Bird Migration

"The stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed time; and the turtledove, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming.”- These are not just any words but are words written in the bible by Job about migration of birds.

In our backyards, most of us won't see anything like the migrating Whooping Crane, but there's a tiny possibility we might, in certain neighborhood wildlife refuges and parks. Sometimes a bird species that's present in our neighborhood the whole year can also be migratory.

Birds do not migrate because they figure out that they need to. It's been shown that, at least in some birds, changes in day length cause glands in the birds' bodies to produce hormones that produce profound changes inside the birds, changes that prepare them for the flight south. In the fall, as days grow shorter, fat accumulates under the skin. This fat contains energy needed for those coming days when the birds will be spending more energy flying than they'll be eating during their occasional rests. Weather changes sometimes trigger a migration's start, but by then the birds are already prepared. The urge to migrate must be very powerful. Starlings caged as their migration time approaches become extremely fidgety and point their bodies in the direction they want to fly toward.

Watching bird migration take place is one of the most exciting and interesting things a birder can do, and it's something you can see in your own backyard but it is wonderful if watched in the wild while on a safari. Especially in the spring when birds are in their bright courtship plumage and males are lustily singing, it's a pure joy to walk around taking note of which species have arrived. In the fall, as Northern-Hemisphere migrants head back and they are much quieter and their plumage is more drab. They're harder to identify, too. Nonetheless, their passage is still a majestic event to behold.

Birds fly at varying altitudes during migration. An expedition to Mt. Everest found skeletons of Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit at 5000 m (16,400 ft) on the Khumbu Glacier. Bar-headed Geese have been seen flying over the highest peaks of the Himalayas above 8000 m (29000 ft) even when low passes of 3000 m (10000 ft) were nearby. Seabirds fly low over water but gain altitude when crossing land, and the reverse pattern is seen in landbirds. However most bird migration is in the range of 150 m (500 ft) to 600 m (2000 ft). However birds too have their destinations and they just don’t go anywhere.

The Mountain Gorilla

A gorillas DNA is 97% - 98% identical to that of humans, so it is not surprising that their name actually derives from the Greek word ‘Gorillai’ which literally means a ‘tribe of hairy women’. In fact the Gorilla is the next closest living relative to humans after the two chimpanzee species.
There are generally considered to be two species of Gorilla and at least two subspecies of each. The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is recognized as a sub-species of the Eastern Gorilla. Longer and darker hair distinguishes the mountain gorilla from other gorilla species; these physical characteristics enable it to live at high altitudes were other gorilla species would be immobilised by the cool temperatures.
Like the other species of gorilla, the mountain gorillas have adapted to a diet of fruits, leaves and shoots; although largely vegetarian in nature they are also known to occasionally supplement their diet with small insects. They can eat an incredible amount in one day, adult males can consume as much as 34kgs.
Mountain gorilla is a highly social primate, living in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. There is normally one silverback per family group of between 5 and 30 gorillas; he is responsible for the decision making as well as the safety of the group.
Up until 1902 the mountain gorilla was wildly regarded as a myth by the western world, that was until Robert Von Beringe observed a mountain gorilla in the foothills of Bwindi, the first European to do so. From that day onwards the mountain gorilla's fate became inescapably intermingled with human demand. By 1989 a census showed that there were only 320 mountain gorilla’s remaining in Uganda’s Bwindi National Park. The mountain gorilla is still considered to be critically endangered, but numbers in Bwindi National Park have improved by 17% in the last decade, thanks in large parts to Ugandan conservation efforts. The money that is made through gorilla permits is directly reinvested into conservation efforts by the Ugandan Government.
The mountain gorilla is native to only two regions of Africa, the Virunga volcanic mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. According to a census taken in 2003 there are estimated to be around 380 mountain gorillas in 30 social groups spread around the three national parks of the Virunga volcanic mountains. Mgahinga, in South West Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are the three national parks of the Virunga volcanic mountains of central Africa. The second population of mountain gorillas are located in the south-west of Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; which according to the 2003 census is home to 320 mountain gorillas.
Between the 1989 census and the 2003 census gorilla numbers have grown by 17%, with approximately 700 mountain gorillas left in the wild. However it must be remembered that the mountain gorilla continues to be classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Habitat loss, poaching, human disease, and war all contribute to the gorilla’s extremely high risk of extinction. A study published in Science concluded that a 2004 out break of the Ebola virus in Central Africa may have killed around 5,000 gorillas. With a population of only 700 mountain gorillas remaining in the wild it’s easy to see why there is such concern.
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