Lots of birds are on the move during the fall season. Migration presents a number of hazards for birds. For example, I found this article (via The American Bird Conservancy) today about a recent rescue at sea:
Lieutenant Chris Patrick with the Eurasian scops owl, which was found cowering under the ship's crane and later released to continue its migration. Photograph: Nicky Wilson/MoD/PAA tiny owl was discovered sheltering on board the Royal Navy's helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious. The Eurasian scops owl was found cowering under the ship's crane on the flight deck while the Portsmouth-based warship was off the coast of Yemen during a training exercise.
Leading Airman Mikaele Mua picked up the exhausted bird and passed it on to be looked after by the ship's meteorology forecaster, Lieutenant Chris Patrick, who calls himself an avid twitcher and who belongs to the navy's birdwatching society.
Patrick, 44, from Weymouth, Dorset, said birds of the species would be migrating south towards sub-Saharan Africa around this time of year.
He said: "It was clear the poor little thing had literally run out of steam. It must have seen the ship and took refuge. It looked as though it was simply waiting to die."
Read the whole story at www.theguardian.com
Here in the holler I'm starting to see and hear more of the year round birds as they look for nuts that are ripe or fallen. I saw eight blue jays yesterday, and I can hear chickadees. Coming back from our holler walk on Saturday I think I saw some turkeys fly up as the dogs headed up toward the house. The lane has plenty of beech nuts and acorns on it -- not to mention walnuts.
Some links on bird migration hazards:
Threats to Migrating Birds (About.com -- Melissa Mayntz)
Migration Is Dangerous (10000 Birds)
Migration (All About Birds/Cornell Ornithology Lab)