Heading South!

 I've been fascinated with the urge to migrate lately. Wikipedia gives us a lot of interesting facts about this phenomenon. Migration means the movement of various species from one habitat to another, usually on a yearly basis. There are a number of reasons why some creatures would do this: temperature fluctuations, escaping the rigors of winter, more plentiful food somewhere else, the mating urge. It is interesting that we find annual migration patterns in all major animal groups: birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and crustaceans. And maybe humans....

Here at Prairie Hill, I've been noticing the flocks of geese heading south recently. And from the lack of visitors lately at the hummingbird feeder, I suspect those small vivacious birds have already started their long annual journey south as well. This morning we woke up to the coldest temperature yet this fall. We actually had to wear a jacket early in the day. So change is in the air.

Wikipedia says that  birds have a mammalian circadian clock that tells them when to start their migration, where they need to go, and whether their route should be by land or sea. Amazing! I wonder if there is some remnant of that in ourselves. I, being a mammal, am interested in other mammals and how this seasonal journey is played out in various species. It appears that the caribou has one of the longest known yearly migrations. But the prize for the most yearly travel goes to the gray wolf, almost twice as many miles as the caribou. Of course, if we counted human travel, it would really skew these figures. 

There are some funny myths associated with migration. Once it was believed that swallows hibernated  in the winter: under water, in muddy riverbanks, or in hollow trees. No one thought about the possibility that they just flew away for a few months! Aristotle believed that robins turned into redstarts when summer came around. So over the years, we have learned a few things.

I felt the urge to migrate a couple weeks ago. If I could have, I'd have hopped into the car right then and traveled far! But being human, my calendar of responsibilities made me delay the migration impulse until I could clear my schedule. Now, in just two days, I have a clean slate for two weeks, and I'm heading south. I like to think that I heard the same call as the geese: time to go, time to go, heading south. And south is good for me because my daughter and her family live in Asheville, NC, and it is time to have a good visit with them. I'll be taking it slowly, driving 6 hours a day, enjoying the changing seasons, watching for geese above me and joining the caravan of animals migrating to their winter homes.