So, with this big hurricane gearing up to rake the East Coast, we thought we’d ask Audubon Director of Bird Conservation Greg Butcher how weather like this affects birds. He told us that because fall migration season has already begun, especially for shorebirds, the impact of Irene on birds could be potential quite large. “Needless to say, most birds are helpless in hurricane force winds, and they don't always have the information they need to avoid them,” Butcher said. “When flocks of birds fly into hurricanes, large-scale mortality can result.”

Butcher also noted that hurricanes produce other, less catastrophic results. Tropical seabirds are often caught up in the edges or the eye of hurricanes and carried north with the storm. Hurricane-blown birds in the Atlantic are often frigatebirds, Sooty and Bridled Terns, Trindade Petrels, etc. Sometimes these birds and temperate seabirds get blown over a hundred miles inland.

Birdwatchers have learned to predict movements and are sometimes tempted to put themselves in harm's way to catch sight of an errant bird. The more cautious realize that most of these birds can still be seen right after the storm passes, but even then there is danger in fallen trees and powerlines and darkened stoplights.

Seabirds have a better chance on the ground, so they can often be seen flocked together facing into the wind throughout the storm.

“What's so surprising about a hurricane is how quickly everything returns to normal for the survivors,” Butcher added.