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Shut those lights off! Spring migration is underway! 🐦🌎 From March through mid-June, billions of birds travel from their southern wintering grounds to northern breeding habitats — with peak migration happening from mid-April to mid-May. As temperatures rise, this incredible movement sweeps north like a wave, reaching northern states by mid-May.
You may spot:
🟡 Warblers
🟢 Shorebirds
🦅 Raptors
🦆 Waterfowl like ducks, geese, and swans
💜 Purple martins (some begin moving as early as February!)
Most songbirds migrate at night, flying in cooler air to avoid turbulence and predators.
You can help migrating birds:
💡 Reduce light pollution – Turn off non-essential outdoor lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. to prevent disorientation.
🌳 Provide habitat – Plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers to supply insects, food, and shelter for resting birds.
And please see my important comment below.
##lightsoffchallenge #lightsoffchallenge #habitat #songbird #raptor #warbles #shorebirds #birdwatchers #birdwatching #darkskies #darkskieschallenge #birdlife #birdphotography #lightsoff #birdmigration #birds #birdlovers
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Each migration season, billions of birds travel through the U.S., the majority of them flying at night. But they’re facing a dramatically increasing threat: light pollution. Pledge to stand with us as we call on building owners, managers, and homeowners to turn off excess lighting during the months of bird migration to prevent these needless deaths and ensure that these birds have a safe passage when it's time to migrate: bit.ly/4c6Art0
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🌍🐦 World Migratory Bird Day Webinar – March 19
Join us on March 19 for a special World Migratory Bird Day webinar focused on ethical birding and responsible data collection. Whether you're new to birding or an experienced community scientist, this session will help you learn how to observe and document birds in ways that support their conservation.
✨ What you’ll learn:
• Best practices for ethical birding
• How to collect and share bird data responsibly
• Tips to minimize disturbance to wildlife
• Ways your observations contribute to conservation
📅 Date: March 19
🕒 Format: Live webinar
🎯 Who should attend: Birders, community scientists, educators, and conservation enthusiasts
Help protect migratory birds while making your observations count!
🔗 Register today: loom.ly/02iKc4I
#WorldMigratoryBirdDay #BirdingEthics #CommunityScience #BirdConservation
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Monthly Archives: January 2016
Local USFS Biologist and AVA Friend and Member Honored
Several members of AVA and a representative from Ducks Unlimited gathered on Jan. 7 to say farewell to U.S. Forest Service biologist Paul Thompson. Paul will be leaving the headquarters in Oscoda and transferring to the Cadillac field office. He … Continue reading
Local Predator Bird at a Hunt
Here are a couple of photos submitted by AVA member Patsy Mortimer. She stated that they are of: “A juvenile sharp-shinned hawk nabbed a mourning dove at our feeder in Hale Jan. 17.” Not all birds eat seeds, but all … Continue reading
Informational Meeting about the GBBC Feb 3 in Oscoda
One of the announcements made during the January AVA membership meeting was of an upcoming informational talk about the Great Backyard Bird Count. The meeting will be held on February 3rd in Oscoda at the Robert J. Parks Library on … Continue reading
AVA Meeting presentation – Tawas Pt. State Park Initiatives
Our AVA meeting hosted one of the rangers from Tawas Point State Park, Micah Jordan as speaker. He spoke to a number of infrastructure upgrades scheduled to begin at the Tawas State Dock in downtown east Tawas. This is a three … Continue reading
2016 is Centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty
(Note: This information and photo are taken from the Jan. 7, 2016 MDNR news release. See the release on the DNR site for the complete story and further information.) The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service … Continue reading
