Many species of birds migrate, from hummingbirds to bald eagles, ranging near and far to take advantage of better conditions for feeding and nesting.

When people think of bird migration, most naturally think of water fowl. Ducks and geese seem to get a lot of attention in that regard. But many other species of birds migrate, from hummingbirds to bald eagles, ranging near and far to take advantage of better conditions for feeding and nesting. I always remember the swallows returning to Capistrano, mainly because I think of Bugs Bunny singing about it. According to tradition, each year the little birds return religiously to Mission San Juan Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day, March 19th, seen by some to be a miracle.

Today we are discovering a lot more about the miracle of bird migration. And there is a lot to be learned and benefited by studying these birds. Using satellite, radio and acoustic tags, scientists are learning about the environmental triggers for the birds’ migration, and how they navigate. They’ve revealed some birds follow the sun and the stars; others rely on geography or internal magnetic compasses, while still others use multiple means of navigation. Some birds fly thousands of miles non-stop while others fly short distances, and with multiple rest periods. This is important information for conservationists, allowing them to map out the optimum areas for protection in order to provide needed habitat for migrating birds. In addition, through these careful studies, we are also learning how global climate change can and will effect bird migration. And, in turn, we are also learning how the world’s climate is changing. These studies may even have great health benefits, as scientists from USGS follow tagged birds’ movements on the flyways and learn more about the spread of avian flu throughout the world.

Birds are beautiful. They are beloved and cherished by many as symbols of the natural world. And because they travel the globe, they give us great insight into the big picture… if we choose to pay attention.

Along the California coast, according to local lore, when the swallows returned to Capistrano, the flocks were so large they looked like rain clouds. Unfortunately, last year, only a few birds returned to the mission. Disappointed locals say it has been years since the swallows returned in great numbers. But there’s always hope.

I believe Mother Nature will respond if we give her a helping hand. So for now I’ll listen to Bugs crooning in my head:“All the mission bells will ring, The chapel choir will sing, The happiness you'll bring will live in my memory. When the swallows come back to Capistrano, that's the day I pray that you'll come back to me.”

Watch The Great Migration TV story online.

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A Willet at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline park.

Squeezed between the Oakland International Airport and the Coliseum lies one of the best kept secrets of the bay – the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline Park, a birding hot spot. I had no idea.

Luckily, my eyes were opened this week on a guided hike with Golden Gate Audubon Society volunteer Cindy Margulis. What previously seemed like a pleasant marshy area to me was transformed into a beautiful and fascinating oasis for local wildlife.

Most of the wildlife we saw were actually local visitors and participants in a marathon migration originating in the arctic! The San Francisco Bay is part of the Pacific Flyway and hosts these migrating shorebirds as they head to South and Central America. Flying halfway around the world takes immense energy, and it blew me away that they chose Oakland as a staging area. Protection of these mudflats and salt marshes is therefore critical to their survival and the Golden Gate Audubon Society has been a heroic player in the story of this bay.

Before the building of highways, airports and venues, the 1800 acres of tidal marsh in the San Leandro bay was a paradise for wildlife. The construction that ensued resulted in only 72 remaining acres. Threatened with continued building and habitat loss, Golden Gate Audubon and other environmental groups led the litigation to have these acres protected and additional acres restored.

The success of this endeavor was illuminated when a female Black Turnstone that was banded in western Alaska found her way to this exact restoration site. Pleased with all it could provide for her, she has returned for four winters in a row. The success of this shoreline is also exemplified in the abundance of shorebirds and ducks we saw on our short walk: Canvasbacks, Scaups, Brown Pelicans, Willets, Stilts, Avocets, Killdeers and California Least Terns, Common Golden Eye ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and Pintails, feeding and diving, floating and flying and glistening as we looked through our scopes.

Golden Gate Audubon continues to protect this habitat through public educational opportunities. Their Field Trips program offers more than 100 guided field trips annually for birders of all levels and explores all the phenomenal birding areas in the area and beyond.

According to Cindy, and I agree, this is shoreline is our great wilderness, our savannah or jungle, and our biodiversity hot spot to revere and protect.

See you out there!

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Dave Feliz calls it "the bird highway in the sky."

Feliz works for California Department of Fish and Game, as area manager for the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and he's talking about the Pacific Flyway.

Millions of migratory birds travel the same route every year, called the Pacific Flyway, stretching from the north slope of the Brooks Range in Alaska down to the tip of South America. An important stopover for all of those birds on the Flyway is the Central Valley, and the Yolo wildlife area in particular. Traveling south in the winter, it's the first large area for landing that’s not frozen. The Sacramento Delta, flat and wet and full of reeds, provides lots of food and shelter. And so do the thousands of acres of rice fields in the Central Valley.

The Yolo Bypass area is actually a flood-control zone, a mix of native vegetation and stubble from harvested rice fields. So it serves many uses, and has many "stakeholders" working together – farmers, county engineers, wildlife biologists, state and local governments.

And another, more unexpected stakeholder: children. Over the past 10 years, says Robin Kulakow, executive director of the Yolo Basin Foundation, more than 30,000 grade-school students have toured the levees and ponds of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.

Peak migration season is now. It started in November and lasts till the spring rains come, usually in March. Migratory birds are at the wildlife area year-round, because so many types of birds migrate at different times of year, to different locales. And whichever birds migrate south for the winter, those same birds migrate north after the winter. But right now, through March, is the best time to view the waterfowl and migratory birds at Yolo, wildlife experts say.

Migrating birds can be hazards for aircraft. Listen to the Birds vs. Planes radio report online. You can also check out photos from the story below, or see the full set on flickr.com.

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