Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons In the Lives of Migratory Birds

by Miyoko Chu

Until recently, little was known about the lives of songbirds during their travels from autumn until spring. Now scientists have documented mass migrations over the Gulf of Mexico, identified the voices of migrants in the night sky, and showed how songbirds navigate using stars, polarized light, and magnetic fields. Miyoko Chu explores the intricacies underlying the ebb and flow of migration, the cycle of seasons, and the interconnectedness between distant places. Songbird Journeys pays homage to the wonder and beauty of songbirds while revealing the remarkable lives of migratory birds and the scientific quest to answer age-old questions about where songbirds go, how they get there, and what they do in the far-flung places they inhabit throughout the year.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Ornithology, Animals, Wildlife

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read about bird migration. This is truly one of the wonders of the world to me - that many of these fragile, tiny creatures perform amazing feats of navigation and pure physical stamina twice a year. It makes the human condition that much more humble. I think Living on the Wind by Weidensaul is a better overall book on the subject (and the one that originally sparked my fascination with migration), but Songbird Journeys is imminently practical. There are many lists of where you can go to see birds migration, and how you can turn your birdwatching into data scientists can use.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for birders and birdwatchers...if you don't love birds the level of details and discussion of scientific studies may appear daunting and a tad boring. That said, if you have even a passing fancy with birds in your birdfeeders this book is filled with fascinating information on bird migration, why female birds generally like more brightly colored males better, how some birds can store food in their "crop" for a midnight snack, how birds navigate by the moon, stars, sun, and even magnetic fields. And just how far little tiny birds can fly when migrating. Divided up into discussion by the four seasons, the book also give detaill on the best places in the US and tropics to watch birds in all seasons.

[Seth D Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this more than I did. It's very dry and technical, with lots of lists of specific birds that aren't super-meaningful to me, who doesn't know a thrush from a warbler, let alone the distinctions between different thrushes and warblers; the good stuff is kind of buried. It also feels a little bit like a series of essays, rather than the arching narrative it suggests. Still, I enjoyed it, but it's definitely only for people who are hardcore about birds. Would love to read a feature-length article version of the interesting stuff herein.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will make you appreciate the songbirds that migrate to your area so much more. After you learn what a difficult journey they travel twice each year, it will make you wonder how they manage to survive.

We learn about the history of bird counts, tagging, research and how the trail was followed as to how these feathered friends make their journeys over the years. I enjoyed this story so much and now feel in awe of the little birds that I will see in my yard next Spring. They live lives that depend on the weather, environment, forestation, predators, temperatures, food availability and so much more. We need to do more to save some of the endangered species, and treasure the little songbirds that show up in our yards each year. I know that I am going to do everything I can to provide nests, food, plants, and shrubs for them.

[Whitman Cler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introductory book for people trying to learn about bird migration. I was unaware that scholarship on bird migration didn’t begin until the 20th century. I enjoyed the anecdotes about scientists studying migrating birds.

The extent to which the climate crisis influences bird migrations and habitats was alarming. Since the book is older, the updated statistics on the climate crisis’s impact on bird migration and habitats is even more frightening. I wish the book would have offered collective solutions to helping birds migrate successfully, rather than individual solutions.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This probably would have gotten four stars if I hadn't already the delightful Living on the Wind book on the same subject. There's some very cool bits in here (such as the description of migration over the Gulf of Mexico and the dramatic fallouts that can occur along the coast in spring), which makes it worth the read. In many ways it is more of a birdwatcher's guide to migratory birds, with a lot of space dedicated to lists and descriptions of locations to see the birds in each season. I wanted to know more about the birds themselves than about ways to see them.

