Shorebirds are already passing through Reston, and Virginia's busiest migration window opens in September.
Walker Nature Center Manager Ken Rosenthal wrote in an Aug. 7 essay on the Reston Association website that residents who think fall migration hasn't started yet are behind the curve. "If you're thinking the fall migration of birds will start soon, you're already too late," he wrote. "Birds in the Americas have begun migration before this was even written."
Data backs him up. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's BirdCast Virginia dashboard estimated 946,300 birds in flight over the state on the evening of Aug. 4, traveling west-southwest at 12 mph and 900 feet altitude.
What to watch for
Migration arrives in waves, Rosenthal explained. Shorebirds move first, from midsummer through September. Songbirds peak in September and October. Raptors follow in the last half of September through early November. Virginia's overall peak runs September through early November.
Fall migrants are harder to spot than their spring counterparts. Adults have molted out of bright breeding plumage, first-year birds wear dull winter feathers, and most species have stopped singing. Wood-warblers are especially tricky, Rosenthal noted.
How residents can help
Rosenthal listed four steps Reston homeowners can take:
- Support local conservation efforts that preserve habitat.
- Plant native species in yards and encourage others to do the same.
- Keep cats indoors.
- Use window decals to reduce collisions and turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night.
Migratory birds depend on every stopover habitat between their origin and destination, making them especially vulnerable to development and habitat loss.
Tracking tools and resources
The Cornell Lab's eBird database at ebird.org lets birders log sightings, view what others are spotting by species or location and set rare-species alerts for specific areas. BirdCast uses weather radar to show live migration maps, forecasts and local alerts.
Walker Nature Center, at 11450 Glade Drive, publishes a seasonal newsletter called Branching Out with environmental news and conservation tips. Residents can sign up through the Reston Association website at reston.org for fall programming updates.
