As peak bird migration season approaches, people can track their movement through Michigan and take some steps to help them along their way.
Cornell University’s BirdCast Migration dashboard tracks bird movement. According to its data, as of April 21 there are over three million birds in flight, heading north-northwest. And about 1.5 million birds crossed Michigan the night of April 21 alone.
Linda Smith is the Director of Partnerships for Michigan Audubon, the state’s oldest conservation organization. It’s focused on protecting birds and responding to their needs.
Smith said bird migration between wintering grounds and breeding grounds is driven primarily by changes in food availability and nesting resources.
“So each spring and fall, millions of birds are traveling,” she said. “And a lot of them travel mostly at night, taking the time to rest on land.”
According to Cornell’s BirdCast, birds usually start migrating about a half hour after sunset.
Smith said spring migration season falls generally from March 1 to June 15, with peak times lasting from mid-April to mid-May.
“There’s so much that people can do during migration to protect birds,” Smith said. That includes:
- Planting native species
- Placing bird feeders far enough from windows and making windows more visible to birds to prevent collisions
- Keeping cats indoors
- Cleaning bird feeders
- Turning lights off at night because bright lights can disorient birds and draw them off course
“Birds can actually become trapped in bright beams and they become exhausted and more vulnerable to predators,” Smith said. “So what we can do is turn off our exterior lights in our homes, in our buildings.”
Smith said Michigan’s unique position in the country with its Great Lakes, wetlands, forests, and islands help with birds’ survival.
“This landscape provides essential places for the birds to rest and refuel during their journeys,” she said.
Smith said Michigan is home to over 460 bird species. 250 of those are migrating birds, while the rest stay in the state. One bird in particular that relies on Michigan’s resources is the Kirtland's Warbler.
It travels from its wintering grounds in the Bahamas to its breeding grounds in the jack pine forests found in only a handful of locations in Michigan, Smith said. The warbler used to be on the brink of extinction, but dedicated management of its habitat has fostered its recovery.
“We focus on the connection between birds and people,” Smith said. “Birds rely on us and we rely on birds.”
