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Fall Flyways

Thrill to Flocks in Full Flight

Fall migration literally brings birds of a different feather than in springtime. Spring migration brings a glorious burst of song and color as millions of tiny feathered gems pour northward, singing their hearts out, flitting about with the excitement of arrival at their breeding grounds. They are relatively easy to spot and identify by their voices and bright plumage.

In the fall, birdwatching is trickier. To survive, migrating birds need to go to warmer climes for food, because insects do not thrive in cold temperatures. Males molt their bright plumage, needing fresh feathers for the long flight. Most retain some color, but generally, they are duller and look similar to the females. Identification becomes harder because some species are similar in appearance and the singing gives way to an occasional, subtle call, emitted as little chipping sounds at most.

The Internet offers a comprehensive range of data that can suggest which days are best for early morning viewings. Experienced birders know the best local spots, and weather forecasts are good indicators of timing. Sid Gautreaux’s pioneering study of bird migration in the 1960s using weather radar, still ongoing at the Radar Ornithology Lab at South Carolina’s Clemson University, is available to birders on regional websites via Tinyurl.com/USBirdTrackingRadar.

While radar can confirm the magnitude and direction of the migration over the previous night, weather predictions help forecast when big flights will occur. So, the next step is to hold a wetted finger up to the wind. A big cold front will hold up birds from moving south because the associated low pressure brings southerly winds and storms. Birds wait it out, storing fuel. Then, when the front clears and a tailwind comes from the north, a floodtide of birds pours southward.

Eager birders, having arrived shortly after dawn, await at selected spots 200 to 300 miles south of the leading edge of the former front. On days like these, the skies are brimming with birds. Grassroots monitoring reports on the birds’ progress from mid-August through October are posted at eBird.org, sponsored by New York’s Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Birds.Cornell.edu). As Joni Mitchell sang, we rejoice that, “They’ve got the urge for going now, and they’ve got the wings to go.”

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Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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