Go birding: peak migration season is here in Alabama

Calling all bird lovers! Alabama is in the heart of peak migration season, with millions of birds soaring through the skies—just in time for Go Birding Day on April 26!

Grab your binoculars and keep reading for migration info + the scoop on Alabama Audubon’s bird banding at Fort Morgan.

Spring migration + Go Birding Day

Millions of birds are making their yearly journeys across the Gulf of Mexico from their winter vacation spots in Central and South America—with 13 million inflight April 23.

According to BirdCast, during spring migration, most birds travel through the contiguous U.S. between mid-April and mid-May, with the peak being the first week of May.

Birds typically begin their journey 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, with the largest number in flight two to three hours later. Migrating birds often fly as high as 10,000 feet above the ground. You can help them by turning off unnecessary outside lights and drawing your curtains at night.

Check out Alabama’s live bird migration traffic to see how many birds are currently in flight.

Go Birding Day on Saturday, April 26, celebrates birdwatching and encourages us to appreciate the beauty and importance of our feathered friends. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just starting out, you may get the chance to see:

• Warblers
• Flycatchers
• Painted Buntings
• Swallows
• Shorebirds
• Thrushes

+ Many more!

Alabama Audubon: bird banding at Fort Morgan

Bird migration in Alabama, especially along the Gulf Coast, is a spectacular sight in April and May. Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan are among the best places to witness and study the birds passing through.

From April 14 to 19, Alabama Audubon conducted spring bird banding and bird walks at Fort Morgan in partnership with Fort Morgan Historical Site, Mississippi State University, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and with the help of licensed banders.

On April 16, a strong wind system caused a fallout—a phenomenon where migratory birds are forced to land due to windy weather conditions.

This rare event resulted in an incredible 514 birds banded in a single day, including over 100 Wood Thrushes. Other caught species of the week were:

• Catbirds
• Red-eyed Vireos
• Indigo Buntings
• Painted Buntings
• Red-bellied Woodpeckers

Birds are gently caught using soft mist nets, then placed in cloth bags and taken to a banding station. There, they’re weighed, measured and identified by age and sex when possible. Each bird gets a unique identification band that helps track it through a public database.

If a banded bird is found again, its info can be reported online. The finder gets a certificate showing where it was first banded—a fascinating way for citizen scientists to contribute to conservation.

“We had a front row seat to spring migration at Fort Morgan. It was really exciting to see birds returning from their wintering grounds in Central and South America, and we are learning a lot about their migration from our bird banding efforts.”

Dr. Lianne Koczur, Science & Conservation Director at Alabama Audubon

All birds were banded under federal bird banding permits issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

Alabama Audubon’s mission

Since 1927, Alabama Audubon has been devoted to conserving bird habitats and deepening connections to the natural world, working to safeguard both the birds and the people who care about them.

If you’d like to support Alabama Audubon check out their event calendar or donate here.

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