WINSTON WEEKLY©^[1]

March 23, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 12

NEW BEGINNINGS

Spring has sprung, giving way to budding trees and bulbs poking through the soil, at least in many parts of the country. Meaningful moments in the season of rebirth and renewal are abundant, whether in the skies or on the ground. If you have not experienced the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC or the Blooming Bonnets in Texas, March is the perfect time to plan a trip.

As warmth returns, bird migration will peak. Birds migrate to take advantage of plentiful food sources and breeding conditions. Longer daylight hours allow more time for foraging and raising young. Using a combination of senses to navigate their migratory journey, some birds travel thousands of miles, often taking the same route year after year. In 2022, Peter J. Hore and Henrik Mouritsen published How Migrating Birds Use Quantum Effects to Navigate, in Scientific American. The article explores and explains many aspects of bird migration, including the “compass mechanism” of birds.

For those who prefer a less scientific understanding of bird migration and are interested in other animal migration, Mike Unwin’s 2019 book, Migration: Incredible Animal Journeys, is a wonderful option. Unwin, a UK Travel Writer of the Year, explores the migration of twenty species, including the bar-headed goose, the Christmas Island red crab, the ruby-throated hummingbird, the globe simmer dragonfly, and the monarch butterfly. Illustrator Jenni Desmond created the book’s beautiful pictures using a form of printmaking called drypoint.[2]

Conservationist, artist, and author Kenn Kaufman provides an educational perspective of the forces impacting migration around Lake Erie in A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration. Peggy Macnamara’s 2013 book, Birds, Insects, and the Changing Seasons in Chicagoland, explores more than 200 species of birds and insects. Peggy’s watercolor illustrations are accompanied by detailed text from Chicago’s Field Museum staff.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Take the time to enjoy the great outdoors and explore something new, whether with a child, a friend, a relative, or by yourself. Consider how a path you have walked multiple times has changed over the past month, or what is new in the sky. If being outdoors is not an option, check out the Field Museum’s website at www.fieldmuseaum.org.

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2] Let’s Talk Illustrators #118: Julie Desmond, Sept. 19, 2019, www.letstalkpicturebooks.com