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Reflections in Nature: Migration of birds is one of the many wonders in nature

Diary entry for October 21, 2021: “Saw my first migrating flock of ducks on a pond.”

The flock, which was coming from the north, landed on the pond due to change in the weather system. Previously, the weather had been coming from the north but was now coming out of the south. By the end of October or the beginning of November, I usually see large flocks of geese and ducks migrating south.

In checking past diaries, I found that some geese were still migrating during December 2008. Diary entry for December 20, 2008, “During the night, seven inches of snow has fallen. While shoveling our walk, I heard flocks of geese heading south.”

With the temperature well below freezing and snow on the ground, I couldn’t believe flocks of geese were still heading south. However, I was positive that these were not local geese. During the next two hours, I saw and heard three more flocks of geese that were flying high and fast.

The heavy snow prevented me from seeing a fourth flock, however, I could hear them.

The migration of birds is one of the many wonders in nature. Our word migration comes from the Latin word migrare, meaning to wander and comes from Mutare, which is also Latin, meaning change.

There are approximately 9,500 species of birds worldwide, and nearly half of them migrate. In nature, most migrations of birds are seasonal, however, some migrations require a lifetime to complete. Some species of Pacific salmon, which are born in fresh water, travel to the ocean, return to the stream where they were born, breed, lay their eggs and die.

There are three types of migrations: return migration, in which the animal or bird (Canada goose) returns; re-migration, in which the return trip is made by later generations (monarch butterfly); removal migration, in which the movement is one way, without any intention of returning. Man is probably the best example as humans have moved from one country to another.

The longest migrating bird is the Arctic tern, which nests as far north as there is land. Nests have been discovered only seven and a half degrees from the North Pole. The Arctic tern’s nesting season begins near the middle of June. After the young are raised, which is near the end of August, the whole family begins a migration to the Antarctic.

Several months later they are found on the edge of the Antarctic continent: a distance of 11,000 miles. The Arctic terns spend about 14 weeks at their nest site in the Arctic, which is two weeks longer than they spend in the Antarctic. This allows 20 weeks to make their 22,000 mile migration of 11,000 miles each way. Mathematically, the Artic terns must fly 150 miles in a straight line every day, however, this amount could be doubled because of their zigzag flight in search of food.

The Arctic tern sees more hours of daylight and sunshine than any other animal on earth. At their northern nesting site, the midnight sun has already appeared before the birds arrive and never sets during their entire stay.

During the two months in the Antarctic, the birds do not see a sunset, and for the remainder of the time, the sun dips only a little way below the horizon, with continuous daylight. The Arctic tern has 24 hours of daylight for at least eight months, and during the other four months, they have considerably more daylight than darkness.

The hummingbird migrates as far as 3,000 miles, which includes a non-stop flight of 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. However, the longest non-stop migration flight goes to the bar-tailed godwits, which breed on the Arctic tundra. Their migration is a 6,300 mile nonstop flight from extreme Northern Europe to New Zealand.

The longest migration by an American bird belongs to the American Golden Plovers. In late summer, these birds, which nested along the Arctic coast of Alaska, gather in Labrador and Newfoundland. Here, they begin a non-stop flight to the northern coast of South America, a journey of some 2,500 miles. After reaching Brazil in South America, the golden plovers make another long flight across the vast Amazon Basin, arriving at their principal wintering grounds on the pampas of Argentina.

Not all birds migrate a great distance. For instance, our common crows that nest in Pennsylvania will move south for the winter. They are replaced by crows from up north that migrate into Pennsylvania, where they spend the winter. Sometimes these northern crows form large flocks and become a nuisance in many cities.

Every year, by the beginning of March, I knew I would receive a call from Eldon York, who lived on Armenia Mountain, saying that he saw a woodcock. The woodcock would be seen in a spring seep, where the snow had melted. Ray Berry, who also lived on Armenia Mountain, would call me when he heard his first woodcock peenting of the year. Ray also enjoyed watching the woodcock on their mating flights.

Both Eldon and Ray are now deceased, and I miss their calls. Since hunters frequently see woodcock during October, their migration is difficult to determine exactly when it begins. These woodcock usually arrive near the beginning of April after the ground has thawed and leave by the end of October after the ground has frozen.

Yes, the migration of birds is one of the wonders of nature, one that has always caused the blood to stir within us humans.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.

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