During the pandemic, Michiganders have turned to new hobbies to keep themselves busy, like birdwatching.
According to USA Today, Google searches for “birds” reached an all-time high in the U.S. in early May and searches for “the best binoculars for birdwatching” increased 550%.
As fall turns to winter, many birds are migrating south for the season. To encourage new birdwatchers, the state Department of Natural Resources has a new text service that sends out alerts about birds spotted in state parks as they migrate. It's called Winged Wednesdays.
WKAR’s Sophia Saliby spoke to DNR ecologist, Greg Norwood, about the service and what birds might be stopping by your backyard.
Interview Highlights
On What the Texts Will Looks Like
You'll, on Wednesdays, get an interesting update on one location within the 103 state parks that has something neat going on with birds. And right now, during the fall season, lots of birds are on the move along the Great Lakes coastlines [and] in the middle of cities.
On What Birds To Look Out For In The Capital Region
In the Lansing Capital Region, you know, my best advice for folks is to wake up and get out your door even if it's with your slippers on in the chilly October mornings here. And, you know, right at about, you know, eight o'clock or so is a good time. And if you listen and you're fortunate and you have good hearing, you could probably hear two birds that come to mind. One of them, or there's two called Kinglets, and you'll hear them. They're kind of high pitched, but almost everywhere in the Capital Region in mid-October, you'll hear these high pitch sounds. You can learn what they sound like, and they're almost everywhere at this point. And you'll hear them. Another one that comes to mind that has a distinctive sound. It's just the call notes. [It] is called the White-Throated Sparrow.
On How To Get Started Birdwatching
It doesn't matter where you live that you can step outside your doors especially during migration, because they have to migrate from point A to B, and oftentimes, that is in the most urban environments where most of us live. So, I'd say get out there, even without binoculars, you can observe some really, really neat things.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: This is All Things Considered on WKAR. I’m Sophia Saliby.
During the pandemic, Michiganders have turned to new hobbies to keep themselves busy, like birdwatching. And as fall turns to winter, many birds are migrating south for the season.
The state Department of Natural Resources has a new text service that sends out alerts about birds spotted in state parks as they migrate. It's called Winged Wednesdays.
Here joining me is Greg Norwood. He’s ecologist from the DNR. Thanks for being here.
Greg Norwood: Thanks for having me. My pleasure.
Saliby: So, why did the department decide to create this text service, Winged Wednesdays?
Norwood: We want to provide information about, specifically birds, and in state parks. You know, some indicators might suggest that there's more interest, especially, with the pandemic and changes in lifestyle and maybe more time that people have to devote to, you know, seeking information about the things they see outside their door. There's countless ways that people interact with birds in nature.
We have a limited role, but I think an important one, in that we manage on behalf of Michigan citizens, 103 state parks and 300,000 acres of land. And those parks are in urban areas, urban centers, like Belle Isle, all the way to the Porcupine Mountains. And so, we want to be able to share information and play that role for people.
Saliby: If you sign up for these messages, what kind of information will they have? What will they look like?
Norwood: Yeah, this is a text message that you can receive on Wednesdays, and to sign up, it's pretty simple. You just text, for those who use text messaging, it's 51555 and just text the word, "bird." I just did it on my personal phone here, and it works.
You'll, on Wednesdays, get an interesting update on one location within the 103 state parks that has something neat going on with birds. And right now, during the fall season, lots of birds are on the move along the Great Lakes coastlines [and] in the middle of cities. And so, we thought it might help people enjoy that spectacle by getting that update on Wednesdays. And so yeah, it's a pilot. It's a test to see if people are interested.
Saliby: Can you tell me what birds are stopping by the Capitol Region this month or as migratory season goes ahead?
Norwood: In the Lansing Capital Region, you know, my best advice for folks is to wake up and get out your door even if it's with your slippers on in the chilly October mornings here. And, you know right at about, you know, eight o'clock or so is a good time. And if you listen and you're fortunate and you have good hearing, you could probably hear two birds that come to mind.
One of them, or there's two called Kinglets, and you'll hear them. They're kind of high pitched, but almost everywhere in the Capital Region in mid-October. You'll hear these high pitch sounds. You can learn what they sound like, and they're almost everywhere at this point. And you'll hear them. Another one that comes to mind that has a distinctive sound. It's just the call notes. [It] is called the White-Throated Sparrow.
So those are two species of birds that I think no matter where you live, whether you're in the middle of an urban concrete center there where there's just a few trees around, you'll hear these birds because they migrate to your doorstep and will be passing through. They won't stay long, so get out there and listen for them.
Saliby: If someone listening to this interview is interested in getting into birdwatching, do you have any other suggestions on how to start than from what you've already shared?
Norwood: There's never been a better time to take up your interest in nature, as a whole, because of all the neat resources available. So, one piece of advice is to visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. No one does it better in communicating all the neat things about nature and birds as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and you can get tons of tips there.
But most importantly, it doesn't matter where you live that you can step outside your doors, especially during migration, because they have to migrate from point A to B, and oftentimes, that is in the most urban environments where most of us live. So, I'd say get out there even without binoculars, you can observe some really, really neat things.
Saliby: Greg Norwood is a DNR ecologist who's been talking to me about the new text service, Winged Wednesdays. Thank you for joining me.
Norwood: Thanks for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
