Latest news with #AndrewFarnsworth
BBC News
05-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Royal Mail funeral cortege after much-loved postman's cancer death
A fleet of Royal Mail trucks and vans joined a funeral cortege in honour of a colleague after his death from cancer. Andrew Farnsworth, 56, who worked for the postal service for more than 40 years, had recently retired from its Stockport office after receiving a terminal diagnosis. The red liveried vehicles stopped traffic as they made their way from Mr Farnsworth's father's house to the crematorium in Edgeley. Paying tribute to the father-of-three, who lived in Wirral with his partner Caroline, colleague Anne-Marie Pollard-Vearnals said he had "brought us all together and helped us bond and socialise outside of work". Ms Pollard-Vearnals added: "At work, Andrew - or Farni as all his friends knew him -would organise race trips and Christmas dos to bring everyone together."She described him as "well-loved at work", and said up to 400 people attended the service for him at the crematorium. The Royal Mail fleet cortege was organised at the request of his partner Carloline, Ms Pollard-Vearnals added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Birds are flying overhead through the night. How to track the migration in Michigan
Michigan's native birds are arriving for the summer from near and far, but you might not notice as many travel at night. Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers an easy way to follow their progress with its migration map. The radar data map and dashboard allow you to follow along to see what birds are flying overhead at night as they move to their summer feeding grounds. "The movements are massive," said Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist at Cornell University who works with the university's ornithology lab. "On a big night in the spring, you're talking 450 to 500 million birds flying under cover of darkness." Here's what to know. More: Want to encourage pollinators to visit your garden? How you can attract Michigan's bees Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology hosts a BirdCast Migration Dashboard that provides daily summaries of radar-based nocturnal bird migration. With it, you can watch the progress of birds as they make their way across the nation and even track how many flew over your county the night before. The system uses radar because most species migrate at night, some at altitudes as high as 15,000 feet, and aren't visible to the naked eye. Birds have been flying throughout Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, as of the map's data for April 23-24. The migration dashboard shows about 440,000 birds flew over Michigan on April 24. In Michigan, peak spring bird migration runs approximately from March 1 to June 15, though some species migrate earlier or later, USA TODAY reported. Fall migration is generally between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30. Peak migration is defined by the seasonal window during which about 50% of nighttime bird migration traffic passes through an area. On a map you can see a wave of peak migration move up from the southernmost United States to the far north as temperatures slowly rise over the course of the spring. BirdCast provides live and local bird migration alerts throughout the continental U.S. by employing real-time analysis of bird migration traffic as detected by radar. You can use the tool to determine whether birds are migrating in your area in low, medium, or high densities by entering your city in the search field on the website. For Detroit, on April 24, there was no migration alert issued for the area. Migration density was listed as medium. Low-level migration is expected April 25 and April 26. Here are some bird species you can find in Michigan this season, according to the American Bird Conservancy and Bird Watching HQ: More: A 17-year cicada brood is set to emerge. Will Michigan hear the big-eyed insects? American robin Blue jay Red crossbill Mourning dove Kirtland's warbler Lincoln's sparrow Red-winged blackbird American goldfinch Sharp-tailed grouse House sparrow Sandhill crane Northern cardinal American crow To aid birds as they migrate, ornithologists urge Americans to turn off nonessential lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during peak migration periods. Bright lights can attract and disorient birds that migrate at night, potentially causing fatal collisions with buildings. USA TODAY contributed. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Millions of birds are migrating at night. Radar captures their flights
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spring bird migration is underway, here's how to follow along in your own backyard
Birds are on the move as their annual spring migration begins. Radar tracking allows you to follow along to see what birds are flying overhead as the birds move to their summer feeding grounds. "The movements are massive," said Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist at Cornell University who works with the university's ornithology lab. "On a big night in the spring, you're talking 450 to 500 million birds flying under cover of darkness." It's a time of year when local birds that went south for the winter return or birds heading farther north stop to feed. "Right now we're seeing lots of movement in Florida and the Southeastern United States as well as in some midwestern states," Farnsworth said. 'The ruby-crowned kinglet, swamp sparrow and eastern phoebe are starting to migrate. They've mostly spent their winter in the southeast are starting to move north,' he said. 