[Max Driffill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miyoko Chu has written an information rich, vibrant, subtly stirring and deeply engaging work about migratory song birds. The authors affection and respect for wild birds comes through with great clarity in this delightfully well written book. Sometimes I think in works as dense with information as this one is the writing can tend toward dry. That is not the case with Chu’s book. Her focus is not merely a matter of conveying where the birds go, when they migrate but she also puts the physical ordeal of migration in perspective. This is actually is often missed in field guides for instance which give only the whens and the wheres. They don’t make the reader think about what it means to be a bird that weighs maybe no more than a US quarter, who must set out across the hemispheres, traveling back and forth from some breeding grounds in New England and (for many after flying non-stop across the Gulf Of Mexico) some small grasslands in the middle of South America, or some dwindling forest tracts in Jamaica, or the Bahamas. Chu with the help of recent scientific research, brings the journeys of these magnificent birds to life for readers.

The book also encourages action and engagement in conservation and citizen science and each chapter ends with a list of places to go see bird migration as it happens. There is also a handy appendix listing organizations,,charities, and other groups, with which to get involved.

Read this book.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - this is a unique look at migratory songbirds. It focuses on the midwestern and eastern US, uses data and research primarily from the 1970s. I often found myself thinking there must be bird researchers in South and Central America to fill in some gaps.
The aspects of the book that involves the personal stories of the researches were the most interesting.
There’s references for best sites to view each season and for community science projects.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpectedly interesting read. I picked this up on a whim at the library and have found it fascinating. Some parts did become very technical and would really only interest the die hard birder, but most of it appealed to this layman. I closed Songbird Journeys with a fresh appreciation for the beautiful, small creatures that share this earth with us and a renewed realization of the importance of conservation.

[Susan Stans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too much jargon or biology in this book. I enjoyed hearing of the different migration, especially night migration and the distance birds go. I was not overwhelmed with details for individual species I got an introduction to a variety of birds. Which held my interest until the recourses and bibliography. A fine reference for trips and scheduling. Easy to read.

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details songbirds and their migratory journeys and patterns. It breaks down the topic by seasons and gave ways the reader could participate in bird watching projects & scientific research. It discusses how & why man needs to study birds and find ways to stop harming our world & environments.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new bird lover, this book helped me understand the past, present, and future fates of songbirds in North America. It was an excellent educational tool, especially when I used a field guide to assist my understanding!

[Kelsey May · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for bird-lovers!

[Linda TW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read for any Bird Lover

[Bette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Additional tales of bird migration from Central America over Texas and beyond.

[William Sowka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book to inspire the experienced, to educate the curious. For the love of birds, read this book.

[Lisa Aboudan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look into the unseen world of migration. Everyone should be concerned for the songbirds loss of forests and meadows, lost to commerce, pollution or progress.

[Nancy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most fascinating birding book I have read!

[James Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for not only birders but anyone interested in the lives of migratory birds and their activities over the four seasons.

[Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really helped me to appreciate how strong and resilient these tiny little birds are. I love them even more now. ❤️

[Sonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most annoying 4 star book I've read. What? Annoying? Fundamentally, this book suffers from an identity crisis and the absence of a sharp editing pen. But when you get past that, it contains some great nuggets.

So first, the good. The premise is appealing and the book delivers. What is the life cycle of migrating birds. In story and anecdote Chu covers the seasons by singling out specific species for which we do have some data and relating their experiences. Much of this is great information and new to me.

What confuses me are the random color plates of 15 birds inserted into the middle of the book. Perhaps a nice touch for some but I had to wonder why - why this content and why these birds? Eye candy but not enlightening.

And then there is the slide into field guide: Central Park, NY and Kern River, CA websites and phone numbers. Neither a comprehensive list nor even, 6 years after publishing, accurate information. Annoying.

And the unnecessary preaching. I would suspect the book's target readers are sadly aware that habitat loss and climate change are challenging the very existence of many species. The author's hand wringing is on target but is referenced without great exploration and does little to advance the book's fundamental thesis.

My intent is not to be mean or a smart ass. The book has some really good & enlightening information. I think it could have been better by eliminating some of the incomplete eddy's and channels and stuck to the topic because the main topic is, in itself, both fascinating and still mysterious.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to give it more stars, but when I picked it up the second time, felt that it got too bogged down in the details with not enough focus on the bigger picture of bird migration. Doesn't mean it's a bad book just that she wrote a different book than the one I wanted to read.

