Millions of birds are moving through the region as spring migration reaches its peak.
As aired on the “Outdoors in North Iowa” podcast, Franklin and Wright County naturalist Aubrey Brandt says about 430 bird species can be found in Iowa, but only about 80 stay in the state year-round. That makes spring migration one of the best times of year to see birds that are passing through on their way to breeding and nesting grounds.
Brandt says birds are not only moving because of colder temperatures.
“It’s not directly the cold temperatures that affect them, more like how the temperatures affect the availability of resources they need,” says Brandt. “Resources such as insects, seeds, fruit and standing water are hard to come by during the winter. So they migrate south where these resources are more available.”
Brandt says many birds migrate south in the fall because resources such as insects, seeds, fruit and standing water become harder to find in the winter. During the spring, those resources return farther north, giving migratory birds better access to food, nesting sites and breeding conditions.
Brandt says birds often follow natural pathways during migration.
“A widely accepted theory to how they know where to go is that birds tend to follow certain paths that are created by barriers such as mountains, coastlines and riverways where resources are readily available,” says Brandt. “In the United States, we have four main flyways: the Pacific Flyway, the Central Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway and the Atlantic Flyway. Iowa is part of the Mississippi Flyway, which, you guessed it, goes along the Mississippi River. Now, the Mississippi River is a great place to follow since it provides ample resources and cover for birds making pit stops.”
Iowa is part of the Mississippi Flyway, one of four main flyways in the United States. Brandt says the Mississippi River provides resources and cover for birds as they stop during migration.
Brandt says people interested in tracking migration can use birdcast.org from Cornell University to view migration forecasts, estimated bird numbers and peak migration times.
Full episodes of the “Outdoors in North Iowa” program can be found at radioonthego.com.
