The Migration of Birds/Chapter 7

by T. A. Coward

CHAPTER VII

MIGRATION AND WEATHER

In previous chapters it has been necessary to refer repeatedly to the connection between migration and meteorology; either the relation of periodic movements to the rotation of seasons, or the influence directly or indirectly of weather conditions upon normal and abnormal migration. That there is an overruling relation between the advance of spring and the passage to northern brooding quarters, and the gradual cooling in autumn and the retreat to winter quarters is, of course, evident, but it must not be held, as contended by the early students of migration, that this is the sole factor which regulates migration. The actual relationship between the weather and the movement of birds is far more complicated than one would imagine, and the stimuli of continental or overland travelling differ from those of a cross-sea flight.

In the British Islands most of our larger movements are at their start or their finish, or both (so far as our area is concerned), oversea passages, and unless the weather be absolutely favourable, birds do not undertake these voyages. No one has added more to our knowledge of the connection, in what we may term British migration, than Mr Eagle Clarke, but it must not for a moment be imagined that his conclusions and the data from which he arrived at them are purely insular. The British Islands are merely the field of observation, the centre of the field, of the movements of Holarctic birds which travel regularly or occasionally through Britain. Mr Clarke points out repeatedly that in studying the phenomena it is the conditions at the point of departure not at the point of arrival—generally the point of observation—which are important.

The oft-repeated assertion that birds can foretell the nature of approaching weather—that they are living barometers—is not supported by any satisfactory evidence, but it is certain that on many occasions the weather into which they have passed in moving from one zone to another has not only retarded, checked, or exhausted them, but has proved fatally disastrous. During the westward rushes in winter when exceptionally severe weather has cut off the food-supply of ground-feeding birds, observers who have seen the birds moving in front of the storm have maintained that they had felt its approach and retreated in time. The truth seems to be that the birds start so soon as the supply is cut off but in many cases speedily outstrip the storm. When these exceptional winter migrations take place the birds in the lowlands of Lancashire and Cheshire move westward towards Ireland, and are observed at different points along the North Wales coast. They are sometimes seen travelling in a snow-storm and sometimes in advance of it. In eastern Cheshire I have seen parties of lapwings passing over westward just in advance of snow, which when it reached the East Cheshire fields, started the local lapwings after their relatives from farther east.

During regular migration birds start in favourable weather but frequently meet with unfavourable weather before their arrival at the point aimed at; most of the bird "disasters" at the lighthouses and lightships, and more occasionally inland, can he explained in this way.

In his digest of the observations at lighthouses and lightships Mr Eagle Clarke shows that spells of genial weather are favourable and that during these spells migration is even flowing and continuous (15). Slightly unsettled conditions have little effect, but an increase of the irregularities accelerates migration. Sooner or later cyclonic disturbances interrupt regular movements, and, if these are extraordinary, act as barriers, either holding the birds in one place or forcing a hurried departure or "rush." Favourable weather immediately following a check or "hold up" often causes a rush; a sudden fall in temperature may force large numbers of birds on in autumn or retard them in spring. Temperature, he declares, is the main controlling factor in all extraordinary movements, other meteorological conditions being suitable

In the autumn migration to Britain, the chief movements take place when a large and well-defined anticyclone has its centre somewhere over Scandinavia, with gentle gradients in a south-westerly direction over the North Sea. Coincident with this we usually find cyclonic conditions prevailing to the west of the British area, with low-pressure centres off the west or south-west of Ireland. The weather is clear and cold, with light variable airs over Scandinavia, but in Britain the sky is overcast, and the wind easterly and moderate to strong; not infrequently those conditions mean fog on our eastern coasts. If the birds leave Scandinavia under favourable conditions they may be met by the approaching cyclonic system, which usually, though by no means always, travels in a north-easterly direction across the Atlantic. Migration is thus checked, but a return of favourable anticyclonic conditions starts the birds again, oft-en with a fresh impulse in the shape of falling temperature. When the anticyclonic area is exceptionally large, extending from the Scandinavian peninsula in a south-westerly direction and embracing the whole of the British Islands, simultaneous immigration and emigration may be witnessed.

Cyclonic spells are not always unfavourable to migration In spring, when they are of a mild type with soft rain and warm winds following after a cold anticyclonic period, a northward movement is frequent.

