By Rose Whipple
Song Sparrow at Wakaŋ Tipi
Photo by Wolfie Browender
This year, World Migratory Bird Day lands on October 8th. We are happy to celebrate our winged relatives every day, but especially during fall migration, one of our last moments to see some of our bird relatives until next spring.
I recently went birding for the first time on September 18th at Wakan Tipi on the East Side of St. Paul with the Urban Bird Collective during our monthly BIPOC bird walk. It was such an amazing experience. I have always thought birds were magnificent beings, and to hear how many birds were migrating in the area right above me was mind blowing! It made me think about my lack of knowledge of birds in my homelands of Mni Sota, and has inspired me to learn more so I can recognize some of the birds flying over my neighborhood this fall and what fall migration entails. Here are some of things I have learned!
The American Goldfinch is considered to have irregular migratory habits.
Photo taken at Wakaŋ Tipi by Wolfie Browender
Fall Migration
Just last night an estimated 48,300 birds migrated over Ramsey County, according to the BirdCast Migration Dashboard.
In autumn, a number of bird species will migrate south towards warmer temperatures, longer days, more food, and their nesting areas. Fall migration begins earlier than you might think, in July, and ends in early December. I wondered, what birds are migrating, and where are they going? I found out there are hundreds of species of birds that are migrating, and there are also a number of birds that stay year-round. Some of the birds that will migrate this fall include sparrows, warblers, swallows, flycatchers, raptors, swans, ducks, and geese, just to name a few!
I also learned there are different types of migration, and different pathways birds take. There are long distance migrants that travel across continents, from Canada all the way to South America. There are also medium distance and short distance migrants that travel shorter distances. All migrants follow one of four migratory flight paths in North America called “flyways”. The Atlantic flyway spans from Greenland down towards the Caribbean. The Mississippi flyway, which is the path Minnesota migrants follow, starts in Northern Canada through the Midwest and into Central and South America. West of that is the Central flyway, this path spans from Northern Canada, into the central U.S, then downwards towards the Gulf of Mexico. Furthest west is the Pacific Flyway which starts as far north as Alaska, down the Pacific coastline, and into Central America.
Although no two species follow the same route, and some birds have totally unpredictable migratory routes, knowing that these routes exist is pretty amazing! I have heard that if you set a camera down in the same tree every year, you will be able to see the same species of bird come back to that location year after year. Scientists and researchers are still trying to figure out why birds travel towards the same areas annually, and how exactly they know where they are going.
Blue Heron are long-distance migrants, sometimes travelling more than 3,000 miles
Photo taken at Pig’s Eye Regional Park
Major Threats
There are several different things that threaten our bird relatives, and their fall migration patterns. Some are due to human interference and other times it is just nature playing its part. One of the biggest impacts humans have on fall migration is light pollution. The artificial light from cities, towns, and homes lure in birds that migrate nocturnally, and disorientate them, making them circulate an area until they pass out from exhaustion. Light pollution also causes birds to collide with buildings or other structures, which is estimated to cause over 25 million bird deaths per year. Another big threat is lack of habitat due to agriculture and development, habitats are crucially important to the species living in it, when you take that habitat away, birds, insects, and animals lose their shelters, and food. That can be life threatening for many birds. Lastly, one of the biggest threats to migratory birds today is climate change. Climate change causes shifts in temperatures, weather, and landscapes. Heatwaves, hurricanes, tornadoes, all have a strong impact on birds. The impact climate change has had on temperature has changed the timing of spring and fall migration. Several studies have been done that have found birds staying in their summer grounds longer, causing some birds to not migrate at all, meaning birds may no longer move to overwinter in other areas. This can cause competition for food and shelter between both migratory birds and birds that never leave their homes.
Mallard Ducks at Wakaŋ Tipi
Photo by Maggie Lorenz
Honoring Our Winged Relatives
We must all work towards honoring our bird relatives and finding solutions so birds can continue to make a safe journey during their migrations. As Indigenous people, we have always honored birds since time began, some tribes even have clans named after several different types of birds. When we dance at Powwows, we often wear eagle and hawk feathers and plumes on our regalia. I have many friends and relatives that are also named after different types of birds in their native languages. We have always deemed birds as sacred, and it is our ancestral duty to continue to honor and take care of our winged relatives.
Before I went to my first birding event at Wakan Tipi, I don’t believe I had any knowledge of bird names, migrations, or the negative impacts humans have had on their lives and future. Now, I have learned so much more about what I can do to help care for these sacred beings, who have been here on Ina Maka (mother earth) even before human beings were here. It is important we create safe habitats and ecosystems, turn off our outside porch or streetlights, and try our best to fight climate change in our communities. We can all do our part to make this world safer for birds and their migratory paths.
Don’t forget to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on October 8th and join us for our next BIPOC Bird Walk with the Urban Bird Collective on October 16th! RSVP here.
