Why do we always comment on "birds flying south for the winter," but not on "Birds flying north for the summer"?

One act reminds us of mortality, our chief concern; the other doesn’t.

Could it be because the vast majority of the world’s population lives in the northern hemisphere? And it would logically be those in the southern hemisphere who speak of birds flying north for their winter?

People do talk about both.

@nzigler But commenting on the returning birds isn’t nearly as common. At least, not here.

We talk, with eagerness and enthusiasm, about the pattern of the birds’ return to our turf. There has been a gradual diminution of many song birds over the past two decades so we pay attention. The courting sounds signals the end, we hope, of a long and dreary and dark winter..

Today I have seen some red-tailed hawks, many jays, crows, one junco and some bluejays.

@gailcalled I saw a snake today. A really little one. In a 32oz Styrofoam cup. That my son had caught, and left in his truck all night cause he forgot about it. Wanted to know if he could put it upstairs where it was warm. I asked him what kind of snake it was. He said it was either a King Snake or a Cottonmouth. I would much rather see birds…..

@Val123: So, are you keeping that snake or returning him to a place far, far away?

@gailcalled Well, I guess….it’s upstairs! I told Chris to tape over the X where the straw goes in, and poke tiny, TINY holes in the lid! He’s 22, BTW. Due to financial circumstances he moved back home a few months ago. He’s about out of debt now, and almost good to go. Actually, a friend of ours owns a small trailer court, kind of out in the country (pretty cool location, actually. Surrounded by fields and trees…) Chris is in the process of remodeling….actually, practically rebuilding…the trailer, working for our friend at $12.50 an hour, and Chris and a friend are going to move in at the first of the year. Chris is working on the trailer in lieu of the deposit and all that…ANYWAY, that damn snake will be out of the house before long! And I do hope we’re in control of when,where and how! (Chris also has three huge boa constrictors that friends have been taking care of till he can get them back…and various and sundry lizards, frogs, little snakes and spiders. His old place looked like a herpetarium!)

(Looked like? It was. How do you sleep at night?)

@gailcalled because it wasn’t in my house!!! When he was a kid he had two lizards. No snakes allowed! So he just busted a move when he moved out at 17! He had all the lighting, the tanks…it was, and will be again, I’m sure, actually quite a professional set up.

Because I believe its more gradual. I seem to remember that there are a large number of species going south at the same time, but not all of them come back at the same time.

@avvooooooo That’s kind of what I’m thinking too….and I wonder why that is? wanna snake?

@Val123 Snakes smell funny.

I think it has something to do with what they require to come back being present at different times. For example, hummingbirds don’t come back until there are plenty of flowers. Other birds like other things and if they’re growing, its time for them to come back and eat.

But why don’t all the hummingbirds come back en-mass, the way they left? (Although I can’t quite recall a humming bird migration, to be honest!)

Because hummingbirds don’t migrate en mass. :) They migrate south, the way I can tell that they’re leaving is that the ones at the feeders aren’t the huge fat ones that hang out all summer but much skinnier ones. And then they’re gone until next year.

I’m sure that the geese and stuff come back in groups… but I’m not sure why we don’t see/hear them.

I wanna hummingbird. How come you always ask if I wanna cookie, but never ask if I wanna hummingbird??

Cuz cookies are easy to catch. Hummingbirds aren’t!

U R Lazy

U R Stinky, but you don’t hear me saying anything about it most of the time!

U R MEAN! But I’ll never say it.

LIAR LIAR!

LOOK OUT!!! YOUR PANTS ARE ON FIRE!!!

Nope, that’s you!

Excuse me, but wasn’t this question about migrating birds?

@PapaLeo Val’s a tough old bird… does that count?

@aboooooooo pfffft!!

@PapaLeo @avvooooooo ALWAYS derails my questions!! May the migrating blue bird of happiness poop on her head. There. We’re back on topic!

Hey, I was on topic @Val123! You ran off with it! :P

me? Neva!