Bird migration researchers are urging people across Michigan to turn out their outdoor lights on Monday night, May 11, as 5.1 million birds are expected to fly over Michigan.
The state is in peak spring migration season, as millions of birds flock north to return to Michigan for the summer, according to the Aeroecology Lab at Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Millions of birds will fly over Michigan with major cities such as Detroit expected to see thousands, per the AeroEco Lab.
About 945,000 birds flew over the state Sunday night, May 10, according to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology BirdCast Migration Dashboard.
Experts recommend turning off outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. to reduce skyglow that could confuse birds, with much of the state under a medium lights out alert level, and a section of the western Upper Peninsula under a high alert level, per Purdue University’s AeroEco Lab.
Here’s what to know about bird migration.
What is a ‘lights out’ alert?
If your city is within its peak migration window, dim or turn off non-essential outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and close shades to reduce skyglow, the Purdue AeroEco Lab said.
Why “lights out” helps:
How many birds will fly over Michigan tonight?
About 5.1 million birds are expected to fly over Michigan Monday night, May 11, as part of spring migration, according to Purdue University’s AeroEco Lab.
Peak spring migration nationally runs from March 1 to June 15, per Cornell University’s Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast. In Michigan, peak spring migration is from early to late May, Purdue University’s AeroEco Lab noted.
How do I know when birds are migrating through my area?
Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology hosts a BirdCast Migration Dashboard, providing live and local bird migration alerts throughout the continental U.S. by employing real-time analysis of bird migration traffic as detected by radar since most species migrate at night.
You can use the tool to determine whether birds are migrating in your area in low, medium, or high densities by entering your city in the search field on the website.
What types of birds summer in Michigan?
Here are some bird species you can find in Michigan this season, according to the American Bird Conservancy and Bird Watching HQ:
Lansing State Journal contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5.1M birds will fly over Michigan Monday. When to turn ‘lights out’
Reporting by Jenna Prestininzi and Sarah Moore, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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