More than a billion birds can fly over the U.S. in a single night, and this is the week it could happen. Here’s how to see how many are crossing your county tonight.
While you sleep, millions of birds fly over your roof, up to 10,000 feet high. Weather radar counts them, and a free site shows you how many crossed your county last night, friend. Here’s how to watch the billion-bird season, and the one switch that keeps them safe.
🤯 WOW! On Oct. 8, 2025, weather radar counted 1.25 billion birds in the air over the U.S. That’s the biggest overnight flight ever recorded. One county saw 17.8 million fly over. And we’re in peak season right now.
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Step outside tonight around 10. The sky looks empty.
It isn’t.
More than 80% of North America’s migratory bird species travel at night. Warblers, thrushes, sparrows. Most take off 30 to 45 minutes after sunset and fly as high as 10,000 feet. You never see them. A billion birds overhead, and not one stops to ask for directions. Show-offs.
📡 The radar that counts birds
The same radar that tracks storms for your forecast also picks up birds. A project called BirdCast, run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and university partners, turns those blips into a live count.
Three nights have topped a billion birds. Oct. 6, 2023. Sept. 25, 2025. Then Oct. 8, 2025, at 1.25 billion. Two records, two weeks in the same year.
Late September to early October is peak season in the northern half of the country. A cold front with a north wind is the signal. The birds wait for a tailwind, then everybody goes at once. (Think Black Friday, with feathers.)
Could this week top a billion? Nobody knows until the radar says so. That’s half the fun.
🔦 How to watch, and how to help
- Go to BirdCast and open the Migration Dashboard. Type in your county. You’ll see how many birds crossed last night, which way they flew, how fast and how high.
- Sign up for migration alerts. I was shocked that almost 400,000 were overhead the other night near me.
- Check the forecast maps. They predict migration three nights out. About 10% of nights carry half of the season’s traffic.
- Turn off outdoor lights on big nights. Bright lights pull birds off course and into windows. Scientists suggest lights off from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Go birding the next morning. The birds that flew overnight land in parks, backyards and tree lines to rest and eat. Bring binoculars.
I’ve started a waterfowl migration service with my friend. I call it two men and a duck. Ba-dum-tss!
📩 Send this to someone who keeps a bird feeder full and binoculars by the window.