Meeting Abstract
Migration represents a significant physiological challenge for birds and increasing ambient temperatures due to global climate change may add to birds’ physiological burden during migration. We analyzed bird migratory patterns in a central New York county, Madison County, and two counties in the Adirondack Region, by using data from the citizen-science network eBird and correlating it to historical temperature data. Using linear regressions, we looked at different aspects of migration and how those patterns have been affected by temperature changes over the years of 2010-2015. Species of birds sighted in Madison County (N=195) and the Adirondack Region (N=199) were categorized into year-round, one-stopover and two-stopover groupings based on eBird observations. The maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures in Madison County, as well as the maximum temperatures in the Adirondack region have significantly increased over the past 45 years. There has been faster warming in the Adirondack region, making a comparative study of bird migration patterns in the two regions especially relevant. For one-stopover species, 53 species showed a change in the number of days they spent in Madison County and the minimum temperature they experienced while in the area. Adirondack Region species of birds also seem to display particular arrival date sensitivity to temperature changes, as 31 one-stopover Adirondack species arrived significantly later in the year. Links between temperature and migration events suggest that global climate change may have important effects on bird migration patterns through New York.
