Birds need your help this winter
& watch them soar as the sun rises each day
I don’t know about you, but if I were left anywhere near Siberia at any time of the year, I’d be looking on the internet for the first ticket out of that place, before my brain were to freeze. Siberian cranes are a little more patient than I am. They decide to leg it out of that place, only when they see white things falling on the ground (read snow). The white things are getting ready to fall in Siberia in the next few weeks. And it will soon be that time of the year, for you to spot a Siberian crane flying above you, if you live anywhere near the tropics.
Why are you telling me about the Siberian cranes?
I thought you’d like to know the name of something white and big that’s flying above your head. That’s a Siberian crane (if you live in the tropics and it is winter). It is a large white aeroplane (if you live in Siberia and it is winter, because the cranes have left your home by now). That’s one reason I thought I’d tell you about the Siberian cranes. But there is another reason - they need your help now.
What can I do?
Families (that includes little children) living in tropics can help migratory birds by keeping a small bird feeder outside your homes. They can be placed in your balcony, terraces or even tied to your window sills. Birds would be happy to stop by, take a sip of water (just as we all do, from our water bottles when we go running or playing). If you can find good bird food from your neighbourhood pet store, stock these in your feeders. If not, just water will be fine.
You may not just be helping Siberian cranes, but a ton of other migratory birds that fly to the tropics every winter.
Where exactly are these birds now?
When the cold winds begin to hit their beaks in Siberia, these cranes decide to spread their wings and find a cosier spot. They travel enormous distances every autumn (as the British call it), or fall (as the Americans call it). They fly over 4000 miles (or 6500 km as the Indians prefer to measure it). The route they take is something like this - they start in Russia, get to Kazakhstan, Pakistan and then onwards to India. In India, they often stay put in one of the many national parks or bird sanctuaries where they find a ton of food and water.
This route takes them about two full months (some curious ones may even stop by the window sill and peek into homes when Netflix or Disney Hotstar is on). The curious ones can take a few more weeks to finish the migration.
Sadly these days, the Siberian cranes are dwindling in numbers. They find it increasingly difficult to get to their destinations, either due to climate change or just dropping dead since they don’t find enough food. Hence this post. That feeder I wrote about can really come in handy to help these birds this winter.
We chatted with Becca Rodomsky-Bish at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about birds and her suggestions on how parents & children can help them. If you’d like to listen to this, now’s a great time to click on that Listen button below.
Bird Trivia: The only bird that can fly backwards is a hummingbird. Needless to say, it can fly forwards too (if you were wondering).
Interestingly, there is one bird that can look at itself in the mirror, and recognise itself and not be scared! It is the Eurasian Magpie. Cool right?
Would you like to tell a friend / fellow parent / another child about this? Just click the Share button below and you’ll be doing your friends and a lot of those migratory birds a good deed!
-Sangeetha
(host of ‘What’s new today’ podcast for kids and families)