Several species of birds, and even squirrels, make for great early warning systems in the woods (and home) if you know how to listen and watch. Like a pebble thrown into a pool of still water with ever extending concentric rings, a disturbance in the forest does the same thing, only it is the birds who are the rings letting you know through their warning calls. I am sure many of you have experienced this as I have.

I have also watched and documented in the article on Weather Wisdom the effect of barometric pressure on wildlife, especially birds, as it is another early warning system of somewhat near disturbance coming. However, this new study below takes it to another level we did not know birds were capable of which I will be observing keenly as I know many of you will too.

Birds heard deadly storms coming and escaped before they hit

Much as humans have early warning systems to predict tornadoes and hurricanes, birds are showing they have their own ways of sidestepping deadly super storms.

Researchers studying golden-winged warblers found that they flew 932 miles out of their way — from Tennessee down to Florida and as far away as Cuba — to escape an incoming a powerful storm in April that spawned dozen of tornadoes and killed 35 people.

“It is the first time we’ve documented this type of storm avoidance behavior in birds during breeding season,” said Henry Streby, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

Read the rest of the article HERE