This article was written by Stoddard Bird Lab Technician Aiden Haley
As we finally get a break from the intense summer heat, fall is bringing more than just cool weather; it’s bringing migratory songbirds.
Many of these species breed in the Northern United States and throughout Canada, making their way all the way to Florida and even South America to enjoy abundant winter resources.
This is a crucial and often dangerous journey in these birds’ life history. Migrating hundreds to thousands of miles to unfamiliar land, they make frequent stops to refuel and rest along the way. These stops can last a day or two or even a couple of weeks depending on food quality and weather patterns.
Biologists can track these migrants with small, almost weightless devices called NanoTags. These tags transmit signals picked up by Motus towers throughout the Americas.
We even have a Motus tower at Tall Timbers that recently detected migratory wood thrush, Swainson’s thrush, and a prairie warbler. And it’s not just birds that Motus towers can help track, bats and butterflies are also capable of having Motus tags attached to them.
This large-scale data can teach us a lot about migration patterns, pathways, and timing.
An adult Henslow’s Sparrow shows off its brightly patterned back and yellow hues on its neck and head. Photo by Robert Emond.
Some birds are just arriving to spend the winters with us here in North Florida.
A species of greatest conservation concern, Henslow’s sparrows are showing up to their wintering grounds. The Stoddard Bird Lab at Tall Timbers will be using Motus tags this upcoming winter to track Henslow’s sparrow migration northward to their breeding grounds.
We started placing these tags on Henslow’s sparrows last year and a Henslow’s sparrow tagged at Nokuse preserve near Freeport, Florida was detected all the way up in Wisconsin that spring.
The information we can collect from these tags goes to show how important wintering grounds can be in preparing a bird’s journey to breed the next spring.
Most birds migrate by night, a strategy to avoid daytime predators and take advantage of the cool nighttime air. But this can come at a cost.
Bright lights can cause confusion and disorientation, and can lead to window strike collisions. The latter is often fatal, killing millions of birds each year. Something we can all do to help our avian friends is simply turn off the lights at night. Not only will this save the electric bill, but it will save lives as well.
If you want to go out and try to see some of these migratory birds, keep an eye on the forecast for a noticeable drop in temperature and north winds. The next day you might be able to find a plethora of birds in your yard or local park.
