[Mnbird] Seeing where those birds go

[Richard Schroeder]

I stumbled across this site today.  Wow!
Bird Migration Explorer


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Bird Migration Explorer

The Bird Migration Explorer is your guide to the heroic annual journeys made by over 450 bird species, and the c...
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It's probably old news to you birders.  But I'd never visited it.  And I LOVE seeing where birds pass through MN or Central America, or anywhere!
It has various options to choose--leave everything Spanish, or translate to English, for starter.  Or what bird types to include,  or searching by location or by species.  Or just load them all & click on one of the flight path lines & see where that bird has been, and where it's going.
You might remember the Modus antennae we saw one day at a restaurant that hosted many feeders for hummingbirds.  It's one of the many collectors tracking these birds.
I think this is SUPER cool to look at!
And then the ramifications start to occur to me.  
For example, I'd always heard that Peregrine Falcons nest in North America, and migrate to South America to escape the harsh winter conditions.  It's also to take advantage of an overabundance of appropriate food along the way and in South America--to keep things in balance as species hatch & grow & multiply.  

This keeps the Peregrines' numbers in check, while keeping the numbers of their prey species under control.  Naturally.The impact of humans on migrating birds in one location directly affects the count of prey species where those birds migrate for winter or summer.  
When Mexico's government or famers spray pesticides to control grasshoppers, the hawks that rely on eating those grasshoppers during the winter die.  Either from eating the poisoned grasshoppers, or from not having enough to eat.Then, where there would have been enough hawks to control pests further north in Minnesota or Canada, many fewer hawks survive to return, nest, and eat the pests up here or up north.
Resulting in more pests, and more damage from the rodents or insects to our crops or our homes.

Understanding how birds travel, what routes they use, helps us reduce the impact humans may inadvertently have on those birds.  Maybe through the use of buildings with bird-friendly glass.  Maybe by encouraging people & businesses to reduce light pollution.  Maybe by modifying wind turbine blades that help produce our electricity so those blades make a sound that warns the birds away from them.

Here's just one example of a migratory bird specie's path, from the site that collects & animates & makes the data available to us all.  North American Peregrine Falcons nest across northern U.S. and Canada.  But they all pass through Central America on their way to a limited number of places in South America.  
Keeping these flyways safe & clear of human obstacles is important to the survival of the species.
Not to mention how having them around benefits us.  Keeping insects or rodent pests under control results in lower costs to us for food & materials & homes.  
And maybe, just maybe, our hearts & souls benefit from seeing & hearing the birds around us.  Imagine, as did Rachel Carson, a silent spring--one without birds.  Due to the carelessness or greed or lack of understanding by people & businesses.
Good Birding!
Rick SchroederIn the Little Red HouseIn the Saginaw Wood

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