Mr Eagle Clarke says that the importance of winds is overstated, but as an incentive only. The direction of the wind has no influence as an incentive but its force is an important factor; in a strong wind a bird may be blown out of its course. Birds will not start in a high wind but may pass into the influence of strong winds which may affect both progress and direction. He adds that particular winds usually prevail during the season of great autumn movements, which are not incentives but are the result of pressure distribution which is favourable to migration. These are usually north-east to south, but a westerly wind would serve as well, but it indicates a pressure distribution which is fatal to migration between north-west Europe and Britain—cyclonic areas to the north-east and east of our area.

All this, no doubt, is perfectly true. It is founded on the analysis of a huge number of carefully recorded observations, and upon a general knowledge of migration which few can ever hope to equal. Mr Clarke understands his subject. It appears, however, to me that he may put rather too much weight upon the barometric influence, and too little on one side of the wind question. Are we yet in a position to say that birds do not make direct use of certain winds? It may be that the use of the prevailing winds at migration time is far more unconsciously intentional (if such an expression can be used) than is at first apparent.

One or two points must be kept well to the front which are often ignored by observers. Firstly, very much visible migration is abnormal; that is to say, most of the incidents of passage which are noticeable: especially observations at the lightships and lighthouses, are during spells of weather which are described as unfavourable; it is the "hold-ups," cheeks, and "rushes," which attract attention far more than the even—flowing normal migration.

Mr J. Tomison, in his valuable notes on observations made at Skerryvore (52), shows that in ordinary clear weather birds pass at a great height, beyond the power of vision. He proves this by instances of the diurnal passage of redwings, birds which are generally supposed to migrate at night, and undoubtedly do so frequently. He heard the well-known passage-note in the daytime, but with the naked eye could see no redwings; he found them with the telescope and later discovered others which were passing above the range of normal vision. Mr Eagle Clarke, commenting upon the extraordinary numbers of rare and exceptional visitors which are noticed on many islands—Fair Island, the Flannens, the Isle of May, and Heligoland may be taken as a few examples—says that it is their detached position and comparatively small size which makes these islands so useful to the observer, The same variety of birds and greater numbers reach larger islands and tracts of land, but they are unobserved when they are thinly distributed and not massed or confined in a small areal "With all our great army of trained observers," he declares, "we in Britain see only an infinitesimal number of the migrants which Visit our shores . . ." and "this is especially the case on the mainland."

During an anticyclone there is a descending movement of air currents from a centre of high pressure in all directions, and these currents or winds are deflected "clockwise" in the northern hemisphere; and when cyclonic conditions prevail the air currents are directed inwards towards a low-pressure central area, rotating spirally at the surface of the earth in the direction contrary to the hands of a watch. In the southern hemisphere the directions are reversed. A cyclonic system is usually carried forward by great drift winds like eddies upon a swift stream," in the North Atlantic as a rule from south-west to north-cast.

Do we really know the force and direction of the winds at at high altitude during these movements? Are we not merely guessing at the real aerial conditions by the movements near the earth at the time of the departure of the birds? Is it fair, if I am right that the meteorological observations are founded upon only those observed at comparatively low altitudes, to lay down laws as to the particular conditions which are favourable or unfavourable, or the particular winds which are used or avoided? The direction of the wind may he the same up to a great height, many thousand feet, or it may vary within 500 feet of the earth. Nearly fifty years ago, when Glaisher made his great ascents, he sometimes met with three or four currents moving in opposite directions. The more recent upper air investigations show that though as a rule the wind at various elevations is in the main from one point of the compass, its degrees vary considerably, and its force at the various heights shows remarkable differences, Generally the force rises to about 5000 feet, but there is no invariable rule. I tabulate a few examples taken more or less at random from the Weather Reports for 1908. The altitudes above the ground are measured in metres, roughly converted into feet; the letters indicate the direction of the wind, the figures its speed in miles per hour. The last one in the table, observations made at Brighton on September 20th, is particularly useful. The conditions on this date were anticyclonic, and favourable to migration. At 400 feet above the sea the wind was blowing at 5 miles an hour; at between 5000 and 6000 feet its force was 20 miles per hour. What then would happen to a bird leaving Brighton for say the Spanish Peninsula? If it flew at 20 miles an hour towards the French coast about Dieppe, it would meet the wind blowing at 5 miles an hour, and take between five and six hours to reach the coast, head to wind. If it rose to the height of 3000 feet it would meet» a wind blowing at the some speed as it was flying, and it could make no headway. If, however, it flew in a south-westerly direction the more it turned westerly the farther it would drift down channel towards Normandy or Brittany, and be carried out to sea! But this is exactly what would not have happened, for on this date a feeble cyclonic system was approaching from the Atlantic and extending its area of influence over southern England. In the Channel the bird would meet westerly winds which would bring it safely to the Brittany shores, or if it missed them, to the western shores of the Bay, where the wind was actually from the north. I mention this

