Birds and Zugunruhe, An Experience in Nature

                                                             Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

                                                                    Carolina Wren

                                                     First Canada Goose Family of 2018

                                                         Male Brown-headed Cowbird

                                                            Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

First half of April 2018

Spring migration generally began at the appropriate time, but like everything else that is no
longer certain, the birds are playing a guessing game.  Our avian friends have no choice is what
they do, for zugunruhe is a very strong urge.  It is a great pull telling birds that they are going to
move and they have no control over this very strong call of nature.  It is their call to move north, if
in our hemisphere, and there is nothing that they can do about it.  The birds must go.  Even birds that
are caged or trapped experience the same sensation, and they do try to fly away, even if they cannot.

Experiments have been done, even as far as turning their cages in directions that do not face north, south, east, or west.  In the darkness in an inverted cone-shaped device with paper under them, birds still face the correct direction for their nonexistent flight.

Birds face many hazards during this flight.  The Gulf of Mexico spans six hundred miles, and if the they have northern winds pushing them back, they must still fight the wind or land upon an oil rig if they run out of fat reserves in order the rest.  Violent storms can force them down wherever they may be in transit, so they may or may not make it, possibly plunging into a watery grave.  These animals have been known to hitch rides on boats or ships in order to complete their journey.

Nature is amazing, but it can be cruel.  Juvenal birds survive this grueling journey about fifty percent of the time.

For the birds that do make it in one wave, this event is called a fallout and if any of you have been privy to this, birds will not move once they have landed, as they are so exhausted.  They could land on South Padre Island, High Island or countless other places, even more inland.

The best thing to do is to let them rest so that they can refuel and continue their journey to their breeding grounds, as they only have a few short months to breed.  Some birds travel from one end of the hemisphere to the other, so this is not a feat for the weak.  Some of them sleep for a few seconds while their are still in flight, some do not even take the time to eat, even if they are able to stop.

For the young and old birds alike, one must congratulate them for their efforts.  It is not an easy feat, and they do it twice a year.