in the middle of the Fall migration season, which runs from approximately August 1st to November 30th. Each night, up to 45 million birds fly over Illinois on their way South to the southern U.S., Central America, and South America to escape the cold winter and lack of food supply. During these migratory seasons, species that are not normally seen in your area might be coming through, such as the Magnolia Warbler and the American Redstart, which are on their way South to Central and South America.
What Can You Do to Help?
Plant native trees and flowers
Because of the long journey, birds need to be able to get food along the way. With decreasing diversity of flora in urban and suburban areas, ample food sources, such as bugs and seeds are increasingly difficult for migratory species to come by. Pesticide use and monoculture agriculture is turning their travel route from an all-you-can-eat buffet into a Nevada desert gas station scavenger hunt. Imagine Forrest Gump making his trek across the U.S. with only the occasional French fry; it wouldn’t happen. So, how can you help the birdies out, you ask? Plant some native flora! Diverse flowers attract diverse insects, which help feed the immense variety of bird species that come through Illinois (not to mention the native bats!).
Build shelters and nests
Nobody wants to get caught out in the rain when they’ve got business to do, and that includes our avian friends. Building nest boxes and shelters helps our friends have a dry and safe night’s rest before continuing on the air highway. Some species also nest here in Illinois during the Spring, so building nest boxes also helps them to have a safe place to raise their young; and if you planted some native plants near the box, they’ll have food delivery, too!
Put decals on your windows
Birds more than likely don’t understand the concept of windows on our homes, and so they don’t know to be looking out for these invisible barriers. As a result, they often fly straight into them and suffer severe head trauma – a major reason a lot of birds end up here at the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Placing decals on your windows helps them to see the window and at least slow down before attempting to fly through it, which can potentially save their lives.
Want to learn more?
Cornell University and their Ornithology Lab have put out some incredible free resources for us bird lovers, such as Merlin and eBird. Merlin functions as a bird-identifying app through use of sound and step-by-step visual identification tools to help you figure out what obscure bird it was that you just heard or saw. Once you figure out the little bugger, you can hop over to eBird, Merlin’s sister-app, to record the bird you saw and at what location. This is a way to help contribute to the ongoing research of bird migration seasons, which even helps us out here at the WMC! We can use the information learned from species-specific migratory seasons to know if it is okay to release a bird or if they have to over-winter; we want to make sure we’re sending them out with a band of their mates to find their feeding grounds for the winter.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy seeing a new bird or two!
References
“American Redstart Overview, All about Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, TheCornellLab, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Redstart. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
“Illinois – Birdcast Migration Dashboard.” BirdCast, TheCornellLab, dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-IL. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
“Magnolia Warbler Overview, All about Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, TheCornellLab, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/magnolia_warbler. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024
Written By: Rylan D., class of 2028.
