The BirdCast team is pleased to welcome you back to our suite of migration tools for the Spring 2023 season as of today!
Although “spring” migration began as early as late January for some individuals of some species, BirdCast has often used 1 March as a proxy for the spring migration season’s beginning. Numbers of birds are beginning to increase markedly in our radar data, such that avian movements are now readily apparent above winter’s typically low nocturnal biological activity in many areas. Observers are excitedly tracking movements of wintering and returning birds as they begin, engage in, and end their journeys from non-breeding and wintering areas through stopover areas to breeding sites. Days are growing longer and weather is shifting (rapidly in some cases) away from winter patterns as the sun’s seasonal position in the Northern Hemisphere sky drifts toward the summer solstice.
What will this Spring Season hold for migration? How will patterns compare to previous years? Visit the Migration Dashboard to see how migration in your local county and state compare to previous years’ averages; or explore counties and states around the contiguous US!
Will we see a 500 million bird movement in May? Visit out live migration maps to find out and to stay up to date!
Stay tuned and visit our migration tools page to explore the season’s unfolding movements!
