Birds intrigue us more than perhaps any other group of animals. Of all the fascinating aspects of the wonderful world of birds, the annual spectacle of migration is the one that might captivate our imagination the most. For many of us, the phenomenon of migration holds an almost mythical appeal. As a child, I would watch nature documentaries in awe as they showed footage of vast numbers of birds migrating south in the fall. I always thought- maybe someday I’ll be able to see this in person! As it turns out, many of us can- and fairly close to home. In North America, many bird species that breed in the boreal forest and arctic tundra migrate to Central and South America for the winter. There are four migratory flyways that birds take on their south- and northbound journeys: the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific. Here in Texas we’re located right in middle of the Central Flyway. Every fall, hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, shorebirds, and songbirds head south through the Great Plains. In the spring, many of these same species along with larger numbers of songbirds like warblers, vireos, and thrushes pass through in equally impressive numbers.
Now when many people think of bird migration, perhaps waterfowl or songbirds might be the first thing that comes to mind. Large flocks of ducks and geese moving south for the winter, or maybe songbirds heading north in the spring. However, there’s another group of birds that are arguably the champions of long-distance migration: shorebirds. This bird family, familiar to many in the form of sandpipers that you see running along the surf at the beach, achieve some of the most spectacular migratory feats of any group of birds in North America and arguably the world. Around two-thirds of North American shorebird species breed in the arctic tundra and spend the winter in south and central America. Their annual migration routes can cover over 15,000 miles! Powerful fliers, some species such as the Hudsonian Godwit have been known to fly for days on end nonstop. In fact, the Bar-tailed Godwit may hold one of the most remarkable migratory feats. This species flies, each and every fall, from Alaska to New Zealand. And here’s the kicker- nonstop! Over 7,000 miles in the air at once. If that’s not a wondrous feat of nature, then I don’t know what is.
For many other species, stopover sites are critical to their refueling on their long journey. Some well-known stopover sites are the Delaware Bay on the east coast, and Cheyenne Bottoms in central Kansas. Although here in Brazos County we are not near the major stopover sites that may attract hundreds of thousands individual shorebirds, we are still privy to the spectacle that is shorebird migration on a slightly smaller scale. It’s not just as simple as walking outside and suddenly seeing a lot of birds though. How easy birding would be if that were the case! Bird migration, and their selection of stopover locations to refuel, is affected by a number of factors including prevailing weather patterns. Let’s take a look at a local example: shorebirds only congregate in numbers after a passing front that pushes the birds down, and heavy or prolonged rain that results in flooded fields that flocks can use for foraging. The effects of weather on bird migration are far-ranging and can drastically influence how many, and where, individual migrants are found while in transit to or from their breeding grounds.
Interestingly, shorebirds are some of the latest north-bound migrants to come through in the spring and some of the earliest south-bound migrants to come through in the fall. Spring migrants can still be seen heading north as late as June, and southbound migrants start passing through in numbers in July. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, and Pectoral Sandpipers are a few of these species. After a good rain during spring and fall, if you look closely at flooded fields in the area then you might get lucky and spot a flock! Alternatively, the shorelines of lakes can also be attractive to migrant shorebirds. Lake Bryan is a good local example. Many shorebird species can be similar in appearance and difficult to identify in the field, however. Purchasing a good field guide, such as the Sibley Guide to Birds or the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, can help.
From the 15,000-mile round trip flights that some shorebird species take, to tiny hummingbirds traversing the Gulf of Mexico, to hundreds of thousands of Snow Geese that migrate through the central Plains, the phenomenon of bird migration can leave us in pure amazement and wonder. The National Audubon Society, and its associated local chapters, works in conjunction with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, American Bird Conservancy, and numerous other conservation organizations to protect some of the most sensitive stopover habitat that these migrant birds depend on. If you’re interested in learning more about bird migration, bird identification, or birding in the Bryan-College Station area, feel free to reach out to the Rio Brazos Audubon Society on Facebook, by email at riobrazosaudubon@gmail.com, or through our website at https://riobrazosaudubon.org.
Written By: Michael W.D. McCloy – College Station, Texas
Michael is currently a graduate student at Texas A&M and serves as the Student Outreach Chair for the Rio Brazos Audubon Society.