Over 300,000 birds migrated over El Dorado County overnight

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - As you slept last night, an estimated 314,900 birds crossed through El Dorado County. At its peak at 1 a.m. Sunday, 170,300 birds were in flight. Since migrating birds regularly fly up to 10,000 feet above the ground, we don't normally see them though the birds overnight were at an average of 3,900 feet.

Seasonal timing and weather conditions dramatically impact their distributions, but this week has had excellent conditions for normal patterns.

Check out the local migration dashboard with estimated daily counts from Birdcast here: https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/migration-dashboard/

Nocturnally migrating species most likely to arrive or depart this region at this time of year, based on the frequency of observations, are:
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Nashville Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Western Wood-Pewee
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Lazuli Bunting
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Chipping Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Hooded Oriole
Yellow Warbler
Black-headed Grosbeak

All of these except for the Golden-crowned Sparrow are just beginning their migrations over El Dorado County - the sparrow isn't an active migrator in summer.

On April 28, an estimated 174,200 birds migrated over El Dorado County, a season-high, to date.

Many animals and birds move over great distances from one place to another in search of resources, such as food, space to raise their babies, mates, or better weather, according to the Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences (TINS).

In spring, the snow melts, plants grow, and more food becomes available, inviting animals from all over North and South America to spend their time here in Tahoe, and sometimes breed in the warmer months.

In springtime, Tahoe sees animals arriving, leaving, and passing through. Bald Eagles and several duck species may travel north to Alaska and Canada from Tahoe at this time. Other birds, like American Robins and Tree Swallows, migrate back into the area in the spring.

Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes may be seen migrating through the Tahoe area at this time. Other animals may only use Tahoe as a rest stop on their journey to somewhere else. For example, Arctic Terns are birds that travel from the North Pole to the South Pole each year and have been spotted in Tahoe along the way.

Scientists can predict when animals will migrate because these travel patterns typically occur around the same time, such as with changing seasons. While most animals migrate seasonally, some, including fish or zooplankton that live in Lake Tahoe or in the ocean, migrate up and down through the water column daily, says TINS.

Saturday was World Migratory Bird Day (October 14 for those in the southern hemisphere). Water and its importance to migratory birds is the focus of World Migratory Bird Day this year, a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

Water is fundamental to sustaining life on our planet. Migratory birds rely on water and its associated habitats—lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, swamps, marshes, and coastal wetlands—for breeding, resting, and refueling during migration, and wintering. Yet increasing human demand for water, climate change, pollution, and other factors threaten these precious aquatic ecosystems, according to Environment Americas.

35 percent of the world’s wetlands, critical to migratory birds, have been lost in the last 50 years. Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, used by more than a million shorebirds, is in danger of disappearing within five years. Climate change is depleting natural water systems, depriving migratory birds of vital stopover sites around the world. These sobering statistics go hand-in-hand with recent reports that reveal that 48 percent of bird species worldwide are undergoing population declines.