Michigan’s Below Average Cold Jumpstarts Early Bird Migration

After what has been a rather ruthless summer of heat, the last couple of days have been a hint of what is to come for Michigan's fall weather. Temperatures barely broke 70°F on the 24th, and the high only reached ~68°F on the 25th. It has been a welcome reprieve for both us and our wallets to have the AC off and sleep with the windows open.

Get our free mobile app

However, not everything is enjoying the cooler weather. Due to Michigan's below-average temperatures the last few days, birds appear to have begun their fall migrations early to head someplace warmer.

Fall Bird Migrations Around The US

Usually, we see the birds around Michigan begin their migrations south for the winter towards the end of summer/early fall, with early September and October typically being the peak months for migration. 

READ MORE: These Birds Are Returning to Michigan for Spring 2025

However, a quick look at BirdCast, a website that tracks bird migration across the United States, shows that bird migrations have begun in large numbers. This screenshot showed that an estimated 201.7 million birds were in flight simultaneously in the early hours of August 26th.

Migration Across Michigan

As the temperatures dropped over the weekend, the number of birds in flight soared to an estimated 941,900 birds moving over Kent County from Saturday into Sunday, with a peak of 217,100 birds in flight at once. Sunday into Monday saw these numbers decrease to 385,600 overnight, with a peak of 156,300.

These correlate with overnight low temperatures, as Friday (the first below-average temperature at night) saw 35,400 birds cross Kent County, and the state had 47,700 birds in flight. As colder temperatures held, more birds began their migrations.

So far this season, numbers have been above the historic average for this time of year. The most common birds you'll see migrating now are Warblers and the American Redstart, among others.