Yellow Warblers are migrating through many areas of southern Canada and throughout much of the United States, but do you know where they are headed and what route they will take to get there? You can easily refer to All About Birds to learn more about any species of birds (photo by Paul Konrad). One of several informational features provided in BirdCast’s Migration Dashboard is a list of birds to watch for in your area, which is ever-changing, along with daily migration reports for your county and state (graphic courtesy of BirdCast, Cornell Lab of Ornithology).

The migrations of birds are an especially interesting, impressive, and often intriguing aspect of birding, and during September migration activities really begins to heat up. Already, such diverse groups of birds as warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds; swallows, flycatchers, hummingbirds, shorebirds, and raptors are making regular advances during early fall migration. Throughout the month of September, and during the entire fall migration period, we encourage you to periodically check on the pulse of migration like you check on the weather – and now it’s possible to do that before and after any given day!

Migration patterns are often species-specific and they can be surprising beyond the expected southerly fall flights. For example, some songbirds and shorebirds fly thousands of miles east before turning south along the Atlantic Coast. And it’s just as interesting to check on the end point of birds’ migrations – their winter range, which may be in the southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America, or beyond Panama in South America! Where do birds you see day to day fly to next, and where will they spend our winter months?

We suggest referring to All About Birds to see the range map for each species. Just type in the name of the bird after clicking on the “magnifying glass” at the top right position of the webpage at Yellow Warbler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For example, an adult Yellow Warbler just materialized outside our office windows, so the question arises: “Where will it migrate to?” All About Birds will show you that almost all Yellow Warblers winter south of the United States, but they can be found from coastal areas of Mexico south through Central America and as far south as northeast Peru! That information even surprised some of our staff members, and there are plenty more surprises to uncover.

In addition to the range map, click on the life history information, listen to the bird’s song or call, and glean as much information as you wish before moving on to the next bird in question; perhaps “Where do the hummingbird species that are visiting the feeder out your window migrate?” Or where do the Purple Martins flying overhead spend the winter? It’s really great fun to check out species’ range maps and other information at All About Birds, provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Migration Count Sites

For a look at migration counts in action, you can refer to some of the raptor counting stations that provide live information about the birds they are seeing – all the birds in many cases – not just hawks, falcons, kites, and eagles. Yes, in addition to the obvious list of birds of prey species you can see counts of birds observed each day ranging from Common Loons to Black-and-white Warblers, most notably at count sites such as Hawk Ridge in Duluth, Minnesota (HawkCount); Cape May, New Jersey; Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, and others.

Non-raptors are listed on the right side of the webpage, and you can check on past days’ species counts by scrolling down the main page. Plus there is weather data to tie into the differences between good migration days and poor days for flights. For hourly or daily tallies at all participating raptor count sites, see HawkCount; and many more count sites will participate beginning September 1st (Labor Day) and thereafter. The information shared in the HawkCount website is provided by the Hawk Migration Association.

Daily BirdCast Migration Details

A favorite migration information source for many birders, BirdCast provides 4 separate webpages of information about bird migration, and you will be duly impressed, especially by the Migration Dashboard and Live Bird Migration Radar Maps! Check in any time you think of it, with a daily cup of coffee in the morning or during a need for a break in your day – bird migration is fascinating and a look at the migration maps and other information will surely expand your appreciation for bird migration.

Migration Dashboard - BirdCast: A wealth of information about bird migration at your specific location, or any location in the continental United States in the Migration Dashboard. See an estimate of the numbers of birds that migrated over any location you type into the Dashboard, along with the elevation, speed, and direction the birds were migrating. You will also see a list of some species of birds that are migrating through your area. Simply type your county or state into the white box at the top of this information-packed webpage to reveal local bird migration highlights, and you can also explore bird migration in other counties and states of interest across the contiguous United States by typing the location into the Dashboard.

Live bird migration maps - BirdCast: View the exciting live radar-based migration maps of the Lower 48 States that run on a time cycle that you can follow from 6pm throughout the next 24 hours with reference to sunset and sunrise. You will be very impressed to see the nightly activities, and you can also refer to the archived maps that you can view to from previous nights, weeks, and years.

Bird migration forecast maps - BirdCast: If you are curious about what you might expect during the next 3 nights of migration in your area, or when making plans for a birding adventure, you can refer to the 3 radar-based maps that Forecast bird migration across the Lower 48.

Local bird migration alerts - BirdCast: You can also monitor local migration forecasts for the next 3 nights for your city, or a city near you. You can also subscribe to receive Free email alerts when bird migrations peak.

Make BirdCast, HawkCount, and All about Birds an important part of your bird observations and birding experiences this fall. They certainly provide a wealth of enriching opportunities to expand your understanding and appreciation for birds and bird migration.