What’s Flying Overhead?
It’s that time of the year when the planet’s greatest long-distance athletes are making their incredible journeys. None of these feathered flyers weighs more than a few pounds,(or even grams) yet some of them fly phenomenal distances.
The Arctic tern weighing in at 3.9 oz.( 110 g.) makes a round-trip journey of about 60,000 miles (9,6,561 kilometers) from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle and back again! They are master gliders and can even eat and sleep while gliding! Or the tiny rufous hummingbird which weighs 0.12 oz (3.4g) and battles rain, wind, cold fronts and storms to migrate from Mexico to Alaska, a journey of almost 4,000 miles (6,440 kilometers). And then, of course, they head back south before the snows fly and kill all the flowers and insects they depend upon.
Eight major migratory flyways of the world, courtesy of Birdlife International
Not all birds migrate, but many must in order to access adequate food supplies and nesting grounds. Our local Audubon chapter celebrates the spring migration annually by hosting a Birdathon to raise money for scholarships or our general fund.
I was part of a 5-person team that worked to see how many species we could see in one 24-hour period. My “Wingin’It” team walked beaches, forest trails and farm fields to come up with a count of 113 species.*
The timing of our birdathon coincides with the date most likely to have the greatest number of spring migrating birds passing through on their way north to their summering grounds.
A really cool way to see how many birds are migrating overhead, even at night!
Thanks to decades of research and monitoring, many scientists and organizations have created the Birdcast web site. (Primary sponsoring partners: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and UMass Amherst) The site contains real life current maps of migration at any given time of the day or night. You literally can see the number of birds migrating in at any hour over the United States. (I have not been able to find a comparable map for other countries.) In addition to their live map, they make both local and national predictions for each night.
May 5, 3 a.m. EDT, (Van Doren, B. M and Horton, K. G. Year/s of forecast migration map image. BirdCast, migration forecast map; generation date and time . Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University. birdcast.info. Date/s of access or download)
May 7, 2 a.m. EDT,
Birdcast map, midnight PST, (Van Doren, B. M and Horton, K. G. Year/s of forecast migration map image. BirdCast, migration forecast map; generation date and time . Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University. birdcast.info. Date/s of access or download)
The same radar that meteorologists use to estimate rainfall rates also detects other objects in the atmosphere, like birds. Look at the difference in the two maps 48 hours apart! The May 5 map from about midnight PDT shows 462.5 million birds aloft in the U.S. with most of them occupying the central flyway enroute to the Arctic. The May 7 map from 2 a.m. EDT shows a very much activated Pacific Flyway and 461.6 million birds. (Many birds migrate at night to avoid the threat of predators.)
These are astounding numbers—an ancient, ongoing pattern despite immense interference from we humans that share the planet with birds. Don’t delay, go on this website while migration is happening and discover what is flying overhead both at night and during the day.
*The birdathon is very different from the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count where teams go out and count not only species, but the exact number of each species seen. And the species you can find in the CBC are only those hearty enough to overwinter. For example, our CBC team usually logs less than half the number of species as we do in the birdathon.
Thanks so much for including me.
You are welcome, Larry. We are all included in the miracle of bird migration simply by going outdoors and taking the time to observe our feathered friends at work.
I love knowing about these maps! Thank you so much.
A friend just sent me a message tonight about how listening to bird song reduces our cortisol, slows our heart rate, and calms our nervous system because our body remembers that when birds are singing we are safe.
Birds!!! So marvelous and wondrous.
Thank you for this, Jana. Yes, when the birds are singing, we are safe! Not a metaphor I had thought of, but one I will remember and treasure.
Nature. Simply amazing. I watch the hummingbirds during stormy weather from my window and wonder how they survive. And that’s nothing! You are amazing too.
For me watching birds and learning more about what they are doing, where they are hanging out, and how, if at all, they participate in migration gives me renewed awe and appreciation for the world we live in. It is such a readily available source of wonder!
I love this, Ann! I’ve been immersed this week in all things bird and it’s the best time spent in months . I would love to join you sometime for one of these bird counts! Migration season is astonishing and I’ve been watching two mama rufous hummingbirds prepare their young ones to fledge. i know they have come hundreds of miles to return to this area and I am in awe every moment! Thanks for all you do.
Your photos and observations of birds really add to my sense of wonder every time I read your blog. I have been a casual photographer but so appreciate those who can bring us in closer to that which is around us always. My friends’ spotting scopes help bring things in much closer than even my remarkable binoculars. And that is a blessings.
You are such a wonderful inspiring teacher. thank you dear friend for your curiosity, intelligence, love of all living things and more…..
You are most welcome, my friend. I know you know the wonder of the natural world.
It is truly mind boggling to consider the journey each bird makes. These past years we have marveled at the bee-eaters that circle above our property in Spain before undertaking their crossing of the Mediterranean on their way to Africa. And what a joy each spring when they return.
And now in Portugal the Stork chicks have hatched and we can see their fluffy heads popping above the edge of nests that top telephone poles, steeples, high tension towers…I’m monitoring three chicks in a nest on a cliff above the ocean.
There is a steadiness in these observations that calms my soul.
Thank you for bringing in the European migration! Bee eaters and storks! “There is a steadiness in these observations that calms my soul.” Could not say it any more eloquently than that.
This is so awesome Ann! I had no idea we could see maps of migrating birds. I love this so much. Thank you for sharing your love for birds and this wonderful way to witness to their amazing journeys!
Love your response, Glenda! One of my intentions in writing was to open the world of bird migration wider for the ordinary to see. With gratitude for scientists who have taken decades to create these maps!
Hey ann,
Wow. I looked up bird migration from Australia and found this:
Many Australian migratory shorebirds, including species like the Eastern Curlew and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, undertake long journeys to Russia, primarily to breed in the Arctic tundra. They travel north to eastern Siberia and the Taymyr Peninsula, with some bar-tailed godwits even reaching Alaska. These birds, some as small as 30-40 grams, fly thousands of kilometers, round-trip distances of around 25,000 km (15,534 miles!) , between Australia and their northern breeding grounds. They return south to Australia after the short northern hemisphere summer, from September through April.
The Arctic tundra in Russia and Alaska provides suitable breeding habitat for many shorebird species. The permafrost melts in the summer, and insects emerge, providing a rich food source for the breeding birds.
Breeding and Return:
The shorebirds reach their breeding grounds in Russia and Alaska in June, where they breed and raise their young. After a brief period of breeding and feeding, they return south to Australia and other parts of the Australasian region.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-06/russian-sharp-tailed-sandpiper-flies-to-australia/101474408
So cool!
Thanks for inspiring my search!
Linette XXXXX
Hello Linette! Marvelous to hear from Australia! Yes, everywhere on the planet birds are making their remarkable journeys right now. Honestly, I think it is one of nature’s most amazing phenomenon. Would you believe we have bar-tailed godwits in Washington state along the coast? They are rare, but they do appear here! One of the interesting things is how the stopover areas for your migrants occur along the Chinese coast, which is highly industrialized and therefore often challenging for the birds. But there are also conservation efforts to preserve some of their wetlands. Love, love, hearing from you! Ann