Fire Escapes, Convenience Stores, and Full-Service Hotels

Picture this: You’re on a long road trip with the family. It’s hour 2 and you’ve already run out of snacks. You still have 10 hours to go. You’d love nothing more than to take a break, stretch your legs and maybe find a bathroom.

Suddenly, you hear it: blink, blink, blink. Inside, you’re thinking, ‘YES! We’re stopping!’ as your parents pull off the road.

Does this sound familiar? It’s probably something you’ve been through before. Just like you, animals on long journeys also need a break now and then, especially the ones that go on EPIC migrations. What, you didn’t expect them to do it all in one go, did you?

Some bird migrations are SUUUUPER long. They can go from the top of the planet all the way down to the bottom. For them, a place to rest and recharge is super important. These are called stopover sites.

Now, not every stopover site is the same. It’s like how you don’t need a bed if you’re just filling up the car and popping in to use the bathroom. The things birds need at a stopover site change depending on what they’re using it for. Let’s take a look at the 3 types:

Fire escapes: For emergencies only!

What do you do when there’s a fire burning out of control near you? Find the fire escape, of course! It’s the same for a bird with a predator hot on its tail! It just needs somewhere to can go for protection, and a fire escape stopover site does the trick!

This stopover site doesn’t have a lot, but it’s somewhere a bird can go in an emergency. It will protect it from predators and bad weather, and let it catch its breath. They can be pretty much anywhere: city parks, lighthouses, even your backyard!

Convenience stores: a little of this, a little of that!

You’re about to pour yourself a big bowl of cereal when…uh oh! You’re out of milk. Now, your parents could go all the way to the grocery store and deal with long lines, or they could hop over to the corner store. Which one do you think they’re going to pick?

Like a real convenience store, birds that stop here will get a good selection of things but not everything. These stopover sites are larger patches of land that have more food and shelter than the “fire escapes”. It might not be perfect, but birds can get some much-needed food and rest.

Full-service hotels: Room service, please!

Ahhh! It’s been a long day of sightseeing and touring. You’re now ready to just relax. Are you going to choose to sit on a bench, or head back to the hotel where you have everything you need?

This stopover site is the best of the best! It has it all: lots of food, good shelter, and barely any predators. These are usually national parks, large forests, or protected natural habitats. A bird can rest and refuel for as long as it wants.

Stopover sites are super important. Without a safe place to rest during their migration, it would be a lot harder for birds to get to where they’re going.

Do you want to help birds too? Check out the For the Birds Mission in the app! You’ll learn how to help local birds and make an awesome bird feeder at the same time.

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