How Do Hurricanes Affect Birds?

[elleng]

When severe weather hits, humans hunker down. But what about the feathered among us?

Birding expert and Audubon field editor Kenn Kaufman’s interest in hurricanes began 35 years ago, when he covered the aftermath of Hurricane Kathleen, a storm that brought droves of seabirds into the American Southwest, for American Birds. We spoke to him recently about the surprising methods bird have for dealing with a hurricane in their path.

How do hurricanes affect bird migration?

http://www.audubon.org/news/how-do-hurricanes-affect-birds

[lordsummerisle]

1. I imagine flying insect populations don't hold up very well n/t

[elleng]

2. Guess not. Too bad no hurricane in my house past few days;

could have used something to get the buggers out!

[beachbum bob]

3. worry about birds over human life.....is pretty sickening

nature has a way to rebound,,,,the concern should be on the people in the path

[elleng]

4. I see no suggestion that the worry about birds is OVER human life.

There is NO reason to suggest this information is 'sickening.'

[lordsummerisle]

5. Obviously nobody is worrying more about birds than people (I would hope)

A hurricane is a major event in an area and there are many effects that naturalists have an interest in. Bird and animal populations come to mind but also coastlines can be greatly altered as well. After major hurricanes islands can be created (or submerged), and beaches can be decimated such that coastal charts have to be redrawn. Some of these effects happened in coastal South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo in 1989...

[ResIpsa]

6. Have you ever seen "The Big Year?"

One of my favorite movies. A scene in there shows how a hurricane (or really bad weather) drove a seriously concentrated enclave of various birds to an island offshore TX.
Have you yourself done a "Big year" ever?
Regards.