Veeries Predict Hurricanes
An ornithologist in Delaware has been studying Veeries for the past twenty years and he recently discovered that they can predict the…
An ornithologist in Delaware has been studying Veeries for the past twenty years and he recently discovered that they can predict the severity of the hurricane season months in advance. Their predictions are more accurate than the best models humans are capable of producing. Veeries are a thrush that overwinters in South America and breeds in the northern US. This means they are flying across the Gulf Of Mexico in the spring and fall. Their fall migration coincides with peak hurricane season in August through October. Bird migration is remarkable in many respects and now we know about this additional layer of complexity that shows that birds are tuned into global weather patterns.
Veeries adjust their breeding activities and migration based on this understanding of broad weather patterns. In years with severe hurricanes, Veeries initiate nesting earlier, lay fewer eggs and depart on fall migration earlier to avoid flying over the ocean during a hurricane. The high winds and severe weather associated with hurricanes cause a variety of problems for migrating birds like the Veery. There is outright mortality as well as the possibility of getting forced down into increasingly fragmented and poor quality habitat. Migration is an arduous journey that has been finely tuned over millions of years and birds are operating on tight energetic budgets. Any new or additional challenge during this journey limits their fitness and ability to thrive.
The earth is an exquisitely balanced system composed of complex and elegant threads of connection that we cannot see. As these threads fray and unravel, species decline and disappear from the earth forever. Our mode of being in the world is akin to “A bull in a china shop.” and we do not even know what we are destroying. Fortunately, the earth and its systems are resilient and they will continue in some form in the future. I hope that future includes Veeries.