The fall migration is well underway for many birds at this time of year, but there are some that began migrating as soon as July. Find out about early migrant birds and learn about the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas project.
Featured in this Show
-
Expert Birder Explains Annual 'Silent Migration'
For many in Wisconsin, fall migration is a phenomenon marked by large flocks of Canada geese and Sandhill cranes visible overhead during late September and October.
However, there are birds that begin migrating much earlier in the season. In fact, many birds’ migrations are underway during the month of August, according to expert birder Bill Volkert.
Shorebirds, including sandpipers and plovers, begin moving in July with a peak of movement through Wisconsin during the month of August.
Volkert said that mudflats and shallow-flooded areas are places to spot Shorebirds. Even then, casual observers would have a hard time sighting them. The reason that these birds go unnoticed is because of their difficulty to spot. Volkert said unless a concerted effort is made to search for them, like by using a scope, the birds don’t readily reveal themselves.
Other birds migrate unnoticed because they have stopped singing. Volkert calls it the “silent migration,” in which warblers and other songbirds move through forests in August through September.
“The leaves are still so thick on the trees, they’re not singing for the most part this time of year. And it’s this sort of silent procession overhead as the birds are moving through, unless you take a little time to really peer up in there and look for them,” Volkert said.
Volkert said these birds just seem to pass overhead, and looking back in hindsight is only when one realizes that the songbirds are then gone.
Episode Credits
- Larry Meiller Host
- Cheyenne Lentz Producer
- Bill Volkert Guest
- Tom Schultz Guest
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
