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Birds are migrating to the warmer Midlands

Across the country, the skies are alive with millions of birds taking flight on their annual journey South.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to drop, we're witnessing one of nature's most remarkable phenomena: the migration of birds down south for winter. 

Trey Franklin is the director of the W.G. Belser Arboretum, a 10-acre dedicated sanctuary in downtown Columbia. He says, "A whole group of species that are wintering flocks come here, and they’re a great way to get started birding.”

Bird migration is an awe-inspiring spectacle. Combined with instinct and environmental cues, it is a meticulously timed event. 

"Chickadees, juncos—there's a number of birds we see as wintering birds. They come here because it’s more hospitable in terms of the environment for them,” Franklin said.

Credit: W. Gordon Belser Arboretum

When it's time to migrate, birds use a variety of signals. Shortening daylight hours, cooler temperatures, and changes in food availability all trigger the urge to move. 

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