Finally Fall: Birds on the Wing – Migration: Part 2

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.

William Wordsworth

Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations.  This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.

For as long as we can remember, birds and migration have been wonders of the natural world. Through science like bird banding and data collection and analysis, we've learned that there are four major flyways (or migration routes) in North America between most birds' summer and winter homes. The first bird banding in North America was in 1902, by a scientist named Paul Bartsch, who put ID bands on black-crowned night-herons. At Duke Farms, we even have our own birder bander on staff, along with a group of experienced volunteers who have banded over 5,000 birds. But there's more to data than bird banding - and this is where innovative technology comes in. Learn about how we have come to discover so much about bird migration through modern technology and science.

Download the full PDF here.

This resource was created by Joanne Vogel and Kate Reilly.