Date	Station	Ground Level	100 mtrs. (330 ft.)	500 mtrs (1660 ft.)	1000 mtrs. (3320 ft.)	1500 mtrs. (5000 ft.)	2000 mtrs. (6660 ft.)	2500 mtrs. (8320 ft.)	3000 mtrs. (10,000 ft.)	3500 mtrs. (11,660 ft.)	4000 mtrs. (13,320 ft.)	4500 mtrs. (15,000 ft.)	5000 mtrs. (16,700 ft.)	6000 mtrs. (20,000 ft.)
Jan 2	Petersfield	NE by E	. . .	ENE 30	E by N 50	E½N 13	ENE 23	NE 22	NE by N 18	NE by N 25	NE by N 23
" 2	Glossop 1100 ft.	E by N 8	. . .	E 15	E by S 30
" 3	Pyrton Hill 500 ft.	ENE 14	. . .	E by N 35	E 53
" 4	"	NE by E 10	. . .	ESE 26	E by S 25	E by S 30	ESE 35	SE by E 20	SE by E 15
" 11	Petersfield	S by E	. . .	S 10	SW by W 3	SW by W 5	N by W 9	NW 8	NNW 7	N½W 11	E½N 8	E by S 14	E by NE 13	ENE 14
April 9	"	SE	. . .	N by W 7	. . .	N½W 20	N 14	NW½N 9	NW by W 12	. . .	NW by W 18	W by N 20
8	Glossop	N	. . .	N by W 9	NW by N 16	W 7	NE 6	N by E 8	W by N 8	NNE 9	NW 1	SSW 3	NNW 5	SW 7
" 30	"	S 14	S by E 27	S 30	W by N 46
May 16	"	WSW 16	W by S 26	W by S 27	W 29	W by N 33	W by N 36
Sept. 5	"	WSW 12	W by S 15	W by S 17	W by N 21	W by N 23	W by N 28
" 7	"	S by W 9	SSW 16	SSW 20	SW 33
" 10	"	NW by N 8	NW by N 16	NW by N 21	NW 34	NW 36
" 20	Brighton 380 ft.	ESE 5	SSE 5	S 15	SSE 20	SSE 20

merely to show that, apparently unfavourable winds may be really favourable.

Under ordinary circumstances are we justified in saying that birds make use of the winds blowing with a certain force at the point of departure, or that they ignore them? Certainly we cannot judge by either the force. or direction of the wind at the point of arrival, as Mr Clarke points out. The bird may have dropped into most adverse currents.

In Hungary, where migration has been very carefully studied, we find evidence supporting Mr Clarke's theory, and yet giving it a slightly different complexion. Low atmospheric pressure, depression (the warm cyclonic conditions of spring) very often shows the greatest rate in the arrival of the swallow. If there is a centre of depression west of Hungary, and its path is directed north or north-east, swallows appear in crowds. The fair side of the depression, with its warm southerly winds, is therefore favourable. A list of twelve other birds, which also appear in spring under these conditions in greatest numbers is added. The "bad" side, with cool northerly winds causes delays in the arrival of these thirteen species. The depressions often have a sphere of influence extending so far as North Africa, so that birds, on the fair side, can cross the Mediterranean with southerly winds all the way (31).

I have endeavoured to show that often the force of wind is greater at a high than st low altitude, and there is ample evidence to prove that birds fly at a great height when conditions are favourable. Birds usually leave Scandinavia when there are descending currents flowing outwards from the centre of high pressure; is it wild speculation' to suggest that it is the southward flowing currents, which are also deflected westwards, upon which the birds intend to travel? Thus the bulk of the Scandinavian birds might not touch Britain at all, but those which started upon light to moderate north-east to easterly winds from the western shores of Norway would be helped to Britain. Mr Clarke mentions that when he was at Fair island, north-west to westerly winds did not stop migration from the north, but is it certain that the birds did travel in or against these westerly winds? May they not actually have travelled on the "good side" of the cyclonic system, with these very winds carrying them towards Fair Island? their actual visible approach from the north does not prove that they had travelled all the way in this line.

