I AM A NEW ENGLANDER at heart and I still enjoy winter, to a point. That point is somewhere around January 3, at which time my wife and I join the caravans that form throughout the Northeast and Midwest to funnel snowbirds of a feather into Florida via the I-95 and I-75 corridors.
All migrators should ask themselves how far they must travel. The answer to that question depends on why they are traveling. In January and February, Abby and I crave summer-like weather, such as we would experience in June and July at home. My dad was an enthusiastic amateur ornithologist who also enjoyed a warm winter sojourn in the Sunshine State with my mom. He keenly observed the migratory patterns of birds as well as their various habitats. When I once asked him how he chose his place in the sun, and how I should select mine, he passed on some phenological-type advice that I still follow.
“Never spend winter in a coastal area
