Finally Fall: Birds on the Wing – Migration: Part 1

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.

William Wordsworth

Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations.  This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.

True or false: Of the 650+ species of breeding birds in North America, only 1/3 are migratory. False! Over half of the bird species are migratory - this means billions of individual birds migrate every year. The word migration stems from the Latin migratus, meaning "to move" or "to change". Why do birds migrate? Our feathered friends relocate from one habitat to another in order to mate, nest, grow, and find food. Migration can be triggered by changes in day length and temperatures, changes in the food supply, and even genetic make-up. Birds have evolved to develop near-miraculous adaptions for long-distance flight, navigational accuracy, and herculean endurance... enough hyping it up, let's get into it!

Download the full PDF here.

This resource was created by Joanne Vogel and Kate Reilly.