Making Discoveries and Connections in a Time of Migrations
There鈥檚 much to celebrate, and still much we need to understand.
It鈥檚 mid-March in New York City, a time we at 探花精选 fondly refer to as 鈥渢imberdoodle season.鈥 American Woodcocks are among the many spring migrants beginning to move through, sending us into parks and cemeteries to peer under bushes for the skulky little birds. Colleagues post exuberant sightings to our workplace Slack鈥攑lus
At the same time, another migration is playing out across the globe, where some 3 million people have fled Ukraine in less than three weeks.* Those migrants, mostly women and children, took flight for neighboring countries to escape a horrific war. They are among the more than 82 million people worldwide who, , have been forcibly displaced from their homes. As Mar铆a Paula Rubiano颅 A.颅 writes, these people鈥斺渓ike birds whose habitats have become inhospitable鈥濃攄on鈥檛 migrate by choice.
When we first set out to create a special issue about migration, this shared experience seemed an essential point to make, even as we celebrated颅 the wonder of the phenomenon. And it is wonderful. Since humans first began observing these rhythms, we鈥檝e gained astonishing insights into how and why birds migrate. Through efforts like the Migratory Bird Initiative and Bird Genoscape Project, scientists aim to learn even more.
We鈥檝e gained astonishing insights into how and why birds migrate.
We鈥檝e also sought to illuminate points of connection between human choices and avian journeys, for better or worse. Here in New York City, woodcocks become some of spring鈥檚 earliest window-strike victims, but programs like Lights Out can help鈥攁nd so can actions taken at home. Perhaps the most consequential threat to birdlife is climate change, which alters habitat and the finely tuned cycles of migration. But potential solutions are not without risks鈥including birds鈥 own displacement.
Probing the ties that bind people and birds can lead to difficult conversations. We pledge to navigate those bravely and with care. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e proud to have been nominated for a National Magazine Award for 鈥淲hat Do We Do About John James 探花精选?鈥 by J. Drew Lanham (Spring 2021). And for the fourth year in a row, 探花精选 got a nod for General Excellence鈥攖he highest honor magazines can receive for serving readers with content that鈥檚 meaningful and useful. We鈥檒l continue to do just that, every season.
*Since this issue went to press, the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has risen to 4.7 million, .
This piece originally ran in the Spring 2022 issue as 鈥淢igration Season.鈥 To receive our print magazine, become a member by .