The start of the peak period for fall migrations will be kicking off in some of the Westmost states this month in the Pacific Flyway, as many species return to their wintering grounds, so make sure you don’t miss out if you’re wanting to catch a glimpse at those early migrators! California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho are the main states, although there are a some early locations in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Colorado as well.

Many veteran birders can consider the summer months a relatively uninspiring time for birdwatching; we don’t adhere to this view of the ‘summer doldrums’, given the many opportunities that exist in summer to look at resident species in new ways, particularly through taking on birdwatching trails or visiting reserves and wildlife refuges. That being said, there’s no doubt that the big migratory periods offer some of the most spectacular birdwatching opportunities of the year.

There will be a multitude of different species following this migratory route, too many to list here, but it includes a variety of shorebirds, feeder birds of all types, including hummingbirds, and even hawks! If you have a feeder in your garden or are thinking of putting on up, make sure you take a look at our myriad bird feeder guides for a multitude of species, including hummingbird feeders.

Image from USGS

The Peak Period Start & End Dates for August migrations

Below you can see a list of different cities and their corresponding states, and when the peak fall migration window begins and ends for each (organised in date order, earliest to latest). Obviously many of us do not live in cities, but each of these can be used as a marker for an approximate area within each state. 

We’ve taken this data from the website BirdCast, which uses data from The Cornell Lab, based on historic radar readings of bird migrations, to predict these movements each year. If you want a full list from now until October then you can click the link to have a look on their website. As we get closer to September however, we’ll be sending out another newsletter like this as a reminder of the locations for that month so you don’t miss out.