Flying South

The calling of cranes and the honking of geese high overhead reminds us in no uncertain terms that summer has fled, fall has arrived, and the birds have packed their bags and started their annual migrations south to warmer climates. The cawing of blackbirds as they flock up by the hundreds preparing to take flight out of this region reinforces the truth that winter will arrive sooner than we care to admit.

Many bird populations travel long distances twice a year along flyways that generally follow mountain ranges, coastlines or rivers. Birds fly north in spring to nest and then return in the fall to warmer climates to feed and rest for the winter.

Although scientists cannot fully explain migrations, how birds navigate, and the reasons they do so each year, food of course plays a big role in why birds travel such long distances in spring and again in fall. Experiments have shown that some species of birds, including the tiny hummingbird, will not migrate south if supplied with a food source all winter long. Flying north to breed also seems to lead to larger clutches of eggs that produce more offspring.

Migrations, however, present birds with a lot of stress, exertion, and predatory risks. Some species of falcon will prey on smaller migrating birds, and high concentrations of birds in a small area lead to disease and parasite problems.

Most birds migrate in flocks which helps individuals of the flock conserve energy. Scientists estimate that the V formation that geese use conserves between 12-20% of the energy a single goose would require flying alone.

Non-flying birds also migrate. Penguins swim from location to location, sometimes covering hundreds of miles in the process. Australian emus have migrated long distances on foot to escape drought conditions.

Birds aren’t the only creatures that decide to leave cold winter lands behind for a few months. Many human ‘snow birds’, usually retired folks, also fly south every winter, seeking warmth and sunshine over snow and ice. One local snow bird, 87-year-old Robert Koeppler, Crane, has packed his van and made tracks to the heat of Arizona every winter for the past 30 years. Koeppler spends six months in Arizona and returns to Montana each spring.

Koeppler began his annual trek south because of a silver show. “I lived in Michigan at the time, and I had just started working with silver,” Koeppler says. “A friend told me about a large silver show at Quartzsite in Arizona, so in 1972 I went down for the show. It was amazing; the entire valley filled up with RVs. I was overwhelmed with all the people.”

He adds, “Nearly a million snow birds arrive at Quartzsite each year and 90% of them stay all winter long.”

Unlike many of us who cringe at the thought of so many people crammed together, Koeppler loved the crowds. “I liked all the people and the idea that all of us were there to enjoy the warmth and the silver show,” Koeppler says. “I liked the atmosphere, and I liked the silver show. I sold everything I’d made.”

This taste of flying south addicted Koeppler. He continued to journey to Arizona each winter to attend the silver show, sell the items he produced during the summer months, visit with the many friends he made through the years, and to enjoy the sunshine and heat of the southern state.

Koeppler moved to Crane in 1995, partly because of agate hunting on the Yellowstone, but he continued his habit of migrating south for the winter. “I moved to Crane in 1995 because I love being on the river and I love it here in the summer,” he remarks. “However, I still enjoy going to Quartzsite each fall, although it is a long trip.”

Like the migrating birds that adhere to a travelling schedule, Koeppler leaves Crane each Oct. 15, travels on his own to Arizona, spends the winter at Quartzsite, and then rolls back into Crane sometime in mid March. “It takes about a week to make the trip,” Koeppler concludes. “I enjoy the scenery along the way, and I take time to enjoy the trip.