For the Birds: Bird Migration is a happening thing

Black-headed Grosbeak male eating black-oil seed

Photos and Text by Christine Southwick

Gone are the Willow and the Olive-sided Flycatchers. Gone are the Orange-crowned and the Yellow-rumped Warblers. Most all of the warblers except for our hardy Townsend’s Warblers have also left for their wintering grounds further south.

Did you know that most songbirds migrate during the night, and find perches in the mornings? If you are an early-riser, like I am, you may hear bird calls, different from the calls of our backyard birds.

Swainson's Thrush

Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Swainson’s Thrushes are some of the migrating birds that I heard just this morning. I know that Wilson’s Warblers are on their way south though I didn’t hear them. There were probably others, and certainly there were others that flew earlier in darkness.

Why fly in the dark? Flocks of songbirds would be great targets for all sorts of raptors—Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Merlin and Peregrine Falcons. Even Red-tailed Hawks might find flocks too tempting to ignore. By flying at night, birds eliminate that danger. By flying high at night, they don’t have to worry about owls either. Sun and heat raising from the ground taxes their energy faster than cold, so flying at night saves energy. If it is too cold, birds will wait, rest, and feed at stops along their migration route.

Wilson's Warbler near rock in dripping bird bath

This month is the changing of the guard — Dark-eyed Juncos will increase in numbers, and stay in our yards through the winter until about April or May. Varied Thrushes and Fox Sparrows will start appearing in yards with leaves on the ground and in brushy areas. Himalayan blackberries are a favorite with these two species, both for protection from the elements and predators, and for food sources—spiders and other delectables.

Yellow-rumped Warbler at bird bath

The longer the migration, the more fat (fat equals energy and stamina) they need. Just before a long migration, some birds will double their weight, and then fly straight through the whole night. Amazing feats of distance have been logged now that there are newer ways of measuring individual bird flight.

You can help these migrants, and our wintering birds, by keeping food in your feeders. Water is just as important, and will bring many travelers down into your yard. Several of my pictures show migrants as they bathed, drank, and probably partook for the smorgasbord offered by my feeders.