Tens of millions of birds will fly over Ohio this weekend as they migrate north for the spring, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Just shy of 33 million birds flew over Ohio the night of May 15, with as many as 24 million in the air at once at around midnight on May 16, according to the Cornell Lab’s BirdCast website.
Over 4 million of these birds flew over Franklin County at altitudes of 1,100 feet to 1,900 feet the night of May 15. The overwhelming majority of the birds flew over the state from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to the Cornell Lab.
The birds even appear on weather radars, according to a social media post by WHIO meteorologist Nick Dunn.
Over a dozen bird species, including the American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler, are expected to join the migration this weekend, according to the Cornell Lab.
An increasing number of birds are expected to migrate over Ohio through at least June, according to the lab’s data.
Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Millions of birds are flying over Ohio this weekend. What to know
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
