It's late bird migration season right now, and in many areas of the US, thousands of birds are still crossing overhead, on the way to their wintering areas.
It's easiest to get in on the excitement of observing the migration if you know where to look, and when, as well as which species you're most likely to see in your area right now. These 13 tips will help you make the most of this brief and awe-inspiring yearly event.
1. Use a Migration Tracker
Knowing what to expect for "traffic" is really helpful when you're trying to spot, or hear, migrating birds. One of the best online tools for this is BirdCast, where you can put in your zip code to see how many birds are currently migrating through your area.
Another tool is Audubon's Bird Migration Explorer. It's a little clunky compared to BirdCast, but has some different features, and between the two of them, it's amazing how much information you can find about what's happening with migratory species in your county.
2. Sign Up For Migration Alerts
Consider signing up for a free service that will alert you for different migratory events, like high migration in your zip code, or migration of certain types of birds, like waterfowl.
3. Think Nocturnal
Most (but not all) bird species migrate at night, so it can be hard to spot them actually in flight. This site does a great job of talking about why birds migrate at night, and which species you might see migrating in the daytime instead.
Also, if a beloved species is a night migrator, don't lose hope of spotting them. There's always a chance you may see them during a daytime stopover for food and rest.
4. Get Out the Binoculars
This is may be an obvious one, but having a good pair of binoculars on hand can make it so much easier to observe and identify different bird species. Don't have a pair? Try stopping at your local library. Many libraries offer bird watching kits that you can check out, and they generally include binoculars, a field guide, and information about local bird watching groups.
5. Invest in a Good Birdwatcher's Guide
Migration is a time when you're more likely to see different species of birds that you may not be as familiar with. Having a good field guide handy definitely makes bird watching so much more fun.
We especially like Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds, and the Sibley Guide to Birds.
6. Know Which Birds You're Most Likely to See
Online trackers are helpful for knowing when birds are most heavily traveling through your area. But another way they're especially useful, is for predicting which particular species you may expect to see from one day to another.
Knowing what to look for makes it more likely you'll actually spot them on their way through.
7. Join a Local Bird Counting Effort
Bird watching can be more fun when you're part of a larger effort. Many states periodically do bird surveys, and count on volunteers to help report sightings. There may also be local initiatives through your town or county bird watching groups.
Check in with your library to get connected with groups nearby, find local birdwatching groups on Facebook, or check out this helpful resource from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to find a birding community near you.
8. Practice Listening
Because so many species migrate at night, when it's hard to clearly see individual birds, listening for the unique sounds each species makes can be another way of observing the migration--just with a different sense than we usually rely on.
This is a fascinating article about listening to birds as they migrate at night. For a great free resource that helps identify bird sounds, check out Cornell University's BirdNET app.
9. Put Out a Bird Feeder
This is a great time of year to make sure the bird feeder stays full. You never know what species you might find fueling up at your feeder while they're moving through. You might even have some visitors stay for a day or two!
10. Don't Take Down the Birdhouses
Much like with bats, some species of birds seem to "scope out" good breeding locations for next year, while they're on the move to their winter location. Having bird houses out may give feathered travelers a chance to see your yard as a great possible spot for raising next year's babies.
11. Keep Your Yard Peaceful
Give yourself the best chance of spotting different species on their way through, by making sure your yard is a peaceful oasis in which they may like to stop along the way. Consider keeping a bird bath full, as well as topping up the bird feeder.
12. Have the Camera Ready
If you're hoping to get some great shots of birds passing through, make sure the camera stays handy, and that you've got a charged battery, and plenty of room on the memory card.
Looking to improve your bird photography? There are some really good tips in this article, on how to get better at taking photos of birds.
13. Record Your Observations
Once you get hooked on observing birds during migration, you'll love being able to compare your observation notes from year to year. You can keep notes right in your field guide, in a five-year journal, or maybe you'd like to start a notebook or diary that's just dedicated to bird observations.
Hopefully you'll get to make many wonderful observations as the fall migration continues. Then in six months, the cycle will reverse and we'll be getting out the binoculars again to watch them all fly back north!
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Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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