#SKYRIM BIRDS AND FLOCKS FULL#
#SKYRIM BIRDS AND FLOCKS WINDOWS#

More recently, a flock of blackbirds was filmed dropping from the sky onto a street in the city of Chihuahua in north-west Mexico, leaving many dead.Īnd yet, scientists are discovering that towns, while dangerous, can sometimes help to support migrating species.

#SKYRIM BIRDS AND FLOCKS WINDOWS#

Many thousands of birds die every year in New York alone when they crash into the brightly lit windows of skyscrapers, a well-known problem in megacities ( Read more from BBC Future about why this happens). Some migrating birds, for example, are killed by domestic cats while others collide with buildings. But cities are not always friendly to outsiders.

#SKYRIM BIRDS AND FLOCKS FULL#

Others, such as the Swainson's thrush in its bush full of berries, seem to enjoy the food on offer. It is not always obvious why they come to urban locations. Huge numbers of migrating birds visit cities all around the world on their extraordinary journeys, which often cover thousands of kilometres. They caught and radio tagged a total of nearly 80 of the birds. For a study published last month, Morales and her colleagues had been researching how Swainson's thrushes balance the need to migrate quickly – so as to maximise its benefits – with the need to refuel, such as by stopping over in places like Montreal. But some make a 'pit stop' in and around cities such as Montreal. Swainson's thrushes migrate from northern areas to Central and northern South America every autumn. This little bird had hung around for longer than she expected. To her surprise, the thrush, very much alive and healthy, was hopping about the bush in protest at having been disturbed. Just to make sure, Morales, a graduate student at McGill University, gave the berry-laden shrub a gentle shake – and then a flutter of feathers among the branches and shadows caught her eye. It seemed so unlikely that the transmitter remained attached to a live bird – more likely, it had fallen off and was hanging on a branch. The same signal had popped up on Morales' handheld receiver a few days earlier, emanating from exactly the same bush in a park on the edge of Montreal in Canada.

The device had picked up a signal from a transmitter that she and colleagues had previously attached to a Swainson's thrush, a small brown and white speckled bird native to the Americas. Ana Morales stepped through the shrubbery, scanning the airwaves with a radio receiver.

Skyrim birds and flocks