'In areas like Kansas, you're seeing a lot of waterfowl on the move, along with sparrows,' he said. Species include the fox sparrow, the American tree sparrow and the dark-eyed junco. Also the red-winged blackbird and the common grackle. Cornell University's Bird lab hosts a BirdCast Migration Dashboard that gives daily summaries of radar-based nocturnal bird migration. With it, you can watch the progress of birds as they waft their way across the nation and even track how many flew over your county the night before. The system uses radar because most species migrate at night, some at altitudes as high as 15,000 feet, and aren't visible to the naked eye. In the contiguous United States, peak spring bird migration runs approximately between March 1 and June 15, though some species migrate earlier or later. Fall migration is generally between August 1 and November 30. Peak migration is defined by the seasonal window during which about 50% of nighttime bird migration traffic passes through an area. On a map you can see a wave of peak migration move up from the southernmost United States to the far north as temperatures slowly rise over the course of the spring. The biggest peaks are still to come. "It's not until April that you really start to get the big bang of bird diversity," he said. "The peak migration comes like a wave across the United States, breaking from south to north." BirdCast has live, local bird migration alerts so you can see who's flying through your area at any time. Numbers are especially high right now in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and somewhat in the Maryland-New Jersey area. There's also a migration prediction map that shows upcoming nocturnal migrations. For example, the night of March 10 to 11, an estimated 20 million birds were predicted to be migrating in the United States. Areas of high migration include Iowa, central Texas and up into Oklahoma. That night in Des Moines County, Iowa, an estimated 158,700 birds crossed the county, including snow geese, dark-eyed juncos, killdeers, white-throated sparrows, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, northern shovelers and buffleheads. In North America, birds typically fly south for the winter before food is less available during the colder months, then back north in the spring to take advantage of growing insect populations, budding plants and good nesting locations. Come winter, those same birds will fly south again to escape the cold and find better food sources. There are five types to look for, with larger birds tending to make longer trips. Permanent residents: These are birds who don't always migrate, sometimes because there's enough food where they live. They can include the the American crow, the common raven, mourning doves, wild turkeys and in Florida many types of herons. Altitudinal migrants: These are birds who change altitude, not location, generally up or down a mountain. Think of the Rocky Mountains and birds such as Clark's nutcracker, the mountain chickadee and rosy finches. Whether higher elevation birds move depends on local conditions. Short-distance migrants: These can include the eastern phoebe, the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the song sparrow. Medium-distance migrants: These are birds that migrate a few hundred miles. They might breed in the Northeastern U.S. and winter in the Southeast. Some breed in the eastern deciduous forests and migrate to Central and South America or the Caribbean. These are often shorebirds. Species include many types of warblers, the western tanager and the snow bunting. Long-distance migrants: These birds fly thousands of miles, often from the northern United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America, sometimes as far as 8,000 miles. These are often shorebirds, including birds that breed on the tundra and winter in southern South America. Some species include the arctic tern, Hudsonian godwit, long-tailed jaeger and the bobolink. The blackpoll warbler songbird can fly as far from as far as Alaska to the Amazon. Exactly how birds know where and when to migrate, especially those that have never made the flight before, is still something of a mystery. Research shows that length of day, smell, the location of the sun and the stars and even sensing the earth's magnetic field are all involved. Changes to when plants first bud and insects become available due to a warming planet are wreaking havoc with some species' migration patterns. The mismatch of their migration with food sources puts them out of sync with what's available, leaving them hungry just when they need to eat so they can breed. Embedded content: Embedded content: To aid birds as they migrate, ornithologists urge Americans to turn off non-essential lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during peak migration periods. Bright lights can attract and disorient birds that migrate at night, potentially causing fatal collisions with buildings. 'These simple steps can help protect them,' said Farnsworth. 'And please make sure any glass in your house is bird friendly.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bird spring migration is underway, here's how to follow it at home
USA Today
11-03-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Spring bird migration is underway, here's how to follow along in your own backyard
