BEIRUT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- As dawn broke over southern Lebanon, the residents gazed upward in wonder, watching as massive flocks of pelicans and geese sliced across the sky in perfect unison. Their synchronized movements -- wings stretched wide in patterned flight -- created a living artwork that was as captivating as it was perplexing for the locals: why were these birds arriving so far ahead of schedule?
At a shrinking pond on the edge of the southern town of Ibl al-Saqi, 26-year-old Dalal Ghazi was filming the pelicans' descent.
"I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me," she said. "It's not their usual time. Maybe climate change confused them. Maybe they're seeking warmth earlier than before. It feels like nature has shifted the rules."
Lebanon sits on the Eastern Mediterranean flyway, one of the world's busiest migratory corridors. According to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter, a German-based NGO that works internationally to combat illegal bird hunting, hundreds of thousands of soaring migrants, including white storks and lesser spotted eagles, pass through the route each spring and autumn, along with more than a million additional migratory birds spanning many species.
For locals, the changes in the sky are unmistakable. Veteran hunter Jalal Abdallah, 70, said he had never seen birds flying over southern Lebanon in August. "It's not familiar at all. The climate is no longer what it used to be, and the birds are paying the price."
Watching the flocks overhead, 40-year-old Akram Youssef said, "nature is adapting to the new climate reality. The birds are simply keeping pace."
Such shifts in migration patterns are increasingly common, as global warming has disrupted rainfall, wind patterns, and temperature cues, forcing birds to adjust long-established timetables, scientists have said.
"Excessive rainfall in some regions, abnormal heat in others, and drought have unsettled the birds, making them change course and timing," environmental activist and university lecturer Kamel Khaireddine said.
Nabegh Ghazal Asswad, program manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said, "Species never before seen in Lebanon -- like the hooded wheatear and Kurdish wheatear -- are appearing now. Rising temperatures and shifting wind systems are pushing birds into new migratory routes northward."
The phenomenon is not unique to Lebanon. Across the Mediterranean and the Middle East, researchers have recorded earlier migration in recent years, particularly among species wintering in North Africa and the Sahel.
A 2024 review published in the International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology about climate effects on migratory birds concluded that climate change is one of the most serious threats to avian ecology, influencing their migration, breeding strategies, distributions, and even survival.
Meanwhile, human threats compound the pressure on migratory birds. While stopping to rest at Lebanese ponds and pine forests, many flocks fall victim to illegal hunting. About 2.6 million birds are illegally killed in Lebanon each year, making the country among the most dangerous stops on this vital flyway, says the IFAW.
International groups, including BirdLife International and the Lebanese Association for Migratory Birds, have repeatedly warned of the mounting risks and urged stronger enforcement of hunting bans.
Khaireddine highlighted the importance of monitoring these shifts and protecting migration corridors.
"Whether this early arrival is temporary or a new pattern, it is another sign of how climate change is reshaping life -- even in the skies above us," said the environmental activist. ■
