Neo Migs

by Brad Wilksinson

Ahh...neo migs," I said dreamily. "Yeah," said fellow birder Phil Chaon. Ethan Kistler concurred, "Hmm..."  The only problem is that, while I sit and write this, it is snowing outside. The sky is gray, and the streets are salty. Generally, the climate in Ohio during the month of February is not very conducive to hosting Neotropical migrants, or “Neo Migs”.  All we can do is look at pictures and wonder what rainforest is playing wintertime host to hordes of brightly colored passerines. Maybe that breeding Kentucky Warbler is fraternizing with an antbird, or that local Prairie Warbler is in an ornamental tree in a retirement complex in Florida. 

I am amazed at migration. I feel that this facet of bird life is the most intriguing aspect of songbirds. I marvel that a bird, which can fit with four others in a human hand, can also traverse the Gulf of Mexico! It boggles my mind, to say the least.          

I think of a Blackburnian Warbler, Wood Thrush, or Yellow-throated Vireo lifting off from the Yucatan into the night, headed due north. I think of them burning the fat that they gained from their winter hideout as the wing above the cresting waves. Will they pass any oil tankers or platforms on their journey? Will they have enough fat stored in order to make it to soil and trees? Will they survive to breed another year?

Surprisingly, most do. Most gain enough fat to stay aloft if the winds are favorable. If not, well, that is where the trouble lies. If they meet a headwind over the Gulf, then they must use more energy to travel the same distance. If the fat is gone, the birds start to use muscle, which is not good. They will cannibalize their bodies in order to survive. Unfortunately, unless land is very close, they lose their energy and fall into the waves. Those that make to land will have to consume much more food in order to compensate. 

When many migrants are grounded in coastal woodlands along the Gulf, birders term it as a "fallout". Ohio has very diminished fallouts, since our only main obstacle is Lake Erie. However, if the winds line up, we can get extremely high densities of birds along the lakeshore at places like the Magee Marsh Bird Trail or even Headlands Beach State Park.

 

It would seem that I am a bit jaded about our wintertime birds. I am all for our Golden-crowned Kinglets as they tsee-tsee-tsee high in an evergreen tree, or the lovely American Tree-Sparrows flitting in snow-covered grasslands. And nothing can compare to a Snowy Owl in a field at dusk. However, I favor the orioles, warblers, vireos, and thrushes that stream in from distant tropics to be here in our political boundary called Ohio.  

If you would like more information on migrating birds, I would highly recommend Scott Weidensaul's book "Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migrating Birds." It is truly an informational and wonderful book. 

So as you sit dreaming about the next snow day or ski trip, think about our amazing migrants. Many of them are in danger, as you may know. Flip through your guide and admire their colors, or gander at photographs of the passerines. Learn their beautiful songs as the silence of winter entraps you, or look at their complex sonograms. In short, respect our fantastic "neo migs." 

 


Page last updated on Friday July 25, 2008