Look Up: Nearly 300 Million Birds Are Migrating Over Minnesota

That fall chill is in the air, and birds have instinctively started their migration south. Each Spring and Fall, hundreds of millions of birds migrate across the United States. Now, using models and past data, Birdcast can predict the number of migrating birds. They also have a request for humans during this time.

How Do They Forecast Bird Migration?

They've analyzed 23 years of bird movements in the atmosphere by using the U.S. weather surveillance radar network. They've learned the correlation between weather variables and migration and have created a computer model.

The forecasts are from Purdue University, the University of Illinois, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Bird Migration Surge This Week

August 24th is predicted to have 169 million birds migrating overnight. 224 million will migrate tomorrow night, and nearly 300 million will migrate on August 26th. The heaviest areas of migration will be over Minnesota and down the Mississippi River.

Humans Asked To Turn Off Their Lights

Birds migrate at night during their long fall migration. Lights at night can be very disorienting to birds, so the US Fish and Wildlife Service urges you to turn off or dim unnecessary lights.

Additional Ways To Help Birds Migrating

If you have a cat, keep them indoors. Outdoor cats kill billions of birds each year. Put stickers or string on your windows so birds can identify them and won't fly into them. Set out some fresh water in a bird bath so tired birds can rest and hydrate. Make sure you clean out the bird feeders regularly to prevent disease from spreading.

Visit birdcast.org to see updated forecast maps for bird migration.

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