BirdCast - Aug. 24, 2025
BirdCast - Aug. 29, 2025
Any of us who take transatlantic flights know what it’s like to arrive at our destination somewhat exhausted and jet-lagged. Whether we travel solo, in a group or with grandkids, we also know about trip preparations. We start with the best flight in terms of price, duration and layover. We select airports that are less crowded, have duty free, cafés and courteous security checks. During the flight, we have access to movies, meals, restrooms or sleep. We can check flight data—speed and altitude and time to destination. We arrive at destination, a bit groggy and woozy, but an Uber or friend whisks us away.
Air travel overwhelms us at times. But think of the migratory birds! Sandhills may travel 10,000 miles a year, and terns travel 37,000 miles a year or much more. Other birds travel greater distances. Some stopover to refuel and rest. Others don’t break their journey. These birds prepare months in advance by bulking up before embarking on a treacherous journey—some with a flock or others alone. The distance and physical endurance are enough, but birds also suffer from other challenges (e.g., collisions or loss of habitat; Weidensaul 9-11, 66, 145).
Recent drops in temperature in Northern Virginia have impacted winged migrations. The cooling trends, which originated in Canada, combined with a north-north west wind have signaled to some birds that maybe now is the time to head south to winter.
Sandhill Cranes, Gainesville, Fla.
I’m new to learning about bird migrations. My interest started with sandhill cranes that stopped in North Central Florida. Local residents made a point of visiting the resting sites chosen by these elegant birds—most often an educational extension field off Williston Road. More recently, in Virginia, I’ve marveled at a Great Blue Heron who has decided not to migrate but to endure Virginia winters and freezing temperatures.
The availability of websites makes it easier to track migration. BirdCast, created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with collaboration from Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, provides real time data on migrations for many regions and includes the estimated number of birds, flight direction, speed and altitude.
Ornithologist and writer Scott Weidensaul notes our understanding of “migration has improved, so too has our understanding of the gritty, life-and-death challenges that increasingly face these travelers, and the almost inconceivable feats they accomplish twice each year to reach their destinations.” (Weidensaul 9).
Weidensaul points out the importance of public awareness to facilitate migration as well as efforts to maintain unbroken tracts of forests as well as ensure urban landscape conservation. Websites like BirdCast can provide alerts to the public in areas of migration so lights can go out. Perhaps there is already collaboration between those at work on the Florida Wildlife Corridor or in forestry and water resources as well as those follow Doug Tallamy (Homegrown National Park) and his use of native plants to attract insects that provide food for birds and pollinators.
Worries about delayed flights and lost baggage seem trite. Now it a good time for all of us to address challenges of wildlife conservation that lie ahead.
Works Cited
Tallamy, Doug. “Native Keystone Plants for Wildlife.” YouTube. 13 Aug 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030. National Wildlife Federation.
Weidensaul, Scott. A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 2021.
Related Works
Readfearn, Graham. “Astonishing journeys': online tool tracking migratory animals highlights challenge of protecting them.” The Guardian. May 8, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/08/astonishing-journeys-online-tool-tracking-migratory-animals-highlights-challenge-of-protecting-them#img-1. Accessed Aug. 27, 2025.
“Doug Tallamy: You Are The Future of Conservation.” YouTube. Oct. 25, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A4kvIuT5LM. Native Plant Channel.
Wong, Kate. “The Great Fall Bird Migration Has Already Begun—Here’s How to See It.” Scientific American. Aug. 4, 2025.http//www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-watch-the-fall-bird-migration-happening-now/. Accessed Aug. 27, 2025.
Numerous videos on YouTube provide information on migration.
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