Migrating birds are passing over Michigan - Here's how to track them
THETFORD, VT - MAY 7: A yellow warbler pauses in a shrub next to the marsh at The Mystery Trail at Union Village Dam. The trail is one of the sites on the Connecticut River Birding Trail which highlights sites in New Hampshire and Vermont. (Photo by
(FOX 2) - As birds continue to migrate this spring, you can track their journey live.
Created by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdCast offers real-time predictions about when and where birds will be migrating over certain areas at night. This is done by using the U.S. weather surveillance radar network between sunset and sunrise to track bird patterns.
A view of the live bird migration map at 5:30 a.m. May 5, 2025 (Dokter, A. M. BirdCast live migration map courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
According to the migration dashboard, approximately 992,100 birds crossed Michigan between 8:50 p.m. May 4 and 6:20 a.m. May 5, with more birds continually flying over the state. According to data from the BirdCast dashboard estimates, nearly 49 million birds have already crossed Michigan during this year's migration.
Current precautions show that Monday night will have a low intensity of birds flying over the Detroit area, while Tuesday is predicted to be medium - meaning that between 6,000 and 10,000 birds are expected per kilometer per night.
In addition to the number of birds passing overhead, the BirdCast dashboard tracks the direction and speed birds are traveling, and the altitude of these animals.
Find the live migration maps here.
What you can do:
Migrating birds tend to begin migrating 30-45 minutes after sunset and continue through the night, with the greatest influx of birds typically in flight two to three hours after that.
Since birds travel at night, they can become disoriented by light pollution, leading to potential collisions with buildings. To help limit these occurrences, shut non-essential lights off between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The Source: This information is from the Cornell Lab.