Spring bird migration is underway, here's how to follow along in your own backyard On peak migration days, as many as 500 million birds could be flying under cover of darkness across America. Show Caption Hide Caption Bird-watching: An introduction for beginners Bird-watching, also known as birding, is the practice of observing, listening to, pursuing and admiring birds in their natural habitats. unbranded - Lifestyle Spring migrations runs between March 1 and June 15. Fall migration runs between August 1 and November 30. Peak spring migration is in April. Birds are on the move as their annual spring migration begins. Radar tracking allows you to follow along to see what birds are flying overhead as the birds move to their summer feeding grounds. "The movements are massive," said Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist at Cornell University who works with the university's ornithology lab. "On a big night in the spring, you're talking 450 to 500 million birds flying under cover of darkness." It's a time of year when local birds that went south for the winter return or birds heading farther north stop to feed. "Right now we're seeing lots of movement in Florida and the Southeastern United States as well as in some midwestern states," Farnsworth said. 'The ruby-crowned kinglet, swamp sparrow and eastern phoebe are starting to migrate. They've mostly spent their winter in the southeast are starting to move north,' he said. 'In areas like Kansas, you're seeing a lot of waterfowl on the move, along with sparrows,' he said. Species include the fox sparrow, the American tree sparrow and the dark-eyed junco. Also the red-winged blackbird and the common grackle. Cornell University's Bird lab hosts a BirdCast Migration Dashboard that gives daily summaries of radar-based nocturnal bird migration. With it, you can watch the progress of birds as they waft their way across the nation and even track how many flew over your county the night before. The system uses radar because most species migrate at night, some at altitudes as high as 15,000 feet, and aren't visible to the naked eye. When is peak bird migration? In the contiguous United States, peak spring bird migration runs approximately between March 1 and June 15, though some species migrate earlier or later. Fall migration is generally between August 1 and November 30. Peak migration is defined by the seasonal window during which about 50% of nighttime bird migration traffic passes through an area. On a map you can see a wave of peak migration move up from the southernmost United States to the far north as temperatures slowly rise over the course of the spring. The biggest peaks are still to come. "It's not until April that you really start to get the big bang of bird diversity," he said. "The peak migration comes like a wave across the United States, breaking from south to north." Who's migrating near you? BirdCast has live, local bird migration alerts so you can see who's flying through your area at any time. Numbers are especially high right now in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and somewhat in the Maryland-New Jersey area. There's also a migration prediction map that shows upcoming nocturnal migrations. For example, the night of March 10 to 11, an estimated 20 million birds were predicted to be migrating in the United States. Areas of high migration include Iowa, central Texas and up into Oklahoma. That night in Des Moines County, Iowa, an estimated 158,700 birds crossed the county, including snow geese, dark-eyed juncos, killdeers, white-throated sparrows, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, northern shovelers and buffleheads. Why do birds migrate? In North America, birds typically fly south for the winter before food is less available during the colder months, then back north in the spring to take advantage of growing insect populations, budding plants and good nesting locations. Come winter, those same birds will fly south again to escape the cold and find better food sources. There are five types to look for, with larger birds tending to make longer trips. Permanent residents: These are birds who don't always migrate, sometimes because there's enough food where they live. They can include the the American crow, the common raven, mourning doves, wild turkeys and in Florida many types of herons. Altitudinal migrants: These are birds who change altitude, not location, generally up or down a mountain. Think of the Rocky Mountains and birds such as Clark's nutcracker, the mountain chickadee and rosy finches. Whether higher elevation birds move depends on local conditions. Short-distance migrants: These can include the eastern phoebe, the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the song sparrow. Medium-distance migrants: These are birds that migrate a few hundred miles. They might breed in the Northeastern U.S. and winter in the Southeast. Some breed in the eastern deciduous forests and migrate to Central and South America or the Caribbean. These are often shorebirds. Species include many types of warblers, the western tanager and the snow bunting. Long-distance migrants: These birds fly thousands of miles, often from the northern United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America, sometimes as far as 8,000 miles. These are often shorebirds, including birds that breed on the tundra and winter in southern South America. Some species include the arctic tern, Hudsonian godwit, long-tailed jaeger and the bobolink. The blackpoll warbler songbird can fly as far from as far as Alaska to the Amazon. Exactly how birds know where and when to migrate, especially those that have never made the flight before, is still something of a mystery. Research shows that length of day, smell, the location of the sun and the stars and even sensing the earth's magnetic field are all involved. Changes to when plants first bud and insects become available due to a warming planet are wreaking havoc with some species' migration patterns. The mismatch of their migration with food sources puts them out of sync with what's available, leaving them hungry just when they need to eat so they can breed. To aid birds as they migrate, ornithologists urge Americans to turn off non-essential lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during peak migration periods. Bright lights can attract and disorient birds that migrate at night, potentially causing fatal collisions with buildings. 'These simple steps can help protect them,' said Farnsworth. 'And please make sure any glass in your house is bird friendly.'