On September 22nd, he says—"The favourable meteorological conditions of yesterday—fine weather and moderate south-east breezes,—has had a marked effect, for to-day golden-sets are swarming everywhere." But what does he mean? Favourable to him as an observer or to the goldcrests? Surely the birds did not aim for Fair Island; were not these weak-winged birds probably making for the south, when the south-east wind caught them and drifted them to the west? Fair Island was a refuge, but hardly the objective of their flight {17).

Compare this with Cordeaux's notes of another goldcrest immigration, this time to the Lincolnshire coast (23). On October 13th the wind was north to north-east in the afternoon, light but increasing in force, the weather clear and bright—a few birds arrived. They had started under favourable circumstances. Shortly after midnight on the morning of the 14th, the wind got full east, with quite half a gale and heavy beating rain, continuous to the morning of the 16th; the nights were very dark. "During this time the immigration was immense," and most of the birds were goldcrests. Cordeaux's idea that these were not normal immigrants but birds which were passing probably from north-eest to south-west, when the easterly gale caught them, is probably correct.

I have referred to birds starting at a high elevation. Service says that in normal departure from the Solway, most birds mount to a high altitude, but "a strong beam wind will bring the birds—even those of strongest power—down to 200 to 500 feet of the surface, and it is interesting to sea whole flocks with heads turned almost completely to wind, and yet travelling along at nearly their normal speed, at right angles to their position" (46), Mr Tomison mentions rooks, daws and hooded crows driven to Sule Skerry by south-east winds in March, leaving two days later in a westerly gale. They, at any rate, did not object to a strong wind which was in the right direction.

I have mentioned Mr F. J. Stubbs' paper on the "Use of Wind" (50), and I believe that there is much more in it than is actually proved by low-level observations. I doubt if birds always intentionally make use of strong winds, currents which would carry them for great distances at a considerable speed, but the preliminary ascent may he to search for these currents. Cyclonic and anticyclonic winds, even when at an altitude of some thousands of feet, would carry them easily, and probably it is the wind~borne individuals, parties, or even hosts, which drop for a refuge to the first island they see when carried far from their migratory path. They are carried rather than drifted from their pathway, borne in the moving current whether they wish it or not. Provided that the cyclonic winds are fairly steady in direction and force, sweeping round and inwards towards their centre, we may in imagination trace the pathway of our so-called lost wanderers to far distant islands; without many more upper-air observation stations, we cannot actually prove the route.

But even putting aside the high altitude idea, and confining our route-tracing to the known courses of air currents, we shall find immense difficulty in mapping out the actual course of any bird on any particular day The study of some of the publications of the Meteorological Committee, such, for instance, as the "Life History of Surface Air Currents," by Shaw and Lempfert, published in 1906, shows the great variation in the pathways, speeds, and formation of these systems; a bird which accidentally entered a cyclone would unconsciously alter its actual track and speed very many times before it passed beyond the area of influence.

I am indebted to Mr Stubbs and Mr Herbert Taylor of King's College, London, for some interesting mathematically worked—out routes of birds, travelling at a given speed in a cyclone rotating at given speeds and moving at a fixed rate; these show great variation both in direction and speed according to the time and place of entering the system. The track of the bird is, of course, influenced by its own rate of progress, by the speed of the rotating currents, and by the rate at which the whole system moves in any direction. Thus a migrant passing south and earning within the influence of a cyclone which is moving north-east at a high rate of speed, say 40 miles per hour, will, if it enters towards the northern limits of the system, be all first retarded by the

Map to show that a bird leaving Norway, near Aalsund, might be carried round the British Islands in twenty- four hours. The arrows indicate the actual directions and force of wind at the times marked during a slow-travelling circular storm in autumn 1901. Speed of bird about twenty-five miles per hour.

conflicting force of the easterly winds, the trend towards the north-east of the rapidly travelling cyclone and its own southward flight. If it is flying faster than the speed of the cyclone it will drift westward but gradually approach the low pressure centre. After passing this its course will at once change and its speed will be accelerated towards the east.

Even violent storms move at varying rates, and it is conceivable that a bird leaving Scandinavia on favourable anticyclonic winds might at once come into the influence of a large, slowly-moving, circular storm, with a low-pressure centre to the West of Ireland, and might, if the air currents were strong, be carried westward at first, then south and finally eastward, so that it would actually pass round the British Islands. I have taken this exceptional case from the actual course of it storm, which varied between forces 9 and 11 on the Beaufort Scale (say an average of 50 miles per hour) but only travelled slowly eastward at about 17 miles per hour. In some cases the storm centres are nearly stationary for many hours.

