As warm weather moves into the state ahead of the weekend, millions upon millions of birds are expected to head into Michigan with more than 21 million flying over Michigan the next two nights.
Peak spring migration season is underway in Michigan, 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, and turning off outdoor lights when possible can help traveling birds.
Researchers expect about 9.3 million birds flying over the state Thursday night, May 14, and 11.9 million Friday night, May 15, according to the AeroEco Lab. Major cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids could see thousands of birds flying overhead.
Thursday, temperatures are expected to rebound from the 40s into the 50s and 60s — and continue rising into the 80s over the weekend.
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, Purdue University’s AeroEco Lab explained.
Here’s what to know about bird migration.
How many birds will fly over Michigan tonight?
About 9.3 million birds are expected to fly over Michigan Thursday night, May 14, as part of spring migration, according to Purdue University’s AeroEco Lab. The lab predicts the number will increase to 11.9 million birds Friday night, May 15.
Peak spring migration nationally takes place from March 1 to June 15, according to 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.
BirdCast estimated about 10 million birds crossed over Michigan on May 8, but colder weather this week has kept numbers under 1 million.
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 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: 9M birds to fly over Michigan. Experts say turn ‘lights out’
Reporting by Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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