Fall Songbird Migration

Songbirds began their southbound migration throughout the region several weeks ago. We are currently in the midst of the peak migration window in New England, which generally extends from mid-September to mid-October.

Much of this migration takes place at night. This is for a number of reasons, some of which include cooler conditions during night-time, less wind generally, and protection from predators (most notably, hawks) that is afforded by darkness.

The number of songbirds that migrate in a given night within this peak migration window is related to weather conditions. The biggest migrations typically take place on clear nights with northerly winds, immediately following the passage of a cold front.

Doppler radar showing migrating birds (photo by The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) )

Scientists are able to reliably track these mass migration events using Doppler radar, the same technology used to track weather/precipitation events.

Nightly migration prediction (image source: BirdCast website)

Thanks to a collaborative project (called “BirdCast”) between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and the University of Massachusetts, you too can track these migration events in realtime! And you can see migration predictions on a night-by-night basis where you live.

BirdCast Dashboard snippet (image source: BirdCast website)

You can also use the BirdCast Dashboard feature to view how many birds migrated the previous night(s) in your area, what time they migrated, what elevation they migrated at, what species to expect coming through your area, and much more! We definitely encourage you to check it out for yourself!

And remember, you can help birds during their migration by shutting off your outdoor lights at night…learn more in our “Less Light at Night” Monthly Mission feature here.