It is easy to appreciate Herr Herman's statement that spring immigration in Hungary is accelerated on the good side of a mild cyclone; the direction of the bird, of the circulating air currents and of the whole system may be coincident. Given a low-pressure centre west of the Bay of Biscay, spring migration would be accelerated through Spain and France towards Britain,

Mr Stubbs points out that the pathways of several birds, or parties of birds, which started at different hours, would be divergent, for they would come within the influence of winds blowing in various directions according to the position of the system; this he argues is contrary to the accepted idea of routes. This, however, entirely depends upon what we mean by a route, as I endeavoured to show in an earlier chapter. The journey from point to point is a route, although the bird may be drifted many miles in one direction or another on the way; it is only when the bird fails to reach its objective, a suitable breeding place or winter station, that the route is a failure.

The frequent occurrence of rare birds, same of them almost or quite unknown elsewhere in Britain, on out-of-the-way islands, has led to strange theories. One is that there are regular fly-lines over Fair Island, the Flannens, St Kilda and elsewhere, similar to the one which is said to pass over Heligoland. Mr Eagle clarke's long expected book will contain the ideas of the man who is best able to theorise on this point; I write, now, with the feeling that his knowledge may lead me to alter my ideas. The suggestion I can offer at present is that there are ornithologists directing their attention to these spots which, through geographical position and isolation, are the liker refuges for wind-borne migrants. Also that the accidental departure from the directions aimed at by the birds is, where wind and barometric systems are so Variable, far more frequent than is usually suspected. Direct routes are doubtless aimed at, but only accomplished under favourable conditions for the whole journey; migration is less infallible than we have been led to think. It is, too, an evolving habit, strengthened by those which survive its perils, now as it was in its early days.

During a long overland journey, winds will probably have less influence, though for rapid passages high flights certainly appear to be not uncommon. There is, however, another aspect of the connection between migration and weather which we have hardly touched, migration synchronal to the change of season. Mr Cooke shows that. in North America the push forward in spring is not in most species so soon as the weather permits; they do not actually move on the spring wave. Many warblers which nest in the Great Slave Lake region in an average temperature of 47°, linger in the Tropics, and reach New Orleans when the temperature is about 65° F. Then they hasten northwards, outstripping the advancing spring, finding in Minnesota a temperature of about 55°, and 52° in Manitoba, and gain another 5° on the season by the time they reach their home. Thus they continually reach colder weather as they travel north.

The American robin, Turdus migratorius, moves more sedately; it takes seventy-eight days for its 3000 mile trip, Whilst spring takes some ten days less to cover the distance. But the individual robins may advance more quickly; it is the robin as a species which takes this time to cover the area of distribution. The isotherm of 35° F, corresponding to the beginning of spring migration: advances north at the rate of 3 miles per day from January 15th to February 15th; 10 miles a day is the average for the next month, and 20 for the following month. But along the eastern foothills of the Rockies, isotherms travel faster than in corresponding latitudes farther east; spring rushes to this western land. In mid-April to mid-June—the height of migration—the southern portion of the Mackenzie Valley has about the same temperature as the region of Lake Superior 700 miles farther south, This, coupled with the diagonal course of the birds across the fast-moving region of spring, exerts a powerful influence upon migration; the earliest robins reach southern Iowa on March 1st, and travelling northward at about 13 miles per day, find in central Minnesota a temperature similar to the one they left. Those which breed near Lake Superior increase their speed to a daily average of 25 miles, and arrive at latitude 52°, when the temperature is still about 34°. The isotherm, however, has reached central Athabasca, and the Mackenzie Valley and Alaska robins double, and quadruple their daily average on the north-west diagonal to keep pace with the spring (19, 20, 21),

Instances worked out in America and elsewhere might be quoted to show how some species forge ahead and others lag behind the vernal wave. Each species needs separate tracing in its routes and times and habits, but on the whole the movements have relation to the changes in seasonal temperature. In autumn the journey varies according to the time of starting, Early fall migrants, and indeed the majority of autumn migrants all the world over, travel more slowly than in spring; they are neither impelled by sex-impulses nor the need to escape from failing food supplies. A little later the supply does slacken and With it the temperature cools, and if the changes are sudden southward migration is accelerated. Migration, however, is such an advantageous and well-established habit that it usually begins before hurry is necessary, and the birds loiter southward, feeding as they go.

Mr Cooke shows that in spring, weather seldom influences the start from the winter home, but the average weather conditions regulate the average rate of northward advance and the date of arrival at the breeding home (22).