"The winter is past... the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come. " Sol. 2:11,12.
Seasonal migrations are usual with many animals, fish, butterflies and other creatures, but none can match the wonderful migrations of billions of birds taking place all over the world twice a year—fall and spring.
It is an unforgettable experience to observe a little part of this when, in the countryside as the sun is about to set, the honking of a flock of geese overhead is heard and looking up, they are seen circling lower and lower, following the leader of their V-formation, until they drop down on a pond or swamp nearby. There they may remain just overnight, or perhaps for several days, resting and feeding before continuing their long trip from Alaska, the Yukon, or Canada's Maritime provinces. They are headed to the warmth of the southern United States or on into Mexico, or even farther, where they will stay through the winter months before returning to the north the following spring.
Many millions of ducks, swans and other waterfowl make these trips over North America's flyways, and millions of other birds fly even farther than these twice yearly. It is understandable that many questions are asked. Why do they do this? How do they know where to go? Where do they get strength for such flights? How do they find their way?
Bird lovers and trained researchers take such questions seriously and have spent years of research and much money and effort, trying to find the answers. Although they still confess they understand very little concerning some of the things involved in such massive migrations, they have discovered things that are of interest, and we will borrow from what they have learned to bring some of their findings to our readers in this and following articles.
But when all is said and done, there is only One who truly knows all about them, and that is their Creator. He is the Lord God, the same Creator of the heavens and earth and all things contained therein, as the Bible tells us, "Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made... the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all." Neh. 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6).
It is claimed there are about 100 billion birds in the world, and while many make their homes in warm climates and do not migrate, a vast number do. For instance, in America alone there are an estimated 10 billion birds that fly to and from other countries. Additional billions in Europe and Asia, never seen in American countries, make their flights to other places, as well. We will consider some of these in the following issues.
Birds on the Move
This verse speaks -very plainly of God's care over the birds and His appointment of the time of their migrations. In the preceding issue mention was made of the work done by bird lovers and researchers looking into the migrations of birds throughout the world. Now, let's get a globe of the world and look at the facts about just a tiny number of the many millions of birds involved.
The greatest traveler of all is the Arctic tern that flies from the Aleutian Islands to Antarctica every fall and returns again in the spring—some 12,000 miles each way! A shorter journey is the 25-hour, 500-mile, non-stop trip of the 8-ounce ruby-throated hummingbird, flying from the United States over the Gulf of Mexico to Central America. How do you think this tiny bird can do this?
From various parts of Europe, storks make round-trip flights of 14,000 miles to Israel, the Nile River and South Africa, the young ones going a week or two ahead of the parents, although they have never migrated before. How do they know where to go?
Swallows arrive in Southern California every March after a 6000-mile flight from Argentina, going to the same nest previously used, while orioles wintering in South America return in May to their summer homes in the eastern United States after a 2000-mile flight.
The Tennessee warbler, weighing about as much as two quarters, flies some 3000 miles from Canada and the northern United States to Central and South America each fall. Some fly nonstop. Others take short rests en route. Their close relatives, blackpoll warblers, raising their families in northern Canada and Alaska, get together with others of their kind in New England during September, then the whole group continues another 2100 miles on a 100-hour nonstop ocean flight to South America. By contrast, bobolinks in the fall fly almost entirely overland from Canadian prairies to the pampas of Argentina—a 6000-mile trip returning in the spring.
Golden plovers from Alaska fly over the Pacific to Hawaii—a 2000-mile trip -and after resting go on another 2000 miles south. Parent birds take off first, leaving the young ones to follow later. Never having done this before, can you explain in what way their little ones know how to reach the Hawaiian Islands? One thing we do know is that these flights, and untold numbers of others, speak of the Creator's • care over all His creation, from the smallest to the greatest. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." Acts 15:1818Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. (Acts 15:18).