BirdNote

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[merlin bird calls] Want to see one of the blazing thunderbolts of the bird world? Smaller than a pigeon, but fierce enough to knock one from the air, are the powerful, compact falcons known as merlins.

While global climate change is pushing ranges of many birds farther north, merlins are actually expanding southward.

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[bird chirping] This bar-tailed godwit makes one of the longest migrations of any animal, a seven thousand two hundred mile non-stop flight each autumn from western Alaska to New Zealand in just eight or nine days.

But how do these pigeon-sized shorebirds accomplish such an epic tour de force? In his book, A World on the Wing, Scott Weidensaul shares the incredible process bar-tailed godwits use to get into migratory shape.

Their first order of business? To restore their guts, of course.

[bird chirping] Other shorebirds shape up like this for migration, too, but none travel as far as the bar-tailed godwit.

For BirdNote, I'm Ariana Remmel.

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[owl chirping] When we think of bird migrations, owls probably aren't the first birds we picture.

You might think of a bluebird or a robin first.

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[whimbrel singing] A whimbrel named Lindsay has spent the summer breeding in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the northern coast of Alaska.

But the seasons change, and it's time for this shorebird to migrate south for the winter.

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[bird singing] The birds' voices declare, in no uncertain terms, that autumn is once again upon us.

[bird singing] In the golden sunlight of an October morning, a Lincoln's Sparrow sings energetically from a hedgerow.

The sandpipers called dunlins now swarm south to winter along both coasts by the many thousands.

Close behind are the predators, northern nesting merlins, peregrines, and sharp-shinned hawks following south their winged prey.

[bird singing] For BirdNote, I'm Michael Stein.

BirdNote gives you the sounds of birds every day, and you can get the sights as well when you follow us on Instagram @BirdNoteRadio.

The problem with learning something about birds is that it only makes you want to learn more.

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[thunder] During a rainstorm, you're more likely to see birds perched and hunkered down than flying around.

Most birds are mostly waterproof.

They sit it out under the cover of a tree or perch on a fence wire facing into the wind, reducing their air resistance and limiting the loss of precious body heat.

[birds chirping] But when the storm passes, birds once again take to the skies.

For BirdNote, I'm Mary McCann.

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Are any birds more conspicuous by their absence than swallows? Through all of spring and summer, swallows dart and sail overhead, their airborne grace a wonder to behold.

So while October marks a lovely juncture in the change of seasons, the skies seem empty.

For a parting look at swallow flocks in early October, visit the sort of places they concentrate before migrating.

Check around large open fields or pastures, or wetlands like marshes or ponds, for a last chance to say farewell until next March or April.

For BirdNote, I'm Michael Stein.

This is BirdNote.

I'm Brianna Amingwa, a birder, environmental educator, and mom of two.

Today, I want to share one of my favorite tried and true techniques for sparking curiosity with kids outside.

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[house sparrow chirping] The House Sparrow, introduced to North America from Europe in the mid-1800s, has spread across the continent and can be seen grabbing french fries off the sidewalk from coast to coast.

They often compete with native species for nesting sites.

It's not fully clear why, but it's possible that they just behave differently, and the aggressive House Sparrow may have helped prevent the Tree Sparrows from spreading further by competing for the same nesting sites.

Eurasian Tree Sparrows still remain in a small area of the Midwest, where they're not much of a nuisance to native birds and are a local curiosity for birders.

For BirdNote, I'm Ariana Remmel.

BirdNote is supported by the Bamford Foundation and by generous listeners around the world.

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