Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds

a book review by Chris Van Wassenhove

With today’s high gas prices, how would you like to get the equivalent of 720,000 miles to the gallon? Well, it would help if you were a Blackpoll warbler. On its thirty-six hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean during fall migration from the coast of the United States to South America, the Blackpoll burns fat at a remarkably efficient rate.

This is just one of the many interesting facts to be found in a new book by Miyoko Chu titled Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds. Ms. Chu is an ornithologist and staff science writer at the internationally recognized Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. She is editor of the Lab’s Birdscope newsletter and assistant editor of Living Bird magazine.

There are still many unknown facts regarding the secret lives of migrating songbirds. Ms. Chu presents what is known today as a result of several scientific studies. The book outlines all facets of migration, from how songbirds navigate via magnetic fields, polarized light patterns and the stars, to hints for predicting migration based on the weather forecast.

One study cited in the book was conducted by Richard Graber and involved attaching tiny radio transmitters to the backs of migrating Gray-cheeked thrushes. Graber followed by airplane one such thrush, which took off from Urbana, Illinois on its way to its breeding grounds in Canada. Before the plane was forced to land due to heavy fog and the effects of a severe thunderstorm, the bird had been tracked over Lake Michigan on an unerringly straight path, covering four hundred miles in eight hours of overnight flight, never stopping to eat, drink, rest, or seek shelter from the storm.

The book chronicles the lives of various songbirds in each of the four seasons and how the state of their environment and changes in food supplies from year to year affect the breeding success and overall health of the population. Wally, a remarkable male Yellow warbler weighing in at less than half an ounce, was observed for nine years in a row on its breeding territory at the Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada. Wally should have played the lottery, because the odds are about fifty-fifty that an adult Yellow warbler will die somewhere along its annual journey from its winter home in Central America to its summer breeding grounds all across North America.

After building a nest in the fork of a willow branch, anchored by spider silk and lined with the fluff of dandelion seeds and shed deer and rabbit fur, the female Yellow warbler will typically lay four to five eggs over a similar number of days. After brooding for eleven days, the chicks will hatch. On the strength of up to 2,400 visits from mom and dad with insect morsels at the ready, the chicks grow from hatchling to fledgling in just eight to ten days. And you thought your kids grew up fast!

The book also lists hot spots for spring and fall migrations throughout the U.S., as well as wintering area hot spots, including websites and phone numbers for additional information and recommended reading; and hints on how to find and monitor bird nests during summer. A listing of citizen-science programs is also included. Anyone who is interested is able to contribute to the scientific knowledge base regarding songbirds through a variety of methods, including Christmas Bird Counts, Project FeederWatch or by listing bird sightings on eBird, an on-line checklist sponsored by the Cornell Lab and Audubon.

Ms. Chu’s book is a fascinating chronicle of songbird life for both the beginning birder and those with more experience. Wally and his friends are waiting to entertain and educate. Enjoy!

(Approximately 625 words.)

Book is 277 pages. Retails for $23. First published 2006