The Ebb of Nature — Bird Migrations Have Begun
Revel in this glorious cycle
Nature
The Ebb of Nature — Bird Migrations Have Begun
Autumn. A chill is in the air and the morning is dark when I wake up. The ebb of nature begins as leaves turn color and pumpkin spice flavors permeate everything. It’s such a wonderful time of the year, but I carry a tinge of sadness too. It’ll be another 6 months till I see some of my feathered friends again. The great bird migration has begun.
A Carolina wren flew into our living room and landed on our TV. It had a strand of dead grass in its beak and looked confused. I called for my son, who was up in his room to come down. My partner and daughter came running. We had to chase the bird back outside. After much activity, the wren flew into my son’s room. He opened his window and it flew out.
Crisis averted, at least for the next half hour.
On warm spring days, we tend to leave our side and deck doors open. We’re always going in and out and the dogs love the freedom to run out in any direction they like. Plus, we get much-needed fresh air into the house and ventilate out the old Winter air with fresh Spring air.
At least once a year we get a confused bird in the house. We thought it was odd that it happened so soon this year.
About 30 minutes later, another wren flew through the side door and into the house. This time, he was complaining. Making a ton of noise and shit a few times in our house. Then he flew up to my son’s room and out his window.
It was the beginning of a trend.
The second wave of bird migration is happening right now in the United States. Millions of migrating birds will be flying south at night to their wintering grounds from their summer grounds. They will fly overhead while we’re snuggled in our beds.
In the morning you might see or hear some new bird sounds from the ones that needed to take a break, so it’s a wonderful time. This is the time of the year when one of my favorite birds returns, the white-throated sparrow.
I checked the bird migratory dashboard this past weekend and learned that 78,000 birds flew over our area as we slept.
Amazing.
All this happens every Spring and every Autumn and so many of us are unaware of the massive airborne biodiversity that moves in the night.
A few days later both wrens flew into our house again. They were obviously a mated pair and made a lot of noise. They followed the same pattern as before and flew up into my son’s room and out his window.
I wondered if they were making a nest nearby the house and got confused when we had our side door open. I walked around the side of the house and to our garage door, which was wide open.
After a few minutes of scanning the area, I saw a bird’s nest. It was in the garage. I had my answer.
Just like our doors, we keep on garage door open during the day as we move lawnmowers and yard tools in and out. I had weed whacked a week ago and hung my weed whacker back up on the wall. At the very top of it sat a brand new wren nest.
The mated pair of wrens were flying in and out of our garage all day long. Every once in a while they’d get confused by our side door because both doors were very close together.
I checked to see if any eggs were in the nest. Luckily there weren’t any so I had to move fast.
I built a temporary “bird box” out of cardboard and gently lifted the nest into it. I then secured it outside of the garage door over one of the exterior lights.
This summer I recorded the bird song of Yellow-rumped Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo, two migrating birds. I always suspected them to be in the area but it’s really hard to see them, they’re not as noisy and braggadocios as a Carolina wren.
I checked their sound signatures on the Merlin App and sure enough, I was able to confirm their songs in the Spring and Summer. I spied the Vireo later in the Spring and possibly the Warbler too.
My son, who has turned into an amateur ornithologist says he sees and hears them. He can identify birds by their song.
Some people don’t give a shit about the birds. They don’t care, it’s not the latest fashion trend or political trend.
Me? I’m amazed by all this. I have always been amazed by the awesomeness of nature and all the creatures that live in it. I’m humbled that I’m part of the same ecosystem that these tiny birds live in.
What is the point of life if you can’t enjoy living in it, and for me, that’s to know nature. That’s to learn as much of her secrets and revel in them.
Soon crazy duck season will start and I’ll see the Winter gang of birds at the feeder. They’ll be holding down the fort for the other birds, through the cold and snow. Welcoming those weary travelers to my yard and bird feeder in Spring, with the noisy wrens and all.
A special note: Bird migrations happen twice a year and many of our fine feathered friends never make it alive. Nighttime lights can cause a lot of birds to get confused and crash into buildings. Please take part in the lights out at night campaign. It’ll help our feathered friends make the journey safely so we can all enjoy their songs for years to come. Thank you.
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