“Morning Flight” Migration Monitoring

EBO “Morning Flight” Migration Monitoring

In early 2021 Erie Bird Observatory began conducting standardized morning flight counts from atop the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) tower as part of ongoing research into the early spring movement of diurnal birds along the south side of the Great Lakes. Simply put, morning flight is a term used to describe the migratory behavior of otherwise nocturnal migrants during the early morning hours. There are two prevailing theories for this behavior— that it’s a way for birds to compensate for any wind drift they may have experienced during the previous night and that it’s a response to encountering a geographic obstacle, such as Lake Erie.

For 12 weeks beginning mid-February, Erie Bird Observatory staff conduct near-daily counts from atop the tower located at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. In 2021, 276,986 individuals across 91 species were observed! This year, the 2023 season began on February 14th and is already off to a great start. Visitors are welcome, although access to the tower is restricted to the hours of operation for the TREC. As these hours do change seasonally, we recommend potential visitors check HERE first.

Regardless of whether you’re able to visit in person or not, everyone can still follow along with EBO’s morning flight counts from anywhere in the world by simply visiting the Trektellen website. Click HERE to go to EBO’s Trektellen page— and be sure to book mark it as the season is just getting started!

Morning Flight monitoring this year is thanks to support from a Coastal Zone grant, administered by the Coastal Resources Management Program of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.