It's obviously a richly researched book by a thoughtful, scientific mind.

However, her writing didn't draw me into a topic I desperately want to know more about. It is truly fascinating the amount we don't really know about the life of our daily companions. And these birds are such portents of environmental change and damage and it's impact on all of life.

She goes into depth following early attempts to monitor birds using radio signals and it almost makes an interesting read as we follow one early researcher racing across borders at 3 am to follow a Swainson's thrush, but in the end, reads too much like a Scientific American article than a New Yorker article for me.
I want the facts but I want to be strung along on an interesting journey in the process.

Call me right-brained, if you will.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A description of research on bird migration, some of the hazards that migrating birds face, and ways that people can see them and become involved in civilian research projects.

Not as well-written as Weidensaul's LIVING ON THE WIND, which this book strangely does not cite, this is still an informative and readable work. I wish it, and so many other bird books, was not so focused on the eastern United States -- not only does it give me serious fallout envy but I'd like more information on California migrant birds. However, I found the information on specific reserves and websites very useful and practical, although probably the URLs will tend to become invalid as the book ages.

I was annoyed by the lack of decent color photographs. A book on some of the most beautiful creatures in the world should be able to do better than a few drawings apparently scanned from a Peterson guide, and an old one at that.

Recommended, though alongside LIVING ON THE WIND and other books rather than as a replacement for them.

[Wes Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chu provides a nice balance between the scientific information about the year-round journeys of migratory songbirds and helpful hints about when and where to look for them. The book is divided into the four seasons (with a breakdown in Winter between those who migrate to Central and South American and those who stay in North America), providing us with a view of where the birds are and what they are doing. She provides information on several researchers--amateur and professional--whose work with methods such as analysis of radar and tracking birds through radio transmitters have provided new information about migration patterns. But she also breaks down, season-by-season, the best places to visit to observe the birds on their round-trip journeys. I am going to buy some additional copies of this book to give to some of my fellow birders because I'm keeping mine!

[Kurtbg · Rating 3 out of 5]

North America songbirds migrate to South America, but not the opposite. Males are more colorful to attract predators away from the females and young. Bright plummage is a relative to the male's ability to find specific food sources. Bright the male - the better food hunter and the better to distract predators. MIgrating birds bulk up on fatty seeds to fly to SA. Birds have been shown to migrate to the same spots where mating has been successful - bypassing areas better suited. Young separated from others have been tracked migrating without never participating in a migration (genetic). Caged songbirds will often move to the side of the cage in corresponding with the migration. Full migratory routes and bird counts are still unknown.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have never thought about the ordeal of flying from South America to North America and back in one calendar year, only weighing a few grams, and having never made the trip before, this is a excellent way to get your mind around the topic of migration. Millions of birds do it every year.

Miyoko Chu's book is filled with the rich detail of scientific research. Just how a bobolink does what it does is miraculous. It would take me weeks to go from a meadow in Maine to an Argentinian marsh, and I'd need the help of a compass, several maps, four-wheel drive and lots and lots of caffeine. Weighing only two ounces or less, a bobolink can do it in one flight when it's less than a year old, making most of the trip over open water.

Wow!

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chu describes the amazing amount of knowledge gained in recent years about migratory songbirds. She also makes clear that huge gaps in understanding still remain. What is known is a truly amazing story of how these creatures undertake incredible journeys. Sadly, humans are changing the world in ways that are making survival for migratory birds even more problematic. The book also describes the best hotspots to visit in spring and fall migration and ways that individual birders can participate in "citizen science" projects to provide valuable assistance to the scientific effort to learn about migratory birds and how to protect them.

[Maris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent primer on neotropical migrants. But not only is it educational, it's a pleasure to read! It gathers together awe-inspiring experiences of researchers and observers, and puts them together as seasonal glimpses of birds that travel from the southern to the northern hemisphere.

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read about half of this-- the first two seasons-- and enjoyed it. It's very well written, with interesting stories about birds and the people who watch them. I might finish it in time for fall migration.

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you aren't interested in birding, you will not like this book. If, like me, you are, then you will find it fascinating.