Spring Migration - Spectacle of Nature

By Naturalist Educator, Javier Gonzalez

Another spring bird migration has come and gone, and as usual, birders have been left in tatters after getting caught up in a migratory bird whirlwind of fun for the last couple of months! “Whoa! What just happened?!  Well, that was amaaazzzing! I guess I’ll wash the dishes and do the laundry now or maybe catch up on some much-needed rest and sleep?!”

At the SPI Birding Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary, spring migration is an annual event that we always look forward to and the colorful migratory birds that grace our native gardens are the ones putting on the show. Our job at the SPIBNCAS is to set the stage for the birds as they arrive from their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico, and to also lay out a comfortable house for the spectators - the birders!

We eagerly anticipate both and we prepare for their arrival ahead of time. In late February and early March, we (staff and volunteers) work hard to tidy up the gardens after the winter has passed to allow for fresh growth to spring up and we trim “windows” to look deep into the gardens through. The “Songbird Alley”, which is a native forest trail along the southern side of the property is normally accessible to human visitors, but during spring migration, we close it off and we leave it to the birds. The Songbird Alley is the stage, and the birds need their space to feel comfortable enough to perform for the audience. With some space, the birds feel safe, and all the birders get to enjoy the show by viewing from the outside through the windows into the habitat. When the birds start to feel shy, they can safely retreat to the dense shelter of the shrubs and understory.

The main caterers tending to the birds are the native plants. Over the years we have learned what the birds like through observation and we’ve slowly but surely with the help of volunteers have been employing a greater variety and supply for their diverse tastes and preferences. Native plants that bloom or fruit in the springtime provide the most energy as well as the ones that host the most insects or insect larvae. The highest rated this spring migration were the White Mulberry Trees, Huisache Trees, Tepehuaje Trees, Coral Beans, Anacahuitas, Marine Ivy, Berlandier’s Fiddlewood, Turk’s Cap and Pigeon Berry to name a few.

It's been beautiful to see our gardens mature over the years and create a larger show! A thick green space like this with some freshwater resources on an island surrounded by saltwater and thin of forest habitat is an absolute magnet for spring migratory songbirds. This stopover site is an extremely important fueling station for birds arriving on an empty tank after crossing the gulf. Since the native gardens around our visitor center are finally reaching maturity, I decided to conduct a count of the bird species and the individual birds that utilize our gardens around the visitor’s center and parking lot this spring, a total area of 3 acres. I hope to continue this study and collecting data in future seasons.

This spring (March-May) I tallied 480 individual birds visiting our gardens made up of 87 species. Of those 480 birds 463 were migratory birds made up of 83 species! The birds had the wind in their favor for most of the season, so they mostly had enough energy to keep flying further inland once they reached the coast and skipped over us. The busiest week was the first week of May (4th-11th) as 153 migratory birds dropped into our habitats seeking refuge from thunderstorms that had shifted the wind direction on them. Some birds rested and refueled in our gardens to the delight of many birders for a whole week before moving on!

Another very important thing about this forest is that it is accessible to the public. Visitors from all over the world and our local RGV birding community were all welcome and we hope that their experiences inspire them to further our mission of conservation into their spaces.

The following is a quick summary of the season’s count, which is more than likely an undercount.

Doves: 2sp. – 21 total, Cuckoos: 3sp. – 10 total, Nighthawks/Nightjars: 3sp – 3 total, Hummingbirds: 2sp. – 23 total, Flycatchers: 11sp. – 36 total, Shrikes: 1sp. – 1 total, Vireos: 6 sp. – 17 total, Swallows: 3sp. – 13 total, Gnatcatchers: 1sp. – 2 total, Thrushes: 5sp. – 17 total, Waxwings: 1sp. – 1 total, Warblers: 27sp. – 110 total, Sparrows: 1sp. – 6 total, Tanagers: 4sp. – 17 total, Grosbeaks: 5 sp. – 37 total, Blackbirds: 4sp. – 87 total, Orioles: 4sp. – 62 total.  

Photos by: Mary Volz and Horacio Martinez