Beyond Your Backyard - Amazing Feats Of Migration

By Kimberly J. Epp

Saturday, May 9th is World Migratory Bird Day.

But why do birds migrate in the first place? You might think they migrate because of the cold, but the real reason is food availability.

The birds that migrate return to our areas over the Spring for mating, breeding and brood rearing. Others migrate further north, all the way to the Arctic. Sometimes, if food is in abundance, birds such as American Robins may just choose to overwinter.

To celebrate their special day, I've put together some of the interesting migration feats of a few of our North American birds. If these birds could receive medals, these are the categories they would win in. So, let's begin a short overview of the "Bird Olympics"!

(1) "Longest Stretch/Tiniest Migrator - Ruby-throated Hummingbird"

Although the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is not our only hummingbird, it is the most common one.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s migration is nothing short of impressive.

These tiny birds embark on a long journey, and some take the journey even further with a non-stop 900 mile (1,448 kilometre) journey across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The non-stop flight over water would seemingly require a caloric energy that far exceeds an adult hummingbird’s body weight.

Male ruby-throated hummingbird - photo credit unknown

However, researchers discovered the tiny birds can double their fat mass by approximately one gram in preparation for their Gulf crossing. They then expend the entire calorie reserve from the fat during the 20 hour non-stop crossing when food and water are unavailable.

What this tiny hummingbird requires for normal daily caloric intake would be like you eating 500 hamburgers a day. Be prepared for their return by the end of May.

Amazingly, they will remember a home where they found food and return to the same home year after year. Planting bright red flowers like crocosmus or putting out feeders with a water to raw sugar ratio of 4 to 1 WITHOUT food coloring can help, although it is best to offer both.

(2) "Most Endangered Owl - Burrowing Owl”

With fewer than 1,000 pairs thought to exist in the country, the Burrowing Owl is one of Canada's most endangered birds.

The Burrowing Owl is a small, long-legged grasslands owl that relies on the discarded burrows of animals like prairie dogs or badgers.

These owls will make sounds like rattlesnakes to detract predators. They also cache food in their burrows for lean times, with one burrow in Saskatchewan found to have 200 rodents within. These tiny owls even place discarded trash near the entrances of their burrows, possibly signifying that the burrow is occupied.

Their decline is due to a variety of factors, although mainly loss of habitat and the loss of prairie dog towns. During migration, these tiny owls will travel up to 300 kilometres per night. Migration is a 2,500 to 3,500 kilometre journey down to Texas and central Mexico.

If you think you have burrowing owls nesting on your field, please contact the "Operation Burrowing Owl" program through Nature Saskatchewan.

(3) "Largest Flocks - Snow Goose"

In 1994, I spent a month up in the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary working for the Canadian Wildlife Service, the largest breeding grounds for Snow and Ross Geese. Even at that time, it seemed there were nests everywhere. Since then, the population of Snow Geese has sky rocketed.

You may have noticed them during their migration this Spring as they stopped to rest and feed in nearby fields. These fields can be described as a sea of white during migration. The sounds of hundreds of birds congregated together is almost deafening.

Snow Geese during migration - photo by Nick Lanfear

The migration of Snow Geese is longer than most other North American goose migrations. The distance is more than 4,000 kilometres in narrow flyways all the way up to the Arctic. During migration, they will fly both during the day and night.

In the Spring, up to 400 birds migrate together, while in the fall that number reaches more than 1,000.

(4) "Largest Migrator - Bald Eagle"

North America's largest bird of prey is the Bald Eagle.

With a wingspan measuring six to seven feet, most eagles weigh between seven and ten pounds.

These birds also build some of the biggest nests in the world, adding more sticks and twigs to them each year. The largest Bald Eagle nest was weighed in at over two tonnes. This was also the largest and heaviest bird's nest on record.

Bald eagle shoeing off its massive six to seven foot wing span - photo by Nick Lanfear

Bald Eagles migrate to Southern climates where they are able to fish. During migration, they can fly 225 miles (362 km) in one day. A stream of migrating Bald Eagles can be up to twenty to thirty miles (32 to 48 km) in length, with birds spread out every half mile.

(5) "Fastest Migrator - Peregrine Falcon"

The Peregrine Falcon is not only the fastest bird on the planet, but is the fastest hunter on earth.

Once in danger of going extinct, these birds have made a comeback with the help of falconers and breeding programs.

The falcon can do a high speed dive to catch prey, such as ducks and pigeons, at a speed of more than 300 kilometres per hour.

Peregrine Falcon in flight - photo by Nick Lanfear

In the Fall, peregrines head south for the winter, following flocks of songbirds and waterbirds. There are some peregrines, however, that remain in cities year round where there a year-round supply of birds such as pigeons, exists. Sometimes peregrines will even nest on building ledges. Others nest on steep cliffs.

During migration, a peregrine can fly 1,100 kilometres in a single day. They have been recorded flying at speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, making them the birds with the fastest speed ever recorded on self-powered flight as well as the birds with the fastest endurance flight.

(6) "Longest Migration - Arctic Tern"

The bird that gets the longest migration medal is the Arctic Tern. In fact, this bird has the longest migration of any animal in the world.

Annually, terns migrate from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

One determined tern traveled 60,000 miles (96,560 km), more than twice the circumference of the planet.

Arctic tern with fluffy chicks - photo by Nora Livingstone

The migration south takes up to 93 days to complete. Terns cover 25,700 kilometres from their wintering site to their breeding site, which is usually a 40 day long journey.

These small seabirds have bodies made to travel long distances. Their bodies are small, with short legs snd narrow wings. They are able to easily glide through the skies on a breeze. Let's give it up for the Arctic Tern, with the most amazing migration feat of them all!

(7) "Host Your Own Bird Olympics"

Every bird is unique, with adaptations to help them survive and thrive in their habitats.

A reminder that you can help some of the birds that come into your own yard by providing them fresh water in a bird bath. A water dish on the ground will also be utilized by both birds and mammals alike.

Female ruby throated hummingbird - photo by Nick Lanfear

If you are a beginner backyard bird watcher, placing some bird seed such as oilseed in feeders will help the urban birds as they provide for their young. Plus, it will give you a chance to get a closer look at some of the birds, migrators and year-round residents, that call Moose Jaw home.

As you observe the birds in your yard, what medals would you give out to them? Why not host your own "Bird Olympics" this Spring! I'll be the first to say the "cheeriest bird" medal goes to the chickadee.

Happy World Migratory Bird Day, or as the chickadees say, 🎵"Cheese-burger"!🎵

🐦🦆🦅🐦🦆🦅🐦🦆🦅🐦🦆🦅🐦🦆🦅 Kimberly Epp is a Writer/Environmental Educator in Moose Jaw, SK.

She is the Past President and Field Trip/Workshops Director for the Moose Jaw Nature Society. She can be reached at kepp@shaw.ca or via the Moose Jaw Nature Society Facebook page.