[Mnbird] Fwd: News Release: Bird Migrations Revealed by Citizen Science Data

Wed Jan 20 13:42:25 CST 2016

One reason we birders should be regularly submitting our bird observations
to eBird.

I have been using a smartphone app to do that, and it is easy and quick.

Joel

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cornell Lab of Ornithology <pel27 at cornell.edu>
Date: Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 7:31 AM
Subject: News Release: Bird Migrations Revealed by Citizen Science Data
To: jdunnette at gmail.com

Citizen Science Reveals Migrations of Birds Across the Continents
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*Citizen Science Reveals Annual Bird Migrations Across Continents*
*Data-driven animation shows routes for 118 species*
*For Release*: January 20, 2016

<http://cornell.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=55a8b815fd&e=1881944673>
Click image to see animated map of bird migration movements for an entire
year. Animation by Frank La Sorte, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. *Ithaca, NY*—For
the first time, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
<http://cornell.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=2a734cc910&e=1881944673>
have documented migratory movements of bird populations spanning the entire
year for 118 species throughout the Western Hemisphere. The study finds
broad similarity in the routes used by specific groups of species—vividly
demonstrated by animated maps showing patterns of movement across the
annual cycle. The results of these analyses were published today in
the *Proceedings
of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
<http://cornell.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=65bb846a88&e=1881944673>.
*

"We used millions of observations from the eBird
<http://cornell.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=621976a854&e=1881944673>
citizen-science database," says lead author Frank La Sorte, a research
associate at the Cornell Lab. "After tracing the migration routes of all
these species and comparing them, we concluded that a combination of
geographic features and broad-scale atmospheric conditions influence the
choice of routes used  during spring and fall migration."

La Sorte says a key finding of the study is that bird species that head out
over the Atlantic Ocean during fall migration to spend winter in the
Caribbean and South America follow a clockwise loop and take a path farther
inland on their return journey in the spring. Species that follow this
broad pattern include Bobolinks, Yellow and Black-billed cuckoos,
Connecticut and Cape May warblers, Bicknell’s Thrush, and shorebirds, such
as the American Golden Plover.

<http://cornell.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=fdba3ca7e4&e=1881944673>
Click image to get larger version with bird-ID legend. Graphic by Misaki
Ouchida, Bartels Science Illustration Intern. Data sources: eBird, NASA. "These
looped pathways help the birds take advantage of conditions in the
atmosphere," explains La Sorte. "Weaker headwinds and a push from the
northeast trade winds as they move farther south make the fall journey a
bit easier. The birds take this shorter, more direct route despite the
dangers of flying over open-ocean."

The study finds the spring migration path follows a more roundabout route
but the birds move faster thanks to the presence of strong tailwinds as
they head north to their breeding grounds.

For species that do not fly over the open ocean, the study finds that many
use the same migration routes in the spring and fall. Geographic features
shaping this pattern includes mountain chains or isthmuses that funnel
migrants along narrow routes.

"It’s an exciting new area of research," says La Sorte. "By using eBird
data and other forms of migration tracking information, we’re getting a
more detailed picture than ever before about where and when birds migrate.
That’s the kind of information we need to make smart conservation decisions
for species that live in vastly different regions during the year. Citizen
science makes it possible to do this for populations across an entire
hemisphere."

#

*Contact*: Pat Leonard, (607) 254-2137, pel27 at cornell.edu
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to
interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through
research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the
Cornell Lab’s website at http://www.birds.cornell.edu
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.

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-- 
Joel Dunnette

Byron / Rochester MN

507-269-7064
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