Iowans will see a particularly large number of migrating birds on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 16, according to nocturnal migration maps produced by Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
A significant fraction of the estimated 392 million birds that will be migrating over the continental U.S. on Saturday night will be flying over Iowa.
BirdCast, the group’s website, provides prediction maps for nocturnal migration occurring 3 hours after local sunset, which will be about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. The BirdCast maps are updated every 6 hours.
Scientists say that more than 80% of birds in North America migrate overnight, but light pollution from homes, businesses and sports stadiums can confuse them, resulting in fatal collisions with windows and buildings. You can help by turning off your lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
