“The winter is past . . . the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.”
Song of Solomon 2:11-12
Seasonal migrations are usual for many animals, fish, butterflies and other creatures, but nothing matches the wonderful migrations of billions of birds. These migrations take place all over the world twice a year - fall and spring.
It is a wonderful experience to observe a little part of this. When you are in the country as the sun is about to set, you hear the honking of a flock of geese overhead. Looking up, you see them circling lower and lower, following the leader of their V formation, until they drop down on a pond or swamp nearby. They may stay there 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 south, where they will stay through the winter months before returning to the north next spring.
Many millions of ducks, swans and other waterfowl make these trips over North America’s flyways, and millions of other birds fly even longer distances than these twice a year. We have many questions. Why do they do this? How do they know where to go? How do they find their way? Where do they get the needed strength for such flights?
Bird watchers 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 detail involved in such massive migrations, they have discovered things that are of interest. 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 the answers, and that is their Creator. He is the Lord God, the same Creator of the heavens and earth and all things contained therein. 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” (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. In North America alone, there are an estimated 10 billion birds that fly to and from other countries. Additional billions in Europe and Asia make their flights to other places as well. We will consider some of these in the following issues.
(to be continued)
ML-09/23/2001