Audublog

Birdnado?

Sharknado mania has taken over the public's conscious this summer. The SyFy original movie's plot, "When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace." The excitement spawned a week of Twitter trending, parodies, and got us thinking, what about Birdnado? Then it occurred to us that birdnados do exist. Of course in the birding world they are called fallouts.

During spring migration weather conditions can create storm surges that cause birds to run out of their energy reserves. These exhausted birds need to find respite and food immediately and so they drop to the earth. It is a paradise for birders who can get up close to hordes of songbirds like orioles, warblers, and tanagers making their way from South America.

While this phenomenon is more common to occur along the Gulf Coast than Sharknado local of Los Angeles, we think a made-for-tv version is ripe for the making. Call us Tara Reid!

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