It is now June, when spring is rushing to an end, when days are getting longer and longer, birds are singing louder and louder, and migration is becoming thinner and thinner. It is the normal order of things, the usual …
(I can’t live through) The slow moving of the end of migration Read more »
Fat is the primary fuel for bird migration. To sustain the immense energy demand of sustained flight, fat provides, weight for weight, 7-9 times more energy than alternative fuels, and thus ensures the maximum energy storage for the minimum weight …
The arrival of hummingbirds (May 7 this spring) heralds for me a new phase of spring, which could be dubbed the “warm spring”: it is when warmth indeed returns (albeit tentatively sometime), when flowers bloom and trees leaf out, and …
Like a great tidal wave, bird migration in spring can wash over the land and fill every twig, bough, and branch with birds. Or it could retreat and leave you straining your eyes and ears for a sign, a song, …
If you recall, I left my story in mid-morning of April 28. Well, that day was not over yet and we did see many more birds moving and feeding under a grey sky at Cabot Head. In the afternoon, there …
It is another morning of inclement weather at Cabot Head: pouring rain and strong East wind preclude us from opening the nets but not from observing in the dry confines of the porch (more on that later). It has been …
As I type these words, a windstorm is raging outside with the frequent snow squalls, as befits a typical late April day. It is as good a time as any to write the first blog of the season, that is, …
It is on! Spring 2021 migration monitoring has begun. Read more »
With our ear to the ground, we can hear the soft whispers of the Earth sending wishes from all over. Listening intently, I tried to translate these murmurs and identify their senders. “From Brazil with love!”, Red-eyed Vireo and Veery …
In the last few days of monitoring at Cabot Head Research Station, we were delighted to make wonderful observations of many species, notably an amazing mix of species on the very last day. On October 27th, alongside the two Pine …
We are now entering the last week – even days – of monitoring with the end date being October 31st , which completes 78 days of uninterrupted monitoring. The warm days of summer are long behind us, nights are now firmly …