Ask a Naturalist: Fall Bird Migration

It might be challenging to find scientific data about bird migration through the Piedmont area of North Carolina but locals are very knowledgeable about their favorite species coming through the area in the fall. Local birder Doug DeNeve, from Forsyth Audubon, shared with me “I can tell you that there are vast numbers of birds migrating through here, representing dozens of species.”

In the Winston Salem area, there are two kinds of fall migrants to consider. “Passage migrants” come through the area in spring and fall but do not spent summers or winters here. Some examples include various warbler, vireo, and thrush species.  A species that stands out is the Broad-winged Hawk, which moves in large flocks and can be seen from Pilot Mountain.

If you enjoy watching hawks, we recommend joining Forsyth Audubon at their Hawk Watch station on the Little Pinnacle at the state park where observers record species and numbers of migrating raptors seen from that location throughout September.

In addition, our accessible birding platform at the Gateway Nature Preserve meadow area is a great spot to see hawks. You can often hear and view hawks flying around the area, hunting for prey.
Another type of migrant birds are our “winter residents.” These birds like to spend the winter season in the area but leave during the springtime and they do not return until the autumn. This category includes some sparrows, warblers, and thrush species. An outstanding species in this category is the Winter Wren which is tiny but very vocal!

Some birds that you’re likely to observe in the late fall are: White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Hermit Thrushes. And of course, how can I not mention the winter waterfowl that we see in our area during this time.

If you’re interested in taking a deeper look at what kinds of birds have been observed in our region in past seasons, a great resource is Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab Ebird site. Birders in the area record their observations using this app and the bar charts show the abundance of birds seen in Forsyth County week by week throughout the year. See the chart here: Bar Charts – eBird

“In glancing at the charts, you’ll see that winter resident birds (e.g., White-throated Sparrows) have no green color in the spaces representing the summer months, but thick green lines in winter. Conversely, our summer residents (e.g., Eastern Kingbird) have no green in any of the winter months but plenty in the summer. Passage migrants (e.g., Magnolia Warbler) show two surges in numbers in spring and fall, but both the summer and winter months are pretty blank.” Doug DeNeve

In this site, you can manipulate the time of year you want shown and the years you want represented on the chart. There is data going back to the 1900s.

Another great resource for recorded observations is BirdCast – Bird migration forecasts in real-time. It is a fun site to explore, and it contains a lot of recorded data such as daily observations, live migration maps, number of birds flying over our area during the day and night, birds you can expect to see during a certain time of year, and how migration this year compares to past years!

So, this fall, we recommend visiting a park near you, so you can observe the rich bird diversity that our area has to offer. The Gateway Nature Preserve is the perfect spot to observe wildlife. We have different habitats represented within 19-acres; these include the pollinator garden, the meadow, Salem Creek, and the Forest Discovery Trail. The meadow area has a newly built accessible birding platform, which is a great spot to see the sunset and observe hawks! You can visit the preserve at 1490 S. Broad St., about a mile from downtown Winston Salem, near Old Salem.

Also check out a couple of upcoming events:
-Forsyth Audubon Chimney Swift Night Out
-Black Friday is for the Birds at Gateway Nature Preserve, Date TBD, check our website for updates.