Posted by David LaPuma on September 10, 2003 at 08:59:24:
In Reply to: question posted by Ellie on September 09, 2003 at 22:15:29:
Ellie
The word "fallout" is used to describe and event where many migrating birds land in one place, usually due to weather. For instance, last year some of us saw a fallout of migrants in Key West. The night before the fallout, there was a line of storms across Key West, so when the thousands of birds migrating over Florida got to Key West, they all dropped out of the sky and landed in the parks, neighborhoods, and other natural areas. In the morning we saw hundreds of birds eating like crazy, obviously tired from the migration the night before and trying to build up their body fat so that once the weather cleared to the south, they could continue on their migratory path. So the word "Fallout" refers the large amounts of birds "falling out" of the sky. Sometimes, if you're in the right place at the right time, you can actually see the bird numbers increasing as more and more "fall out" of the sky and into the trees. Good places to see this are Fort De Soto or the Dry Tortugas in Spring, and Bill Baggs State Park in the Fall.
I hope that helps answer your question.
Cheers
David