Bird Migration Hotspots in North America

Sandhill cranes spend part of the colder season in this Rio Grande refuge. From a public viewing point, watch the shallow water early in the day. Cranes can lift off from their overnight roost and head to nearby fields to feed, giving you two different views of the flock over the course of a morning.

Look for raptors from the state park’s Hawkwatch Platform from late September through mid-October. Sharp-shinned hawks and American kestrels tend to move on the first day after a cold front. If north or northwest winds hold, larger soaring birds such as eagles can become more numerous over the next couple of days.

Point Pelee reaches into Lake Erie, where it gives crossing migrants a place to rest. May is a good time to check the wooded trails early for songbird arrivals. In fall, watch the tip of the peninsula for passing birds that follow the shoreline before deciding when to cross the lake.

Pronatura Veracruz counts southbound raptors from this observatory on the Gulf coast. Late September into October is the usual peak. Look for flocks of broad-winged or Swainson’s hawks gaining height together, then streaming away. The observers use repeated counts to track the passage through this migration corridor.

Walk the boardwalk beside Lake Erie in May and check the leaves and low branches for migrating warblers. The strip of trees and shrubs gives the birds a place to feed and rest before continuing north. The west end can get crowded during peak migration, so try the east end for more room to stop and look.

This pocket of oaks and hackberries gives northbound spring migrants somewhere to feed and rest after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Try the boardwalk or the seating near the woodland drip, where birders gather on busy spring days. Migrant arrivals vary with the weather over the Gulf.

Garden Key offers a small patch of land in a long overwater journey. Spring passage through the Dry Tortugas usually peaks from April into mid-May. Check the public grounds of Fort Jefferson for birds pausing on the island and keep to open areas, since nearby keys are protected for nesting birds.

On a fall day with a northwest wind behind a cold front, scan along the ridge for raptors heading southwest. The sanctuary’s counts help you plan for September broad-winged hawks or a greater mix of species later in October. Look for a cluster circling upward before it leaves in a glide.

Many southbound raptors turn along the shore of Lake Superior instead of crossing open water. From the Hawk Ridge overlook, the bluff gives you a view of birds gathering along that route. A fall day with northwest winds can bring more birds past the ridge, with peak passage from mid-September into late October.

Watch from the observation deck in late spring as red knots and other northbound shorebirds feed along Delaware Bay. Horseshoe crabs spawn on these shores, and the eggs help the birds refuel for the onward flight. The nature center recommends trying just after high tide and watching without disturbing the flock.

Scan the estuary from the Sandpiper Trail in late April or early May. Western sandpipers and dunlin stop here to feed on the flats before continuing north along the Pacific coast. As the tide changes, compare the birds spread over exposed mud with the tighter groups gathering where the remaining shore is narrow.

Take the refuge’s auto loop to look across managed wetlands for migrating snow geese. The birds can gather in large flocks while they rest and feed, with passage in both fall and spring. The refuge’s waterfowl reports help you see whether birds have been gathering before you make a trip.