Checking theweatheror theair qualityin your area is all well and fine . But the substantial cool tiddler are checking the nightlybirdmigrations .
BirdCastis a site that tells you pretty much everything you need ( or just want ) to know about the birds flying overhead on a given night . Thefirst iterationof the situation , which ran from 2000 to 2001 , combine data from weather radar and crowdsourced bird sighting for a portrayal of avian migration across the country . Thecurrent BirdCastupholds that delegacy — and still bank heavily on radar — but also apply modern machine - learning technique and high - technical school visuals .
There are four main tools to explore :

Thebird migration prognosis mapcolor - codes the continental U.S. based on predict nocturnal migration saturation . For August 23 , 2023 , for example , a large patch of South Dakota will experience peculiarly high migration , and the entire bird count for the nation could pass around 168 million . you’re able to see prognosis for each of the next three nights .
Thelive dame migration mapshows you a timelapse of the factual hiss migration figure and density from the previous dark . ( Or you’re able to prefer another date from the drop - down menu , which pass back to March 2018 . )
On themigration alarm page , embark the name of any city in the continental U.S. to see its forecasted migration intensity for the next few nights . Even on a low - intensity Nox , it ’s good to turn off non - essential lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. so migratingbirdsdon’t get distracted and disjointed . Needless to say , doing so on a high - strength dark is extra significant . you’re able to signalise up for emails alerting you to extra active nights in a number of cities .
Themigration dashboardmay be the most fun puppet . Enter a country or county for a breakdown of its recent migration natural process , from an estimation of how many hoot flew through during the previous night to a chart show how this year ’s average avian dealings compares to older data . This is also where you may find out which mintage are most likely coming or perish .
BirdCast is mainly acollaborationbetween The Cornell Lab of Ornithology , Colorado State University , and the University of Massachusetts Amherst , with funding and donation from many other partners , including the National Science Foundation and NASA .