Because so many birds migrate at night, a whole segment of birders choose to take advantage of the full moon to watch the birds go by. The idea is to stare at the full moon and catch the silhouettes as they go by. We just love the idea, and that's why we loved this post today to the Calbirds listserve from Ed Stonick of Pasadena:
I went out from about 10:50 to 11:15 p.m. and saw about six or seven birds fly by the (then) bright full moon. Two looked about the size of a pigeon; the others seemed small like warblers or other passerines. I live near Allen and the 210 freeway, and there's quite a bit of traffic noise so I wouldn't have been able to hear any passing migrants. All these years, this was the first time I've done this.
Here's a little more information about the idea, called moon-watching by some: here and here.
(the above graphic is an illustration, not a real photo)
By Garrison Frost
April 26, 2013
HOTSPOT: Flyover of California's Birds and Biodiversity
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